Brisket Flat - Is there any hope to not dry out?

[danigirl021]

Hello All!

New member here. I smoked a 5 pound brisket flat today. Flavor was great but it was just dry. I had it on my WSM until about 160 then pulled and put in a pan with a little stock and covered until about 205. Not sure if wrapping it is actually better for moistness. I have seen a number of people do it both ways. I also did a light injection as well hoping it would help with moistness. It smoke about 235 to 245 for most of the cook. I didn't buy the full brisket because the price per pound right now is just really expensive where I am at. Is there any way to smoke just a flat and not dry it out? The pull was okay but not what I really wanted which would explain the bit of toughness.

 

[pineywoods]

Instead of a light injection the night before the smoke inject all you can into it. Pulled and panned with some liquid should have helped a lot if you sealed the pan up with a lid or some foil just make sure it's sealed tight. When it gets up to around 190 start probing it and when it feels like a knife going through soft butter it's done and the finished temp will vary from one brisket to the next. You can use whatever for a probe when I first heard about doing this they were using a toothpick for the probe when it went in easy it was done.

 

[SmokinAl]

BRISKET FLAT, MY WAY

It's no secret that a lot of folks have a problem smoking a small well trimmed brisket flat. I to had my struggles for a while, but a couple of years ago I found this method and have been using it ever since. So I would like to share my method with all of you. If you already are successful...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Give this a try!
Al

 

[agaffer]

A small flat is probably a select cut and lean. Lean briskets need to be cooked hot and fast. The pit master at Franklin's BBQ has a youtube channel called Mexicana. His name is Max. Look for his video on S&L Prime Brisket vs F&H Select.

 

[Chasdev]

Hot and fast, all the way.
Cook uncovered for around 3 hours then wrap in foil, sprayed with mix of apple cider and apple cider vinegar.
Cook around another 3 hours but start probing and testing for flex at 2 hours.
If you are going to eat it right away after letting it set an hour, pull it at 205, if you are going to hold it for several hours after pulling then pull at 195/200 to prevent overcooking during the hold stage.
I don't inject anything these days, FWIW.

 

[danigirl021]

Instead of a light injection the night before the smoke inject all you can into it. Pulled and panned with some liquid should have helped a lot if you sealed the pan up with a lid or some foil just make sure it's sealed tight. When it gets up to around 190 start probing it and when it feels like a knife going through soft butter it's done and the finished temp will vary from one brisket to the next. You can use whatever for a probe when I first heard about doing this they were using a toothpick for the probe when it went in easy it was done.

I did foil the top. I am wondering if it wasn't tight enough because I had the probe there. Thanks for the tip on checking around 190.

 

[danigirl021]

BRISKET FLAT, MY WAY

It's no secret that a lot of folks have a problem smoking a small well trimmed brisket flat. I to had my struggles for a while, but a couple of years ago I found this method and have been using it ever since. So I would like to share my method with all of you. If you already are successful...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Give this a try!
Al

Great tips I will have to try this.

 

[danigirl021]

A small flat is probably a select cut and lean. Lean briskets need to be cooked hot and fast. The pit master at Franklin's BBQ has a youtube channel called Mexicana. His name is Max. Look for his video on S&L Prime Brisket vs F&H Select.

Thanks. I will take a look.

 

[Hijack73]

Instead of a light injection the night before the smoke inject all you can into it. Pulled and panned with some liquid should have helped a lot if you sealed the pan up with a lid or some foil just make sure it's sealed tight. When it gets up to around 190 start probing it and when it feels like a knife going through soft butter it's done and the finished temp will vary from one brisket to the next. You can use whatever for a probe when I first heard about doing this they were using a toothpick for the probe when it went in easy it was done.

With injecting hours before the smoke make sure you do a couple of things. Keep it cold. Cold injection, cold fridge, start with very cold meat. Also make sure the injection is fairly salty. Most injections are, but it keeps things from growing. I agree that if you are going to inject, put the spurs to it and inject all the meat will hold and then some. I probe at 190 also and then I check it every 2 degrees. I personally pull most of mine between 196 and 200, I think 205 is a recipe for dryness but I've had more than one go 208+
I don't like the no resistance (room temp butter probe) method. It should hold just a wee bit. I saw a youtube vid a while back that said that sticking a pick in a jar of peanut butter was a better reference and I wholeheartedly agree. I used to tell people that probing should feel like probing a cake, but I like the peanut butter analogy a bit better.

Flats defy logic. A packer has 60-70% of the flat not protected by the point yet they are harder when separated for most people (I am one of those people)

I smoke selects lower than I smoke choice. Interested in the youtube vid the guy above posted. I used to live off of select brisket (from 2000-2010 I probably AVERAGED 3 a month, smoking for home, church, etc...) because they were roughly .99 to 1.29 a lb the entire time, only bought choice if they were the same price. Turned out a subpar one once in a blue moon but once I nailed it - I nailed it. Now they are always the same price so I don't buy selects unless that just happens to be all that are in the case and I'm jonesing really bad.

I recommend spending the extra $ on a full packer and splitting it on the long bias. Higher initial investment but splitting one gives you 2 cooks. Also, I know walmart is bad BUT it's where I buy all my briskets. I won't buy any meat at walmart that's not cryovaced from the processor. All packers here at walmart are Excel and Excel uses blue printing on cryovac, select is black printing. They are always mixed, and I asked the guy filling up the counter one time why that was. He said every one in the case came out of the same box - so go figure. Every other grocer for 50 miles around me wants 5-6 bucks a lb for a dam brisket. Sam's and Costco sell prime but my membership lapsed a couple years ago so I'm not sure what they are running right now.

 

[1MoreFord]

Dry and tough brisket indicates under cooked. Don't pull until it probes tender.

 

[daspyknows]

Costco sell prime but my membership lapsed a couple years ago so I'm not sure what they are running right now.

I go to the Costco business center and prime brisket $3.19/lb. I think choice was $2.69/lb. St.Louis cut ribs $2.69/lb and bone in pork butt $1.29/lb. As I understand it regular Costco is a little bit more.

 

[danigirl021]

Dry and tough brisket indicates under cooked. Don't pull until it probes tender.

Interesting. How does it turn out dry if it is undercooked? Never heard this before would love some insight.

I did probe and it felt good at about 205 when I pulled it.

 

[Displaced Texan]

Interesting. How does it turn out dry if it is undercooked? Never heard this before would love some insight.

I did probe and it felt good at about 205 when I pulled it.

I don't think it turns dry. It becomes juicy through the rendering of the fat.

 

[tallbm]

Interesting. How does it turn out dry if it is undercooked? Never heard this before would love some insight.

I did probe and it felt good at about 205 when I pulled it.

Hi there and welcome!

Dry and tough is undercooked for a brisket. My understanding is because the collagen hasn't melted from between the proteins causing it to be tender and juicy due to melted collagen.

Dry and crumbly = overcooked because the collagen has melted and basically gone out of the meat.

Dry and crusty = burnt up/overcooked haha. This often happens with the square end of the brisket that is much thinner than the rest of the brisket. I always carve this off and smoke it with the brisket in the pan I place under the brisket. It can be pulled early since it finishes early :)

Briskets, and pork butts are only done when u can stab ALL OVER with something like a probe or wooden kabob skewer and it goes in like butter. Brisket flats are a problem child and some may not simply cooperate but most should.

If I were doing a brisket flat I would cook it to like 180F internal temp and then place on foil douse pretty good with a liquid and then wrap. This should effectively steam up the brisket towards the end and keep it moist but never lose smoked brisket flavor where if you wrap or pan too early you basically get a roast beef flavor which is not what you are aiming for.

As stated earlier use the Internal Temp (IT) of the brisket where you place the probe in the thickest yet center most portion of the flat... even if cooking a whole packer put it there. Probe placement in a brisket is deceivingly difficult to nail so I always use 3 probes and go with the lowest reading one hahaha. So when IT is around 200F I go do tenderness checks with a kabob skewer and check every 1-2 degrees of IT rise until it probes tender then I pull it :)

I hope this info helps you :)

 

[1MoreFord]

Interesting. How does it turn out dry if it is undercooked? Never heard this before would love some insight.

I did probe and it felt good at about 205 when I pulled it.

Listen to tallbm. He explained it.

 

[danigirl021]

Hi there and welcome!

Dry and tough is undercooked for a brisket. My understanding is because the collagen hasn't melted from between the proteins causing it to be tender and juicy due to melted collagen.

Dry and crumbly = overcooked because the collagen has melted and basically gone out of the meat.

Dry and crusty = burnt up/overcooked haha. This often happens with the square end of the brisket that is much thinner than the rest of the brisket. I always carve this off and smoke it with the brisket in the pan I place under the brisket. It can be pulled early since it finishes early :)

Briskets, and pork butts are only done when u can stab ALL OVER with something like a probe or wooden kabob skewer and it goes in like butter. Brisket flats are a problem child and some may not simply cooperate but most should.

If I were doing a brisket flat I would cook it to like 180F internal temp and then place on foil douse pretty good with a liquid and then wrap. This should effectively steam up the brisket towards the end and keep it moist but never lose smoked brisket flavor where if you wrap or pan too early you basically get a roast beef flavor which is not what you are aiming for.

As stated earlier use the Internal Temp (IT) of the brisket where you place the probe in the thickest yet center most portion of the flat... even if cooking a whole packer put it there. Probe placement in a brisket is deceivingly difficult to nail so I always use 3 probes and go with the lowest reading one hahaha. So when IT is around 200F I go do tenderness checks with a kabob skewer and check every 1-2 degrees of IT rise until it probes tender then I pull it :)

I hope this info helps you :)

Yes this is good information. I will be keeping this in mind when I do my next one. Thanks

 

[danigirl021]

BRISKET FLAT, MY WAY

It's no secret that a lot of folks have a problem smoking a small well trimmed brisket flat. I to had my struggles for a while, but a couple of years ago I found this method and have been using it ever since. So I would like to share my method with all of you. If you already are successful...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Give this a try!
Al

I am trying this out tomorrow. I will let you know how it comes out.

 

[SmokinAl]

I am trying this out tomorrow. I will let you know how it comes out.

Great!
Good luck!
If you have any questions about the process just PM me. I’ usually on here a couple of times a day, so I should be able to get back to you pretty quickly.
Al

 

[knightsky]

Hi there and welcome!

Dry and tough is undercooked for a brisket. My understanding is because the collagen hasn't melted from between the proteins causing it to be tender and juicy due to melted collagen.

Dry and crumbly = overcooked because the collagen has melted and basically gone out of the meat.

Dry and crusty = burnt up/overcooked haha. This often happens with the square end of the brisket that is much thinner than the rest of the brisket. I always carve this off and smoke it with the brisket in the pan I place under the brisket. It can be pulled early since it finishes early :)

Briskets, and pork butts are only done when u can stab ALL OVER with something like a probe or wooden kabob skewer and it goes in like butter. Brisket flats are a problem child and some may not simply cooperate but most should.

If I were doing a brisket flat I would cook it to like 180F internal temp and then place on foil douse pretty good with a liquid and then wrap. This should effectively steam up the brisket towards the end and keep it moist but never lose smoked brisket flavor where if you wrap or pan too early you basically get a roast beef flavor which is not what you are aiming for.

As stated earlier use the Internal Temp (IT) of the brisket where you place the probe in the thickest yet center most portion of the flat... even if cooking a whole packer put it there. Probe placement in a brisket is deceivingly difficult to nail so I always use 3 probes and go with the lowest reading one hahaha. So when IT is around 200F I go do tenderness checks with a kabob skewer and check every 1-2 degrees of IT rise until it probes tender then I pull it :)

I hope this info helps you :)

What liquid do you recommend to put in the foil at 180?

 

[tallbm]

What liquid do you recommend to put in the foil at 180?

If I have left over wine in the fridge I toss a little in, if not then just some water. The amount of liquid is not very much. Maybe an ounce or so. 2oz max. It's just enough to get it in there and seal it in so it keeps things steamy and juicy to prevent or fight drying out.

[Edit]
For reference an ounce of liquid will be about a shot glass worth so this gives you an idea as to how much/little liquid is needed. This is why I don't fret too much about what liquid I add :)