Central Texas Brisket

Production identity

Target finished yield

5.8 kg · approximately 40 portions at 145 g

Reference ratio

Finished mass ÷ declared primary-input basis (batch reference ratio): 58.0% (10 kg declared primary input → 5.8 kg finished target)

Total formula input

10.57 kg before trim, evaporation, absorption or transfer loss

Time

45 min active · 900 min total

Equipment

offset smoker or validated pit · probe thermometer · scale · holding cabinet

U.S. major allergens intentionally present

None intentionally declared in the formula; supplier labels and cross-contact still require verification.

Additional sensitivity note

None listed.

Holding / service

Rest, then hot hold under controlled conditions; define house quality ceiling for hold duration and slice to order.

Raw-animal-food control: where this formula includes raw animal food, use the current authority-approved cooking time/temperature and the venue’s approved procedure. Sensory doneness never substitutes for a required food-safety endpoint.

Formula — 1× target batch

Scaling table

Use the input-percentage column to audit transcription. The ½× and 2× columns scale ingredient mass only; process capacity must be revalidated.

Ingredient weights scale arithmetically; pan geometry, heat input, evaporation, fryer recovery, mixing shear, proofing/bake behavior and holding capacity do not. Revalidate process whenever batch size or equipment changes.

Method

1. Trim to a repeatable aerodynamic shape while preserving enough fat to protect the flat; weigh raw and trim loss.

2. Season evenly by weight. Establish a clean-burning pit and load only after temperature/fire behavior is stable.

3. Cook with a documented pit profile. Judge wrap by bark set and evaporation management rather than clock time alone.

4. Continue until the flat and point show appropriate probe tenderness; internal temperature is recorded as evidence, not used as the only endpoint.

5. Rest to stop aggressive carryover, then hot hold under the house standard. Weigh finished yield and slice across the grain to order.

Working numbers

• Salt 1.6% + pepper 1.6% of raw weight
• Typical pit strategy ~225–300°F / 107–149°C depending on cooker and target
• Target finished yield in this formula: 58% of raw weight
• Record wrap trigger, probe tenderness, hold duration and slice yield

Production verification

• Record actual finished batch weight before portioning; compare with target and investigate material variance.
• Record actual portion count and portion mass during service rather than inferring count from target yield.
• Verify current supplier labels for major allergens and document cross-contact limits of the actual station/equipment.
• Record the process/temperature checkpoints that are critical to this formula under the venue’s approved food-safety procedure.
• Taste or otherwise evaluate the formula at its actual service temperature and after the realistic hold/travel interval.

Batch record: target yield ____ · actual yield ____ · actual portions ____ · critical process checkpoints ____ · service hold ____ · waste/rework ____ · sensory result ____ · corrective action ____.

Sensory standard

Dark set bark, rendered but not greasy fat, tender slices that bend and pull without crumbling, moist flat, clean smoke without bitterness.

Evaluate the control batch at pickup and again after the realistic handoff or hold. The written standard should describe the point at which the formula is still sellable and the point at which it must be remade, repurposed under an approved plan or discarded.

Failure laboratory

Version control

KECB professional training formula; validate local regulatory requirements, supplier specifications and venue procedures before production. A measured correction to the recipe becomes a documented formula revision after a controlled test; do not let different cooks maintain invisible personal versions.