4 lb brisket flat......now what?

vayank5150 · Jan 2, 2016

OK....I completely destroyed a brisket about 2 years ago, when I attempted one. Now, I have a 4 lb flat ready to go and I want to do it right. I have a rub that I know works for my family, but what temp? Wood choice? Advice would be greatly appreciated!

vayank5150 · Jan 2, 2016

I stole this rub from an oven recipe, but my family loves it so hopefully it will transfer well to the smoker:

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 bay leaf, crushed

(for a 4 lb brisket)

chef jimmyj · Jan 2, 2016

I am a fan of Very Low and Slow for Brisket. I will go 200°F for 4 hours, then bump to 225 and finish until Probe tender. Max time below 212° helps retain moisture. Oak or Pecan is great for Brisket but anything will give a good flavor...JJ

vayank5150 · Jan 3, 2016

Thanks, Chef! I am following your direction and actually used a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of pecan and oak. I have some other things I need to do this afternoon, so I will have to cheat and transfer to the oven once I foil it. Hopefully it will turn out this time!

crankybuzzard · Jan 3, 2016

VaYank5150 said:
Thanks, Chef! I am following your direction and actually used a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of pecan and oak. I have some other things I need to do this afternoon, so I will have to cheat and transfer to the oven once I foil it. Hopefully it will turn out this time!

JJ has you going the right direction.

Once foiled, you can cook however you want to, the smoking is done and most all of us have finished in the oven.

vayank5150 · Jan 3, 2016

Wife is getting nervous as it is close to dinner time here. IT is at 192. Does a brisket need to rest once the IT hits 202?

b-one · Jan 3, 2016

It should rest if you can. Cook to probe tender not a final temp I pulled a brisket today at 187*IT it had little resistance so I just went with it.

vayank5150 · Jan 3, 2016

Hmmmm....I read somewhere on here that if you can probe with a toothpick with little pressure, it is done. Sound right?

bdskelly · Jan 3, 2016

VaYank5150 said:
Wife is getting nervous as it is close to dinner time here. IT is at 192. Does a brisket need to rest once the IT hits 202?

The brisket tells you what time dinner is. ...not the wife.

LOL joking of course But you can't rush the meat. You won't be happy.

I just PMed you with some advice. Enjoy! b

vayank5150 · Jan 3, 2016

BDSkelly said:
The brisket tells you what time dinner is. ...not the wife.

LOL joking of course But you can't rush the meat. You won't be happy.

HAHA! Unfortunately, I also have a 7 year old daughter who is hungry!!

fishernrex · Jan 3, 2016

Agree with what the others said - Started @ 0500 morning with what I "think" is a "flat" - Here are the results... (And it was GOOD!) - First time brisket cooker here and simply followed the "low and slow" advice on the forum - 225 for almost 10 hours (198 IT) when I took it off.

chef jimmyj · Jan 3, 2016

Once Probe Tender, perfectly done, a 15-20 minute rest is all that is needed. Resting an hour or two in a cooler will not get it " More done " or " Better done. "...JJ

vayank5150 · Jan 5, 2016

Let me tell ya'll a story about a man who rushed a 4 lb brisket flat......

Pulled the flat from the oven at 192 degf internal. Only had about 10 minutes to rest. When sliced, the flavor was dead on, but the meat was HORRIBLY dry. Lesson learned on this one. I must give myself more time on the next. I foiled and used a combination of beef broth and a little red wine. I want to believe that had I let the IT run up into the 200s and also allowed it to rest for at least 45 min, she would have been tender. Thoughts?

hardcookin · Jan 5, 2016

When You cut your brisket make sure you only cut what you are going to eat. That way the brisket doesn't dry out.

Edit: A 4lb brisket flat is a hard cook because the brisket is so small. They are easy to dry out.
I would have started probing about 185. That is the best way to check them by probing the thickest part of the brisket. When it probes like butter it is done.
I like resting my brisket for an hour.

vayank5150 · Jan 5, 2016

hardcookin said:
When You cut your brisket make sure you only cut what you are going to eat. That way the brisket doesn't out.

Well, being the idiot that I am, I sliced the entire brisket. The remnants of this dry specimen are now resting in the fridge in the au jus created from the beef broth and red wine. I am hoping to cook the remnants up later this week and get some sort of tenderness out of it....

hardcookin · Jan 5, 2016

VaYank5150 said:
Well, being the idiot that I am, I sliced the entire brisket. The remnants of this dry specimen are now resting in the fridge in the au jus created from the beef broth and red wine. I am hoping to cook the remnants up later this week and get some sort of tenderness out of it....

Hey it's called learning...keep cooking briskets and you will keep getting better Thumbs Up

vayank5150 · Jan 5, 2016

To all:

I don't say this enough, but THANK YOU!!! to all on this board. I have learned SO much from you all in the 2 or so years since my wife bought me my first smoker. I am now comfortable smoking chicken, pork shoulder, rib roast and pork ribs (kinda). My wife and daughter are my biggest smoking fans and I cannot ask for much more than that and I owe it all to the folks on this board. I will continue to learn and hopefully the brisket will be in my holster one of these days.

chef jimmyj · Jan 6, 2016

Saute some Onion and Garlic. Add the Brisket and Au Jus then simmer it until the meat is falling apart. Thicken the sauce with Roux or a Flour and Water Slurry. Use the Beef and Gravy as is or stir in Sour Cream, and top Noodles or Toast. You won't notice it was dry...JJ

mummel · Jan 6, 2016

I was going to do a brisket over Christmas. Someone in the main brisket thread said only do a whole brisket when smoking (i.e. 10-18lbs, the packer). Costco in my area unfortunately only sells the flats, and recently started selling untrimmed flats, but still no packers.

Should I wait to find a packer before trying my first brisket? Maybe OP should try the whole thing if the flat was dry?

crankybuzzard · Jan 6, 2016

mummel said:
I was going to do a brisket over Christmas. Someone in the main brisket thread said only do a whole brisket when smoking (i.e. 10-18lbs, the packer). Costco in my area unfortunately only sells the flats, and recently started selling untrimmed flats, but still no packers.

Should I wait to find a packer before trying my first brisket? Maybe OP should try the whole thing if the flat was dry?

Not sure why someone would tell you to only do a full packer.

Flats can be cooked, and cooked very nicely! For a flat, I tend to wrap a bit earlier than some, but they come out moist, tender, and quite tasty!

I run mine at 225-230, foil at about 150-160, then cook until I get a nice probe feel. (~195-205 IT)

4 lb brisket flat......now what?

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