First Brisket

Back in April I purchased my new smoker. At that time I smoked a couple of pork shoulders with great success. Today I ventured into the world of smoked beef brisket. I am so happy with the results. The 11 lb. hunk of meat was dry rubbed with spices and smoked with hickory wood for more than 12 hours. The photo below shows a nice bark. The bark is the dark outer "shell" of the meat. It looks burnt, but trust me... it's not. The meat was fork tender and delicious. In full disclosure I will tell you the meat was just a tad dry. A few minor adjustments in cooking temperature and meat preparation should rectify that small problem when I smoke my second brisket. The overall verdict is that this was a good result for my first effort. Heck, no PitMaster ever made his first brisket perfectly. Smoking meat requires a lot of trial and error, and practice. I won't be entering any BBQ contests, or opening any restaurants, but I will certainly be feeding friends and family with delicious smoked meats in the near future.