Having done about 10 briskets over the past few years and getting inconsistent results, I decided to take a BBQ class specific to my type of grill (Kamado Joe) to learn from people who do competition BBQ. I applied more or less what I learned to this latest brisket. This is the best brisket I've made thus far, but still room for improvement. It came out very moist and flavorful, but probably could've used a bit more smokiness.

Bought a 17 lb prime grade whole packer from Costco. Trimmed and injected with Butcher BBQ Prime Brisket Injection. Seems like all the competition guys are juicing these days, so I thought I'd give it a try. This product contains hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, MSG, and phosphates. The HVP and MSG are flavor enhancers basically to amp up the umami-ness of the brisket. The phosphates help the brisket retain moisture and not dry out. Probably not the most natural way to go, but oh well. The product calls to mix with water but instructor said he mixes with beef broth, so I decided to use Better Than Bouilon mixed with water, which really has a beefy flavor. Go big or go home, right?

After injecting, left in the fridge overnight to marinade. In the morning, wiped the brisket down and applied rub (Holy Cow), then threw on the preheated smoker (285F) at 7am with 2 chunks of cherry wood and 1 chunk of hickory. Used a turkey roaster with blunt ends (from Smart & Final) which fit perfectly under the grate to which I added 2 boxes of beef broth and a 1/3 gallon of water. Because the brisket was larger than the diameter of the grill, I put it over a v-rack to bend, fat side down, point end towards the back (since this is the hottest part of the grill and the point side has enough fat to protect meat from drying out).

After 4 hours of smoking, took it out and wrapped in foil with some beef broth added to the wrap. Increased temp to 310F and smoked for another 3 hours until internal temp (at thickest part of the flat) reached 203. Probed with a instant thermometer and the thicker parts of the brisket had little resistance so I figure it was done. Opened foil to vent for a bit and put into cooler to rest for about 3 hours before serving. Depending on the brisket, this method can take between 6-8 hours and finish around 200-210F.

The final result was awesome. It didn't really need any sauce and was even tasty 5 days later. This is the second fast cook I've done, but I think injecting is really the game changer. Next time I will try injecting with something a little bit more natural like a beef broth and Worcestershire mix. Also will add more wood chunks next time or smoke unwrapped a bit longer so that it picks up more smoke.