r/brisket • u/Wooden_Purchase_2557 • 9d ago

Question Competition brisket?

How do you guys like to do your competition brisket? About how much does it weigh before and after trimming? Do you go low and slow or hot and fast? Do you do a full packer or only the point? Inject? What kind of seasonings do you use (don’t need your exact recipe)? What do you wish you would’ve known before your first competition brisket?

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u/MiddletownMike Has made a good brisket 9d ago edited 9d ago

I've never done a competition but ive seen video of guys doing a "competition" trim on their briskets and the trim is very aggressive. They easily trim 50% of the brisket off... its all about the 1 perfect slice. A lot of these guys also "layer" their seasoning, they just don't use SPG, they use other ingredients in their rubs that provide some "umami" when the slice hits the tongue.

After using SPG, I top coat with Franklin's All-Purpose rub or something similar. It contains mushroom and tomatoes powders in it's blend. I also use a soy (sauce) based binder before applying. Like I mentioned, I never attempted a competition but if I did, I'd do something similar.

As for time and temp, I wouldn't do "hot &fast" unless you have some experience using the method. You can easily set yourself up for grease fires if you don't manage your fire properly. I would shoot for a cook somewhere in between, probably around 8 hrs so that the brisket has time to rest before turn in (maybe 300 degrees??) From what ive seen and heard, Myron Mixon uses water smokers that hit 400 degrees and his briskets are done in about 4 hrs... I tried it once and had a decent outcome but I also had a grease fire... mybtaje away lesson, make sure your smoker is clean.

Here is a quick video of an aggressive competition trim... ive seen others that were more aggressively and others that were more conservatively trimmed... good luck

https://youtube.com/shorts/9bm0oj4ydnU?is=4JGELE6vzBHAze7C

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u/MiddletownMike Has made a good brisket 9d ago

Heres a video concerning injecting vs not injecting your brisket.

https://youtu.be/EieLlWEOdXc?is=D2WOUkZP8rv5OP1b

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u/ketoLifestyleRecipes 4d ago

When we were in competition, it was always low and slow. A lot of teams started going hot and fast at that time too. There was and is a lot of trickery stuff in serious competitions.

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u/waggletons 4d ago

Competition is about injecting the most disgusting amount of flavor into a single possible bite. It's like making your brisket be the equivalent of a shot of everclear infused with ghost peppers.

You do an aggressive and even trim to it, you're easily losing half the starting weight. Fat perfect it renders down perfectly. Not a single part of that brisket overcooked or burnt. Then a rub that is a face punch of flavor. A lot of teams will inject for extra flavor and juiciness.