I love me a good smoked Texas brisket, but god damn, acquiring and then babysitting a smoker for an entire night, all to land at “really quite decent” is my definition of diminishing returns.

If I ever accidentally acquire a raw brisket, I’ll turn in my Texas card (no great loss these days) and put that fucker in the oven with some foil and liquid smoke. Meantime, I’ll stop by the HEB sometimes, or a better place when we have out of town guests.

Honestly, I just think brisket is overrated. I've been to Austin a few times and went around to the "local spots" as my friend puts it, and it's good, but nowhere near as good as the best ribs or pulled pork IMO. It's just all grease. Anywhere else that kind of texture would be done in very small portions, or considered too slimy and rich. A few bites are great but a half pound of the stuff is just an unpleasant gut bomb.

Brisket on the whole has kinda flagged as the popularity increased. Cooper’s out in Llano is great for ribs, chicken, and goodness me the pork chops..

But yeah, doing brisket on your own is great. A pellet smoker will make it good, a proper stick burner will make it great. But it’s all about the preparation. Good prep will make a mediocre cut so much better.

i won't stand for this Smitty's and Kreuz's slander. i have a comfy chair and i would like to sit.