First Brisket

[bowtech9]

Hello everyone,
Bought a new smoker and tried out a brisket. 16lb before trimming. Trimmed down to about 1/4” of fat. ( I think now was too much trimmed)Rubbed with Montreal Steak Seasoning. Set smoker on 250*. Smoked for 4 hrs and checked (looked pale and no bark yet). At this point I dumped the water pan and left dry. Smoked another 3hrs to 165*. Pulled and wrapped in butcher paper. Smoked again for about 3hrs until 203*. Pulled and wrapped in towel in cooler for 1hr. Then sliced and served.

Results: I didn’t test with a toothpick or (warm butter) test. The point was nice and tender and moist but the flat was dry. I ran out of time due to the party starting. I learned a lot and have a good baseline to start.

Please comment with pointers and experience. Nobody complained about the results but I knew it wasn’t my best work :)

 

[Baconyoulikeapig]

What was the grade of meat? If it was a low grade that could have played a factor. You could try a lower smoking temperature of around 200-225 and perhaps a longer resting period. I like 2 hours minimum. I'm not saying these are the issues which caused your flat to be dry, but they are things you can play around with.

Lastly, probing is the best way in my opinion to tell when done. Not every brisket is at its best at 203. Some are ready 5 degrees lower and others ready at 5 degrees higher.

 

[Preacher Man]

If company is happy, it was a success!
Pound it

With that being said, we're BBQ folks and I believe that makes us go-getters by nature. If we weren't, we'd stick to spaghetti and pizza instead. It's in our personalities to pursue and perfect.

Based on the pictures of your sliced brisket, it looks undercooked to me - which you already guessed. I say that because the connective tissue doesn't look rendered out. Next time give yourself a few more hours if a party is waiting on it. You'd be surprised how long those hunks of meat will last in a towel-stuffed cooler.

You did good to throw the water pan out. Some smokers (mainly stick burners) seem to need the moisture, but I've come to realize that most smoker chambers are so well insulated these days that the extra moisture isn't needed. And that added moisture in the atmosphere can just add to the overall cook time.

 

[jcam222]

I am a fan of the waterpan full of broth in my vertical cabinent. The remainder in it is liquid gold for au jus later. I also inject the heck out of mine. I normally use double strength Minors au jus. Last time I used Butcher Block brisket prime injection. I believe injecting is a key step.
I am also beginning to be a convert to a much hotter faster smoke. My best beef so far was smoked about 3 1/2 hours at 250F and then cranked up to 300 for the duration. Wrapped at 170F and pulled when it was 205F AND the probe went in like into hot butter. Man that probe test part seems critical regardless. Either way yours looks delicious.

 

[SmokinAl]

It sure looks good!!!
Al