After 4 years of smoking I finally decided to try brisket!

[ponzLL]

and it turned out great I think

I gave it a good thick rub of pepper and kosher salt, and smoked it in my new Stampede with Pit Boss hickory pellets. I started at 225 for 2 hours to get a bit more smoke, then upped it to 270 and left it there. After the 2 hours I started spritzing with a mix of apple cider vinegar and Disaronno. Never heard of anyone using that but it caught my eye on the counter so I just grabbed it lol

All I could find that wasn't like 10 bucks a pound was a 12.5 pound select grade brisket from Walmart, and I was worried that it wouldn't be juicy, so I wrapped it a bit sooner I think. At 157 degrees on the flat side I wrapped the whole thing tightly with foil and stuck it back in. Turns out that did the trick because this thing was incredibly juicy I thought, and there was a ton of rendered fat in the bottom after my hour rest.

So anyway here are the pics. I started around 10:00 AM and pulled it off at 5 so 7 hours? I wrapped before the stall though, so I was able to skip that part, and I think that helped shave off some time.

 

[ponzLL]

Oh crap I forgot the important detail....I set my alarm for 198 internal and fell hard asleep and missed it entirely. Woke up and it was 209 on the flat!! I was so worried I ruined it, but it probed tender still so I pulled it out and let it rest an hour. I guess it was ok! Maybe 205 would have been better though, experience will tell!

 

[smokerjim]

looks good from here. if it's dry try a little beef broth

 

[Pitflyz]

A headline like that deserves a little background. Why the 4-year wait?

 

[gmc2003]

Looks like the sleep helped, because the brisket look wonderful.

Point for sure
Chris

 

[nomad297]

A headline like that deserves a little background. Why the 4-year wait?

Exactly what I was thinking.

Bruce

 

[hardcookin]

I think you should have tried brisket a little sooner.
Nice Smoke!!

 

[ponzLL]

Thanks all! The reason I waited 4 years was a mix of lack of confidence with my smoking, expense of the meat, and the fact that my wife can't eat beef without throwing up anyway so it seemed pointless to make it for myself.

 

[noboundaries]

Oh crap I forgot the important detail....I set my alarm for 198 internal and fell hard asleep and missed it entirely. Woke up and it was 209 on the flat!! I was so worried I ruined it, but it probed tender still so I pulled it out and let it rest an hour. I guess it was ok! Maybe 205 would have been better though, experience will tell!

CONGRATS! Looks delicious.

BTW, don't lose the lesson of your first brisket smoke. 198, 205, 209 are guidelines, not destinations. A tender, succulent brisket is your destination, not a temperature. Folks think overshooting their target temp will result in an overcooked, dry piece of meat. Nope. It will be tender and juicy if overcooked, but lose structural integrity. At 198, it may have been done, but it also might have been dry and undercooked.

Falling asleep may well have been the best thing you could have done. The smoking angels were watching over you!

 

[ponzLL]

Good advice, but I learned that the hard way from pork butts already! The 198 alarm was just when I planned to start going out and checking for tenderness, and the 205 guess was based on the very slightly overdone flat part, but tenderness would have ultimately been what made the decision there! Thanks

 

[Hawging It]

Perfection!

 

[texomakid]

Looks awesome. Hope you don't have to wait another 4 years to cook the next one? We Love Brisket at this house. It's a staple! Yours looks great.

 

[motsyball]

Thanks all! The reason I waited 4 years was a mix of lack of confidence with my smoking, expense of the meat, and the fact that my wife can't eat beef without throwing up anyway so it seemed pointless to make it for myself.

Those 3 reasons are exactly why I have not tried smoking brisket! LOL!

 

[sauced]

Great looking brisket for the first time....nice job!!