- May 18, 2020
- 31
- 54
I smoked my first full packer brisket this weekend for my brother’s housewarming/birthday gathering. I got a 17.5 whole brisket from Wild Fork. I was very concerned with the cooking time as we were going to eat at 3 PM. In a moment of panic, I decided to split the flat from the point to decrease the cooking time. I immediately regretted that decision, but in hindsight, it was not a bad decision. Splitting the brisket allowed me to start the cook in the early AM, wrap after 4 hours and monitor the cook and not lose any sleep. Next time, I will put on my big boy pants and smoke the entire packer for 12-16 hours like my brothers on SMF do.
I seasoned the meat with 2:1 Meat Church Holy Cow and The Gospel on both the meat and fat side. Smoked with Cowboy Lump and Hickory Wood chunks at 250F for 4 hours. Wrapped in pink butcher paper lined with Tallow made from the trimmings for another 3 hours. Cut the point into cubes for Burnt Ends and double wrapped the point and stored in a cooler until cutting tie. The curst was crunchy, a little peppery and had the right amount of salt. The burnt end cubes were juicy and tender, but could have had a better glaze.
As the title says, I still need more practice. The 17.5 lb packer reduced the flat and point to about 5 LBs each after trimming plus a pound or two of extra meat that cut off the point. During the cook, the meat shrunk 30% more, making me nervous there would be enough meat to feed the crowd (approx. 20 adults and 10 kids). I also need a better knife so I can make thinner slices. My slices were kind of think IMO, which lowered the overall yield. Both trays were empty after 15 minutes and most if not everyone (besides my brother and his wife) had a taste.
The meat turned out great. Both the slices and burnt ends went very fast. So fast that my brother didn't get to try it. He was upset about that, and I don't blame him. I owe him a rack of plate short ribs (his favorite) as a consolation offering :). My family and friends all had nothing but complements about the meat. They were picking pieces as fast as I could slice - thus the lack of the obligatory "bend test" pic. I tested a middle slice and the bend was there, but not pronounced. I will do better next time SMF fam. The crowd did not agree, but I think the flat was a little dry. I had a power failure with my battery pack after the wrap and had to bump up the temp to 300F to get the meat to 203F. I was not sure of the temp before the power failure, so I could have over cooked it at the end.
I seasoned the meat with 2:1 Meat Church Holy Cow and The Gospel on both the meat and fat side. Smoked with Cowboy Lump and Hickory Wood chunks at 250F for 4 hours. Wrapped in pink butcher paper lined with Tallow made from the trimmings for another 3 hours. Cut the point into cubes for Burnt Ends and double wrapped the point and stored in a cooler until cutting tie. The curst was crunchy, a little peppery and had the right amount of salt. The burnt end cubes were juicy and tender, but could have had a better glaze.
As the title says, I still need more practice. The 17.5 lb packer reduced the flat and point to about 5 LBs each after trimming plus a pound or two of extra meat that cut off the point. During the cook, the meat shrunk 30% more, making me nervous there would be enough meat to feed the crowd (approx. 20 adults and 10 kids). I also need a better knife so I can make thinner slices. My slices were kind of think IMO, which lowered the overall yield. Both trays were empty after 15 minutes and most if not everyone (besides my brother and his wife) had a taste.
The meat turned out great. Both the slices and burnt ends went very fast. So fast that my brother didn't get to try it. He was upset about that, and I don't blame him. I owe him a rack of plate short ribs (his favorite) as a consolation offering :). My family and friends all had nothing but complements about the meat. They were picking pieces as fast as I could slice - thus the lack of the obligatory "bend test" pic. I tested a middle slice and the bend was there, but not pronounced. I will do better next time SMF fam. The crowd did not agree, but I think the flat was a little dry. I had a power failure with my battery pack after the wrap and had to bump up the temp to 300F to get the meat to 203F. I was not sure of the temp before the power failure, so I could have over cooked it at the end.
