First Brisket, Two small cuts, Possible burnt ends. Need advice.

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j-dub 7

Newbie
Original poster
Jun 17, 2012
16
10
North Texas
I am a pretty inexperienced smoker, I have only smoked pork butt 5-6 times and wasn't planning on smoking this weekend, However, when getting together with my Mom and the Mother in Law today, our burger cookout planned for tomorrow has turned into me smoking brisket that my Mom had purchased for a different recipe.

Here's the problem - I have a 1.9 lb flat and a separate 2.25 lb point.

My plan is to cook the flat to my desired temp (195 or so) and let it rest for a few hours. I will remove the point at that time, cube it, and put it back in the smoker covered in sauce for and hour or two for burnt ends.

I have a few concerns - 

1) The flat is very thin, and I'm worried we won't have a lot of good brisket slices to serve the 4-6 we are expecting. The thickest part of the flat is maybe 1 - 1.25 inches

2) Should I take the point out when the flat is done and cube it then? Do I need to wait for the point to come to desired temp before cubing? Does it need to rest?

3) Should I even worry about doing burnt ends or just serve both parts sliced?

 I didn't choose these cuts, but you gotta play the cards you're dealt. Any ideas/suggestions? Thanks in advance for your help.
 
1.9lb flat will shrink to about 1.2lb, so I'm thinkin' slice the point as well...won't be much for a meal for 6 if you don't, however, if the BE's were served as part of the main course, that would stretch things a bit and offer a little more variety.

One of the beauties of BE's when I do mine is the point doesn't have to be to finished temps when I cube it. I prefer to pull the point to rest briefly before cubing in the upper 150* to lower 160* range. I don't put the cubes into a pan or foil...I season or toss lightly in sauce, then I go back to straight open grates, and this gives a slightly crisp bark, and with the lower finished temps before cubing, it retains more moisture when they come out. Open grates to finish, combined with lower temps when cubed, yields a slightly popping, firm yet tender chew and has a decent amount of natural moisture when done right, so they don't need much sauce other than what caramelizes on the ebark, and all with that with a nice bark. If that sounds like an interesting texture combination, you may want to give it a try.

Here's a good look into how I smoke BE's, and some info on brisket as well:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...riskets-burnt-ends-taters-in-the-vault-q-view

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/102525/burnt-ends-remnant-flat-cut-q-view

Burnt Fingers...another form of BE, with a sammie idea as well, which may be a good option in your situation...you build one big sammie and slice it up into portions so everyone gets a nice amount from it:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/90615/had-any-burnt-fingers-lately-brisket-q-vew

For a more tender surface texture, you can drop the BE's into foil or a pan with the sauce.

Eric
 
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here's a plan, cookat an estimated 4.5hrs. , I figuered that by the weight you mentioned, then add some to that as it is only a guide,the thermometer is you gauge. when done go ahead and cube dust and sauce the ends to resmoke.

when you slice the flat, cut it at an algle to make the slices look bigger.On the bias and about 1/4' thick.

trick the eyes, besides, they'll want some Ends too and that will most likely finish thier meal.

think Frugal. Have fun and as always...
 
Thanks for the advice gentlemen. I am still undecided on whether I will do burnt ends or not, it will probably be a last minute decision. Ya gotta improvise sometimes.
 
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