Advice for first full packer

[sandyut]

I have cooked many flats, but never a full packer. I am wanting to give it a try. Any advice on;

• where to buy
  • I have a great butcher, but Costco would be more cost efficient, grocery is a no go.
• tips for differences in the cooking?
  • is it pretty much the same just longer?
  • should I set a probe in the flat and the point or?

Anything you may have learned and advice you can give would be great.

thanks

 

[Burgi57Chevy]

Looking forward to all the advice!!

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

I would hit up Costco. Normally around here you can get a prime packer for $3.99 lb sometimes cheaper depending on the season. Try to pick the best one available with the thickest flat if possible.

As far as cooking goes most of it comes down to personal preference. I smoke mine at 225 but I've seen others on here roll theirs at 275-300+. Injections, seasoning, wrapping/not wrapping etc...is all your call. Make sure you trim it well. I would stick a probe in the flat and the point if you have enough available just to monitor temps. When it hits 190 start probing it for tenderness. Once it slides through like butter with little hesitation its good. Your done temp could be anywhere from 190-205...brisket is more on feel than temp. Cold beer is also necessary...it will be a long smoke.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck and post some pics of the cook when it goes down.

 

[sandyut]

sounds great! I have done my flats at 225 and wrap if i run short on time. for my full packer It will be an overnight cook so i will have an abundance of time. Probably throw it on about 6PM with anticipating noonish next day...give or take a few hours depending on how it goes. I have learned not to schedule the end time.

 

[texomakid]

You'll get a lot of different opinions but here's my take on buying a brisket.

Out of all the briskets I've cooked I tend to buy Select grade the most since they are typically more economical and I'm from the old school opinion that it's a challenge to take a Select grade chunk of meat and cook it to tenderness (I'm a low & slow brisket guy.) You can also find Choice and sometimes Prime. I've cooked a few of the higher grade and their is typically better marbling in the higher grades but I find there is enough in Select. The last Select whole packer I bought was $2.59/lbs. I buy them where ever I find them and like the meat or the price. Sam's & the local Brookshires get's 90% of all my business.

If it bends easy it has less fat, if it's stiff it will have more fat (or so I've read) - to me they're is typically plenty of fat on the whole packers regardless of grade and I actually trim off anywhere from 3/4 to 1 1/2 lbs of fat depending on the brisket. I've cooked briskets that weighed anywhere from 12 lbs to 18 lbs.

I suggest get you a good whole packer at Costco if that's your local fav and fire up that smoker and get cooking!
Don't fear the whole packer - It's just a big chunk of smoked goodness when it's done right. Favor is in the bark! Don't be shy on rub what ever you use for rub.

I use 2 probes - one in the flat and one in the point and I rotate my brisket to keep it cooking evenly over the 15 to 19 hours it takes me to cook a brisket.

Please post pics when you do - we love pics :)

 

[JC in GB]

sounds great! I have done my flats at 225 and wrap if i run short on time. for my full packer It will be an overnight cook so i will have an abundance of time. Probably throw it on about 6PM with anticipating noonish next day...give or take a few hours depending on how it goes. I have learned not to schedule the end time.

How close are you to Salt Lake City? You may be able to get some good pricing on brisket at Restaurant Depot..

 

[jokensmoken]

I've done both and there is very little to no difference except trimming fat and the overall cook time.
I trim the fat cap and remove any ugly "silver" membrane exactly the same...the biggest difference in fat trimming is there is a thick (ish) layer of hard fat separating the point and flat...some folks (I am one) will go in from the side of the brisket and carve out a bunch of that thick hard fat (to me , it doesnt tend to melt or render out well)...
The fat layer I'm referring to will be very obvious to you when you get your hands on the full packer
Beyond that everything is about the same...
If you have a good flat technique, do the same thing...
One other point of interest...
Points and flats usually cook to "finished" in different lengths of time...
The point will generally probe done and sometimes get to a finished IT quicker than the flat...
My rookie mistake was always pulling when the point was done very nicely knowing full well the flat wasn't really quite there yet for fear of "over cooking"...
Heres my take on it now after probably 20 full packers...
The point will always be "more done" than the flat if you finish the flat correctly but, my opinion is it is never "over done"...
Often my points have a texture that is more like a pork butt ready for pulling (not quite that done but almost) and be slightly more difficult to get really nice pretty slices...BUT it's never been objectionable and a perfectly done flat more than makes up for it.
Good luck and happy Q-ing
Walt

 

[sandyut]

thanks Walt! I feel confident in my flats (wife only wants me to make those...). I think the full will go well. I liked your comments and experience! thank you for sharing!

 

[Nole4L]

If you can cook the flat you can absolutely cook the point. It has a lot more fat and is more forgiving than the flat. Sometimes I smoke the point and make burnt ends while saving the flat for corned beef or pastrami. Planning on doing some brisket this weekend.

 

[noboundaries]

I buy the cheapest packers I can find, refusing to pay over $4 /lb. Remember, brisket was considered a lousy, tough cut of meat that's gone up in price because the demand has increased. It really hasn't changed much.

I only probe the flat because the point is the pork butt of beef; just about impossible to screw up.

If you can find the patience and discipline to LEAVE IT ALONE, the brisket will appreciate it. I dry smoke mine overnight at 225F and don't check on it for 12 hours. It usually is flat tender an hour or two later. A 12-14 lb trimmed brisket will finish faster than a 9 lb pork butt, so don't let the weight and timing throw you.

Looking forward to the pics!

 

[desertlites]

I inject mine with beef broth, a good salt and pepper rub with a touch of cayenne. Start mine in a foil pan until it's time to cover. As far as advice Inject and don't fall asleep for to long if at all during the night.

 

[tallbm]

I think you've gotten a lot of good advice here. Basically the packer is done when the flat (and the whole thing) probes tender.

Probe the thickest yet center most portion of the Flat. As already state the point is should finish way before and is hard to mess up. I personally run 3 probes the flat and usually only get 1 in the right position hahaha.

I always recommend that you trim away the thin end of the flat so that what is left is just about uniform thickness across the rest of the flat. Repurpose that good flat meat. If you leave it on, chances are it may just burn up or dry out and be tossed away. Here is a diagram I always share on what I mean about the trimming. Here is a link to a thread where I explain in great detail the trimming and what you can do with the good meat that is trimmed away, along with pics:
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/my-brisket-flat-trimming-approach-explained-qview.286564/

BrisketFlatTrimAway

• tallbm
• Oct 7, 2017

I prefer to smoke my briskets unwrapped. With a packer this shouldn't be an issue where with a flat alone it may want to dry up on you... I speculate about flats drying up because I have only ever done whole packers, BUT I have done chucks and they make me think they behave like flats and a chuck can dry up on you if you don't watch it or wrap it.

Besides smoking naked and leaving it alone, I season well with Salt, 2X course Pepper, Onion, and Garlic (SPOG but 2xP).

Finally, I do mine at 275F. The brisket doesn't care about the temp and will have no issues with a higher smoking temp if you want to go that route and get hours of your life back :)

Best of luck!!!

 

[sandyut]

I never thought of trimming the flat portion... you have a great point tho. I probably should have trimmed a couple of the flats I have done because out of the bag they were thin in spots.

Great Diagram! pics help! Many thanks!

Next weekend will be the date. Wife birthday and she goes bananas for brisket. I never ask her what she wants me to cook because I get the same answer very time - brisky!!!!... I like briskets, but also like ribs, pulled pork, chicken, etc...variety and somethings that dont take forever. :)

 

[tallbm]

I never thought of trimming the flat portion... you have a great point tho. I probably should have trimmed a couple of the flats I have done because out of the bag they were thin in spots.

Great Diagram! pics help! Many thanks!

Next weekend will be the date. Wife birthday and she goes bananas for brisket. I never ask her what she wants me to cook because I get the same answer very time - brisky!!!!... I like briskets, but also like ribs, pulled pork, chicken, etc...variety and somethings that dont take forever. :)

I'm glad the info could help. In that link I posted I talk about how I fold/roll up that good flat meat and throw that meat along with some trimmed fat into the pan that rests directly below my brisket. I end up with either burnt ends, chopped brisket, or a combo of both with the good meat I have re-purposed this way.

You can do a million other things with the meat a s well like grind for burger, cube for stew, etc. etc. but I just keep it simple and end up with more brisket whether it is all fodder for being chopped or works for burnt ends that people seem to love :)

 

[sandyut]

I grind my own burgers from Chuck and adding a little brisket would be perfect! I have made my burger with a blend before (including brisket) but I like the straight chuck burger (mostly for easy and cost) - home ground course.

Just read the links page. I like this idea too! but I need a shift for my rec tec. I needed one for jerky as well so this is more justification.

thanks again!

 

[sandyut]

Ok, as I included in a different post...I have a 9lb packer in the refer for tomorrows cook. I am going to run the temp higher than previous 250-275 this time and skip the overnight long cook process. I think I will inject for the first time and put it right on the grates. Ill get pics along the way. we will see how this goes. I have the pink butch paper too. not sure if I will use it just yet.

 

[sandyut]

tallbm - I am about 2/3 of the way through my cook and I have to thank you. I never thought of anything besides low and slow. I ran it 275 and the this will not be taking all day as I am used to. AMAZING! thanks for all the good info!

 

[tallbm]

tallbm - I am about 2/3 of the way through my cook and I have to thank you. I never thought of anything besides low and slow. I ran it 275 and the this will not be taking all day as I am used to. AMAZING! thanks for all the good info!

No problem! I'm glad some of my info can help out.
I look forward to seeing the pics of the end results!!!

 

[sandyut]

I made a new thread for the cook. Thanks again for the assist! Best brisket I ever made.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/my-first-full-packer-w-pics-of-process.287966/