- May 18, 2018
- 36
- 16
So far I've only smoked 5 racks of pork spare ribs over a couple of smokes. But I'm jumping to brisket this Saturday per the request of my dad for our Father's Day celebration. I picked up a 15 lb packer at Sams, and have come up with a game-plan based on various threads and articles on here. Here's the plan:
First, I plan on separating the point and flat for the purpose of cubing the point for burnt ends and decreasing the cook time. I've read separating before smoking may cause the flat to dry out, but I'm hoping I can keep it moist with spritzing and wrapping. Then I had planned to cut the flat in half, theoretically leaving me with 3 equally sized chunks of meat (point and 2 halves of flat). I'm hoping this will help everything cook at roughly the same rate, and also give me more surface area for my rub of half salt, half pepper. (I'm open to leaving the flat whole, but am attracted to the potential decrease in cook time and seemingly equal results.) Then on to the smoker set at 250, and all pieces pulled at 165 to wrap in butcher paper. Take the point off at 190 to cube, then sauced and back on the smoker in a pan until tender. Pull the flats around 203 when tender and rest for at least an hour before slicing.
Here are my questions:
1. Can I still achieve good burnt ends and juicy flat slices even with separating the two muscles prior to smoking?
2. Given that I do separate the two muscles, does anyone advise against cutting the flat in half?
3. Up until I wrap in butcher paper, should I have these pieces directly on the grate or in a pan?
4. I read that with your smoker at 250, brisket takes about an hour per pound. Given that I have these 3 chunks of meat that are roughly 5 pounds each, am I looking at a 5 hour smoke? That seems too short...
For background info, I'm smoking on a Weber kettle with charcoal and cherry wood. Any opinions about what I should change or stick with in my plan would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
First, I plan on separating the point and flat for the purpose of cubing the point for burnt ends and decreasing the cook time. I've read separating before smoking may cause the flat to dry out, but I'm hoping I can keep it moist with spritzing and wrapping. Then I had planned to cut the flat in half, theoretically leaving me with 3 equally sized chunks of meat (point and 2 halves of flat). I'm hoping this will help everything cook at roughly the same rate, and also give me more surface area for my rub of half salt, half pepper. (I'm open to leaving the flat whole, but am attracted to the potential decrease in cook time and seemingly equal results.) Then on to the smoker set at 250, and all pieces pulled at 165 to wrap in butcher paper. Take the point off at 190 to cube, then sauced and back on the smoker in a pan until tender. Pull the flats around 203 when tender and rest for at least an hour before slicing.
Here are my questions:
1. Can I still achieve good burnt ends and juicy flat slices even with separating the two muscles prior to smoking?
2. Given that I do separate the two muscles, does anyone advise against cutting the flat in half?
3. Up until I wrap in butcher paper, should I have these pieces directly on the grate or in a pan?
4. I read that with your smoker at 250, brisket takes about an hour per pound. Given that I have these 3 chunks of meat that are roughly 5 pounds each, am I looking at a 5 hour smoke? That seems too short...
For background info, I'm smoking on a Weber kettle with charcoal and cherry wood. Any opinions about what I should change or stick with in my plan would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!