smoking a variety of meat including a small brisket

If you have room, I really say to do the whole thing.  It freezes really well.  We always cook way more than we need and freeze the rest.

The meat is so different, but I actually prefer the point because it's so juicy.

It depends what you want to do with it. I usually slice my flats but once in a while I will pull one & I use the point for burnt ends. Some people slice the point as well. The point has a higher fat content than the flat. As suggested above you could always do a whole packer & have the best of both worlds then vacuum pack & freeze any leftovers. You could easily make an Au Jus to go along with it too. Here is Chef JimmyJ's recipe - it's a good one 

Smokey Au Jus

1- Lg Onion,

4-5 Carrots,

3-4 Ribs Celery

3-4 Peeled Cloves of Garlic

Toss them in a pan under the Beef, and let the whole deal Smoke for one hour,

THEN add 4-6 Cups Beef Broth,

2 Tbs Tomato Paste,

1/2tsp Dry Thyme (4-5 sprigs Fresh)

1-2 ea Bayleaf

Finish the Smoking process to the IT you want. 

While the Roast is resting, dump the pan juices veggies and all into a 2-3Qt Sauce pot and add 1Cup Red Wine, something you like to drink, and bring the Jus to a boil, lower the heat and simmer 20-30 minutes. Strain out the veggies and let the Jus rest a minute or so for the Fat to rise. Skim off the bulk of the fat then using strips of paper towel laid on top of the Jus then quickly removed, take off the last little bit of fat.

The purpose of Smoking the Vegetable for 1 hour before adding the Broth and Herbs is...The Smoked vegetables Roast in the Dry heat concentrating their Flavors and Sweetness giving the finished Jus a Richer, Deeper, Full Flavor.

Serve the sliced Beef Au Jus or thicken the Jus to make Gravy.

NOTE: If you are using this recipe with Brisket, additional Water will have to be added periodically to maintain the proper volume. Do not add more Broth as repeated addition and reduction will make the Au Jus too salty..

Not sure where to post this, but I have a question. I am new to smoking and have a 5 lb. brisket that I am smoking at 235 degrees. How long do I smoke it? I have two hours into it so far.

kdcaleb2 said:

 
Not sure where to post this, but I have a question. I am new to smoking and have a 5 lb. brisket that I am smoking at 235 degrees. How long do I smoke it? I have two hours into it so far.

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Is it a flat? It depends whether you want to slice it or pull it. Here is a thread that should help you http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/50979/basic-brisket-smoke

As for myself, I cook brisket at a smoker temp of 225 - 250* & monitor the IT of the meat. Once it reaches 175* I start testing it every hour with a toothpick - once it goes in & out effortlessly I pull it. This has happened at a wide range of ITs - from 177 - 200* I then wrap the brisket in foil & put it in a cooler to rest for at least an hour before slicing it. As for time you can figure roughly 2 hours per pound but brisket has a mind of its own & can be very unpredictable...

Thank you for the information. It's very helpful. BTW, it is a flat. I read that some people pull it off after about 3 hours and wrap it in foil for the remainder of cooking time to keep it moist. Is this necessary?

Matthew Evans said:

So I decided on a full packer. $3.50 a lb made it an easy choice. After I trimmed it down it came to about 13 lbs. It's going on this afternoon at 5pm because I need it done by 11am tomorrow. Enough time I hope. With the time allotment, should I cook through the stall or foil it? I'm going for a good smoke ring (just a personal goal) so I'm starting it at 180 for 2 hours and cranking it up to 225. Also planning burnt ends once I get the flat into the cooler. Any other suggestions?

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id cook unfoiled but if it gets down to the wire the foil will help pull u thru. also if ur gunna be rollin at 180* for the first couple hours do NOT punture,poke, or probe that thing. or else youre gunna have to get out of the "Danger zone" in 4 hours.

Are you going to separate the point from the flat? You may be pushed for time if not - especially since you're starting at 180* for a couple hours - as it needs to rest for a while after it's done too... I try to give mine 2 hours per pound to be safe but at 1 1/2 hours per pound you are already over your given time not counting a rest...

Matthew Evans said:

So overall the meat turned out pretty good. Only thing I cast figure port is how it turned out so stringy. Iwas hoping to slice the flat and cube the point for burnt ends. Even the point was hard to cube and ended up shedding. Flat sliced alright in some spots but broke apart easily as well.

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the point can turned to pulled brisket quick because of its high fat content. also what kinda knife did u use? i try to use a large bread slicer knife now, if i try to use my regular slicer knife it just falls apart on me. which i could end up caring less about cuz i dont say no to pulled brisket sammys...lol. just gotta watch temps closely and make sure youre probed in right areas and also learn your hottest spots in smoker.