New to smoking - brisket advice

[Giberdan28]

Hi there,

I’m new to smoking and am finally getting the chance to take my Smokey Mountain for a spin - looking to do some brisket. Just advice on what you guys would do with this brisket? How I should trim etc? I have hickory and want to try wrapping in butcher paper as I’ve heard this is better? It weighs 4.5lbs.

Cheers

 

[anstissk]

Trim any hard fat off as it wont render. Fair warning, that portion of a brisket doesnt look to have a ton of marbling, so it may not get as tender as you hope. But it's a good trial meat. What size WSM do you have?

 

[Giberdan28]

It’s the 22” I believe. Many thanks for that, going to trim it up tomorrow so will see how I get on. I shall endeavour to get a more marbled cut next time, but I’m looking forward to trialing. Do you have any advice on wrapping?

 

[anstissk]

It’s the 22” I believe. Many thanks for that, going to trim it up tomorrow so will see how I get on. I shall endeavour to get a more marbled cut next time, but I’m looking forward to trialing. Do you have any advice on wrapping?

Wrap once it gets to an IT of 160-165 OR once your bark is pretty well set-up. Sometimes I find myself wrapping at 150 sometimes I wrap at 170. Usually 160-165 is a safe bet on when your bark will be set up. I put the brisket on and leave it alone for about 2-2.5 hours. After that I spritz about every 45 minutes to every hour. This helps the bark set up. Once the meat gets to 190 or so, start probing the meat for tenderness. There should be a little resistance but not much at all. Once its "probe tender" pull it out, and let it rest. If you wrap it in foil, pop that open for 10 minutes or so to let it vent the steam out to limit carryover cooking Then throw it in a cooler if you're not eating until later, or just rest it on the counter if your eating within a couple hours. The best brisket IMO is one that has rested at least 2 hours. Also, when slicing I find I get better results when slicing at an internal temp of around 150 give or take.

You will always be learning in BBQ. I did a 13.5 lb brisket this last weekend and banked on it taking a little longer than it did. Well, it finished about 3 hours earlier than anticipated. So the 3 hour rest I was planning turned into a 6 hour rest haha

 

[RichGTS]

Great advice from Anstissk. Good luck with the cook- I have been hit or miss with briskets and trimming seems to be an art in itself.

 

[Giberdan28]

I‘ve attempted the trim, first ever so go easy!

 

[texomakid]

I'm watching. If you get a chance look at Arron Franklins videos on cooking brisket. They really do lay out a good base roadmap for smoking brisket. That chunk you have looks like a point but can't tell for sure. A good reliable thermometer is going to be your best friend.

Seems like the majority smoke @ 225 to 250 until the IT reaches 160 +/- then wrap with butcher paper or foil. Continue cooking until the IT reaches 195 to 210 (203 is supposed to be the magic number for IT? maybe?) Their are 1000 rubs and rub recipes for brisket (most of them are good) but Salt & Pepper work about as good as anything. It's a thick piece of meat so don't be shy with your rub. Good luck - keep us updated.

Full Disclosure - I've never cooked a brisket that small.

 

[desertlites]

inject with some beef broth. the others have you covered pretty well

 

[SmokinAl]

Well it looks to me like you got a flat with part of the point on top. That is a good thing, because the fat in the point & in between the two will help to keep the brisket moist. There are a thousand Ways to smoke a brisket, use the search feature & just pick one & give it a go. And take detailed notes on rubs, times & temps etc. The more detailed the better. Then you can change anything you need to, after checking your notes the next time. Or if your brisket comes out perfect, then you can just follow your same steps. Good luck!
Al

 

[Thom71gt]

Great advice all, I"m trying one this weekend too. I've done tons of Butts, Ribs, Loin, etc.... but I've not had luck with Brisket. Going to give it another go.

 

[jokensmoken]

It’s the 22” I believe. Many thanks for that, going to trim it up tomorrow so will see how I get on. I shall endeavour to get a more marbled cut next time, but I’m looking forward to trialing. Do you have any advice on wrapping?

Smoking Al has a great tutorial on smoking a flat only. Might be worth looking up and giving it a read through.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

I swear by Al's method.
His is the best for those small flats.

 

[Giberdan28]

Smoking Al has a great tutorial on smoking a flat only. Might be worth looking up and giving it a read through.

Where would I find this please?

 

[anstissk]

Where would I find this please?

If you roll up to his signature it's in there.

BRISKET FLAT, MY WAY

It's no secret that a lot of folks have a problem smoking a small well trimmed brisket flat. I to had my struggles for a while, but a couple of years ago I found this method and have been using it ever since. So I would like to share my method with all of you. If you already are successful...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[Giberdan28]

Well, did it today and happy for my first go, the weather didn’t help. Used the tips and advice from you guys and I’m very grateful- I’m sure it wouldn’t have turned out like it did without it. If anything I could have done it for an hour longer and want to get a better bark but for a first go I’m happy. On to the next smoke!

 

[anstissk]

Looks great!