Wood for Brisket

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Oak

Senior Cook
Joined
Feb 8, 2009
Messages
105
Location
Hopedale, Mass
I am smoking my first brisket tomorrow morning. I've made my spice rub and am wondering if I should put it on overnight or first thing tomorrow morning. The spice rub recipe is Jim Minion's in Weber's Cooking with Charcoal.

I forgot to resupply my wood supply and I only have one fist sized piece of apple wood, mesquite, and hickory. I was thinking about using the apple and a couple of pieces of mesquite. In some of the BBQ roundtables I recall some people saying mesquite can be over powering. Is there anything I should be wary of with mesquite?

Thanks,
Oak
 
I have used mesquite a number of times on pork butts, briskets, chickens and Turkeys and it has always come out fine for me!
 
Scotty is right, mesquite is great for grilling hot. However, mesquite is a good match for beef as long as you don't over do it, it can be strong. If you chose to go with mesquite 2 pieces would be sufficient, anymore and it may be overpowering. I use hickory on 95% of my briskets and generally use between 4-5 small fist size pieces.
 
Got to agree with Scotty.
As far as native wood goes, dry red oak mixxed with a little cherry ain't bad. White oak is better but harder to find. Sugar Maple works pretty good too. We have a little hickory here in Maine and thats always good. Ya probably can get it more easily in Mass
dj


ScottyDaQ said:
PASS of the mesquite....no matter what the Texan's say. It's for fast hot grilling.

Throw it on at midnight...with 2 hickory and 1 apple...if you got it. Good luck :)
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. I went with about half apple and half hickory and it came out quite tasty.








 
Well I hate to be redundant all over again..but a person shouldnt mess with Mesquite less they know where it come from. Now the fella in San Antone is safe. They got decent Mesquite down there and it just gets sweeter as you head South. Now when you hit Corpus and Kingsville they have the best in the world bar none. Now the stuff from around Ablilene and San Angelo aint bad but Corpus has the best. If you happen to get Mesquite from N. Texas or some other yankee part of the world like AZ lit Mesquite smells like a pile of smoldering dirty jock straps. Only hope is to burn to coals and break out the shovel..which is the way the Lord intended anyway of course.

bigwheel
 
Apple and mesquite are nice together. I'd go 3/4 to 1/4, respectively.

John
 
Brisket turned out nice. I use a mixture of red oak and pecan on just about everthing I do. Mainly because I have unlimited resources for those woods.
 
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