First Brisket

[smokinginpa]

Going to be smoking an 8lb flat tomorrow.  Tonight I am going to coat in mustard and put a rub on before wrapping in saran wrap and putting in the refrigerator.  I plan on starting the smoker at 6:00AM so that I will have enough time to smoke and let rest before we eat between 6 and 7 PM.  I have been reading through past posts on different methods of smoking a brisket, does anyone have any tips to help keep the first smoke simple and to help have a good outcome?

 

[lancep]

Patience! You can make it simple or complicated, however you want, just be patient. Pulling it too early is one the biggest pitfalls. You're looking for the probe, toothpick etc to slide in easily with little to no resistance. Even if it goes a little too long and crumbles a little when you slice it, it will still be great. nobody's going to complain about tender, juicy, flavorful beef. Pull it too early, however, and you tough chewy and even a little dry. What temp are you planning to smoke at?

 

[smokinginpa]

Good advice, I will make sure to be patient with it.  I plan on smoking at 225.  I need to see how it is going to fit on the smoker, I am going to end up either draping it over a can, or cutting in half.

 

[crankybuzzard]

Draping over a can isn't something I had thought about!  Good idea!

225 is a good temp, but like Lance said, be patient with it.  At some point you'll hit a stall, just stick with it, it'll come out for you.

 

[SmokinAl]

Sounds like a plan.

Good luck!

Al

 

[smokinginpa]

I can't take credit for the idea of draping over a can, SmokinAl gave me that advice in a previous post.  When I smoked with a pork butt I got it to a certain temperature then I wrapped in foil for the rest of the time.  Is that something I should do with Beef, and if so at what temperature should I wrap it in foil, and what temperature should the meat be at when I take it off the smoker? 

 

[lancep]

I wrap my briskets. Others don't. Wrapping will help you through the stall but may not give you the bark you want. Most people seem to pull between 190-205, but, it's the probe tenderness that you're looking for. The temp is just a ballpark. Start probing at 195 but if the probe doesn't slide freely, let it ride. Again patience.

 

[crankybuzzard]

The LanceP one is wise!  

If you do what all has been discussed, we should be seeing some great pics from you later this weekend!

 

[smokinginpa]

Thanks for the help, I will make sure to post pics!

 

[hardcookin]

You should have a beautiful day smoking.
Good Luck!!

 

[redheelerdog]

Hows the brisket doing? 

 

[smokinginpa]

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Picture of brisket after it came off smoker. I will put up a pic once I slice it

 

[smokinginpa]

.  

Not sure what happened when I tried to upload a photo before, but here is the brisket after smoking and resting, and the second photo is after I started slicing it.

Brisket.jpg

• smokinginpa
• Sep 6, 2016

IMG_0248.JPG

• smokinginpa
• Sep 6, 2016

Meat wanted to fall apart when I sliced it.  Tasted good, but seemed a little dry.  I was having trouble maintaining the temperature at 225, and it did creep up to 300 at one point.