Cooking a packer brisket this weekend

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harrypotsticker

Newbie
Original poster
Aug 24, 2017
18
11
Southern california
I got nominated to cook for a bday party this weekend. Im going to do a prime brisket. I have not done one in my new offset yet so im nervous. Ive got a 16" horizon classic. Anybody have any tips for the execution on a smaller offset? Hot spots are right below the stack and obviously right next to the fire box. Should i be rotating? Fat side up/down?
Thanks
 
Ive had great luck with brisket, but i dunno about the offset. I always smoke um at 225 about 75 min a pound and foil them after 4 hours. Get um up to 205 degrees. Id go fat side up for sure. Maybe try rotating it every hour to deal with your hot spot issue.
 
 I have never done one on an offset, But have done almost a dozen this summer. I do mine fat side down as a norm @225. Get the IT  up to 195+ and do a poke test with a toothpick or probe, If it goes in easy little resistance you are good to go, if not leave it on until it is. I have pulled mine off from 196-205 depending on the slab. If I want to remove the point from the flat I do it then. Wrap the flat in butcher paper and towels then put it in a cooler for 2-4 hrs depending on time. Cube the point and sauce if I want and put it down to smoke until ready to serve. On my last brisket I put the brisket in a pan with some beef broth at 179 ( stalled ) then went until done. Again wrap with a bit of juice till we were ready to eat.  The last one was definitely the most tender but i have done a few that were close with no panning. Saw it and thought I would try it. There are a lot of opinions out there, try one and see what you think, Good luck and share your exp. and Pics.....
 
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I smoke at about 275 and usually wrap in butcher paper around 170. Then smoke until it is probe tender in the thickest part of the flat. Usually around 205 but can be anywhere from 195 -210
Pull and let rest uncovered for about 15 mins. Then wrap and put in a cooler with towels for at least an hour resting. Or an oven @ 170 resting.
 
I have done 5 briskets this year on a smaller offset smoker (17"). I try to keep the temp at 275 or so and will start fat side up with the point towards the heat and leave it alone for about 4 hours. I will then flip the brisket so it is flat side down until about an hour into the stall, I have found this creates a better bark than cooking fat side up for the whole cook. When I flip I try to position the brisket so that the end of the flat is away from the stack now that I have a little more room while still making sure I can get air flow around the side closer to the door. An hour or so after I hit the stall I will wrap in foil and put it back in the smoker fat side down for the remainder of the cook. Then just probe for tenderness, rest, and serve as usual. I am by no means an expert but have found this method to produce the best results on my smoker, hope this helps.
 
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As you can tell, there are a lot of ways to smoke a brisket, and a lot of it depends on the quirks of your smoker.  The key in just about all the replies above is only use IT as a guideline.  Probing for tenderness will tell you when it is done, paying particular attention to the flat.  The point will probe tender WAY earlier than the flat, sometimes by as much as 20F IT.  That's due to the higher fat content of the point.  Don't worry about it.  The point can take all kinds of heat abuse and still come out tender and juicy due to the fat. 

The most common error folks make when smoking a brisket is using IT as an indicator for doneness.  Then they slice it, taste it, and say they cooked it too long because it was flavorful, but dry.  Nope, undercooked.  An overcooked flat will taste dry, but will crumble when you try to slice it.  It will be extremely tender because ALL the structure melted out of it. 

Probe the point first, then the flat.  You'll quickly understand what is meant by "it is done when the probe slides into the meat like it would into warm butter."  When the flat does that, bingo.       
 
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