First Brisket w/ Q view!

[iron city]

I did my first brisket today. I learned a few things and of course made mistakes as usual.....

here we are just on the Traeger with the basic bbq rub from here

Here it is sliced up. Great smoke ring, I am not sure what all of these people are talking about when they say that a Traeger does not produce a nice smoke ring.

For my first one I am satisfied but I think it could be juicer.

For you pro Q'ers I have a question, Should brisket be fall apart or a little firm? I can cut it with a fork, but it takes a little force to get through. If you are looking to slice a brisket, what is considered "perfect"? I know there are different opinions but I want to hear them. Thanks!!

A couple of points for myself for next time

- lots of wind and the Traeger temps get a little squirrely. I bought firebricks for next time.

- I pulled it at 195. Forgot to do the tooth pick test

- When I unwrapped it from the foil I accidentally lost all of those good juices (au jus) in the bottom as they slid down the sink after I burned myself. It has rested for 90 mins and was still smokin hot. Kind of pissed about that.

 

[pops6927]

To slice the brisket, you want it a bit firm or you won't be able to slice it, it will just shred on you; 195° is perfect.  205° is for shredding.  If you want more juice, then you'd want to leave a fat cover on it.

When you unwrap your foil, do it over a plastic dishpan in your sink to catch the juices and use a pair of cheap PVC gloves to protect your hands, the red rubber kind:

They're $4.97 a pair, real cheap protection, available at Home Depot and other places.  Dishpan is variable depending on the size sink you have, available at discount stores.

 

[cwalk]

beautiful brisket and i like your countertops too

 

[jrod62]

Great smoke ring !!!
When you foil you can just put it in a pan and cover the pan .
I been burn few times unwraping foil, now just put them in pan.
Do the same when doing pork butts

 

[smokinhusker]

Great smoke ring !!!
When you foil you can just put it in a pan and cover the pan .
I been burn few times unwraping foil, now just put them in pan.
Do the same when doing pork butts

X2...that's a great looking brisket and the smoke ring is dynamite! Great job!

 

[rasbury]

Hey Iron City gotta be happy with that for a 1st attempt - nicely done.
When you say it's your first attempt at brisket have you been smoking many other meats to get the hang of it or have you just jumped straight in the deep end??

 

[iron city]

Hey Iron City gotta be happy with that for a 1st attempt - nicely done.
When you say it's your first attempt at brisket have you been smoking many other meats to get the hang of it or have you just jumped straight in the deep end

I have done two butts, ribs, ABT's and some chicken breasts in the Traeger. This was my first attempt at brisket ever, but I have been reading on these forums pretty much daily so you could say that I have been studying up (or grabbing a life vest) before jumping in the deep end.

 

[africanmeat]

Man it looks good nice smoke ring & juicy

 

[harleysmoker]

Beautiful!