Overnight brisket

[Dantij]

Hello smoker community. Beautiful day in Chicago. I'm planning an overnight brisket cook, 2nd time. I'm planning on 6 hours on the offset, wrapping and then transferring it over to the WSM for some beauty sleep. I'll get some pics in at some point. This will be my 2nd attempt with this method. Quick question for all the brisket experts : how early can I salt a brisket? Typically I combine my salt and pepper blend and apply a few hours in advance. Can I salt it 6 hours before it hits the smoker without making it too salty? I know years ago I would use a binder then a Texas spice blend and refrigerate overnight beforehand. I don't remember how it turned out though. Must not have been great ! Anyway, I've never salted a brisket 6 hours in advance. Thoughts please...

 

[Chasdev]

Salt away, as long as you use a normal amount, it won't become more salty if you do it and let it sit overnight.
It would take a LOT of salt to ruin a large piece of meat like a brisket so go for it.

 

[SmokyMose]

All I use on brisket is a salt and pepper rub just before it goes on the smoker, but I don't see how doing it earlier would make any difference.....

 

[noboundaries]

I haven't found any difference in the final result when dry-brining a brisket for 12-24 hours compared to trim, S&P, load on the smoker. I do the latter because it's easier.

 

[Dantij]

...2 days later on the update! Brisket came out good but I hit a few speed bumps in the road. I will attribute these bumps to alcohol but my brother and I had a great time overcooking it! Haven't seen my brother in 2 years so we had some catching up to do. Long story short, the flat dried out a bit, point was fantastic. No pics, just a wicked hangover. I really enjoy the method. It allows me to sleep overnight and have the brisket ready to devour by early afternoon.

 

[noboundaries]

Long story short, the flat dried out a bit, point was fantastic.

If the flat tasted dry but sliced without crumbling, it wasn't overcooked; it was undercooked. An undercooked brisket flat will taste dry. An overcooked brisket will be tender but crumble when attempting to to slice.