I'm 7 hours into smoking a 7lb brisket in the Big Green Egg. Two hours prior to the end, I pulled the brisket to wrap it in a foil packet. The plan was to dump a cup of coffee into the packet with it. After I got the brisket back into the Egg, I noticed the cup of coffee was still on the counter, full.

That's odd, I thought. That's when I noticed that my cup of Diet Dr. Pepper next to it was empty.

SONOFABITCH!

I quickly retrieved the packet and replaced the liquid. I'll let everyone know how it turns out. Who knows? Maybe I stumbled onto a winning recipe modification.

DAMMIT.

Laugh

I hope your inadvertent experimentation turns out.

Dr Pepper brine or injection is pretty common in Texas. Diet Dr Pepper not so much...

That's what I get for rushing.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Dr Pepper brine or injection is pretty common in Texas. Diet Dr Pepper not so much...

That's basically how I explained it to the wife.

I’ve used Dr Pepper to brine with good results, I am sure it will be fine.

I think you’ll be fine. Let us know how awesome it turns out.

It's rernt!

Send it to me, I'll dispose of it following proper hazardous waste protocol.

It’ll be fine, I’m sure it’ll give you the meat sweats.

I am lost.
~ Every Texan

Just kidding, kind of……I have never heard of adding coffee, or any liquid, to a smoked brisket. I do realize that brisket as a cut of meat is cooked many ways by different folks but I have never heard of slow smoking then finishing in a liquid. I have spritzed a pork but with apple juice but never wrapped any meat on a smoker with a cup of introduced liquid.

Is this a common thing widely done or a regional practice specific to your location?

7lbs is kinda light. Flat?? If flat only than I guess I understand using liquid. I’ve only done full packers, As any real Texan would. But I’m from Massachusetts so…

All that being said I’ve seen tons of recipes include Dr. Pepper in bbq. I’d have let it ride.

Well, seems like you’ve just reached the statutory age of senility. Welcome to the CRS CLUB too.
You just need some “Make ‘Em Eat It.” You can put that stuff on anything and it will make them eat it.

UPDATE:

Well...it was pretty damn good. It was tender and had a nice bark on it. It was juicier than it looks in the photo. The liquid addition was something I'd seen in a few recipes, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Plus, I included ground espresso beans in the dry rub. I used apple wood chunks for the smoke in the BGE. I would do it again, though I don't know if the Diet Dr. Pepper added anything or not.

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
7lbs is kinda light. Flat?? If flat only than I guess I understand using liquid. I’ve only done full packers, As any real Texan would. But I’m from Massachusetts so…

All that being said I’ve seen tons of recipes include Dr. Pepper in bbq. I’d have let it ride.

It was actually half a brisket; there's only four of us, and two are under 8 years old. The other half I'm saving for next time.

Glad it turned out well!

As for the other half- two words:
Pa
Strami

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
I am lost.
~ Every Texan

Just kidding, kind of……I have never heard of adding coffee, or any liquid, to a smoked brisket. I do realize that brisket as a cut of meat is cooked many ways by different folks but I have never heard of slow smoking then finishing in a liquid. I have spritzed a pork but with apple juice but never wrapped any meat on a smoker with a cup of introduced liquid.

Is this a common thing widely done or a regional practice specific to your location?

I have not added liquid to a brisket, but when I smoke a large chuck roast(Mimi-brisket) I smoke it for 2-3 hours, then double wrap it in alum foil, and I add 1/2 of a yeasty beer before closing it up and putting it back into the smoker for another 3-4 hours. Works like a charm and is super tender and juicy.

I think the Dr Pepper would of been a good addition in place of the coffee ... would of turned out well either way.

That's a diet Brisket. Glad it turned out good. My dad used to put root beer in his water pan when doing ribs

A few tips:

If you want to incorporate liquid, do it prior to smoking in the form of an injection. Regular (not low salt) beef broth will boost flavor and increase moisture, and it's dirt cheap. There are competition injections but they're pricey.

If you want to incorporate Dr. Pepper, try regular (i.e. not the diet kind) Dr Pepper or Cherry Dr Pepper.

If you want to foil (aka Texas Crutch), use it to break through "the stall" at ~150F (i.e. use it to save time). The stall can last 4 to 6 hours, and tightly wrapping in foil can save 2 hours. The stall is actually the meat sweating so moisture is evaporating instead of temperature rising. If you foil, all of the evaporation pools in foil (i.e. no need add liquid when wrapping) and leave foiled until 203. If the bottom bark became soggy, sear it.

Testing things out is fun. However, do it eyes wide open knowing there is a lot of myths when it comes to BBQ so many of the tests just increase time and cost rather than improve the final product.

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

Somewhere I read that once a meat gets to 130-ish, it quits taking on smoke. But you can wrap it and finish the cook for your desired time/tenderness. The additional part was that you could open it back up near the finish and “bast” the meat with an appropriate liquid. The liquid would also hold smoke and add to the flavor.

Looks dam good. Brisket is what they serve in Heaven, breakfast lunch and dinner.

I'm not sure what would happen if you put Diet Dr Pepper on it, but I'm sure I'd still eat it.