Simple brisket advice please

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hdbrs

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Oct 12, 2015
94
15
After a few failed attempts I come to ask my fine friends here at smf for help. I stopped at sams today looking for a whole brisket but all they had were flats so I bought a 9lber. My plan is to go 50/50 salt pepper rub. I'm not gonna trim at all as I feel I tend to overtrim and start my problems early. I want to keep the wsm at @225-240. I plan on putting fat side down no water in pan and pecan wood for the smoke. Main questions, should I rub a day early and put in fridge and when should I start it for eating Sunday 6 7 ish. Do I need to start Saturday night or Sunday am. It's just for me and the gf so if it gets done early it can wait a cpl hrs in a cooler. Suggestions are welcome and thanks guys, or gals
 
Personally I think 50_50 salt pepper may be too much salt depending on the actual amount used.

Go by the probe test not temp for tenderness. Start probing around 195..

Go ahead and rub it the night before, wrap in saran wrap.

Time, well 9lbs @ 225 ish anywhere from 6-12 hrs. Are you planning a totally naked smoke, or foiling?
 
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I think I will probably foil, idk. I guess maybe I should take the easier route first till I get the hang of things. Thoughts
 
225-240, start the night before. Start early morning if you plan on smoking at 250 degrees+.

As for the rub, apply it whenever is convenient for you. I normally do it right before putting it in the WSM, but if I'm starting early morning, I will rub the night before.

Fat side down is the best choice in a WSM in my experience.

If you feel you're cutting I close in time, do not be afraid to bump up you chamber temp to 275+. It won't hurt anything. I do my entire brisket smokes at that temp.

Good luck and have fun!
 
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I have only cooked packers in my WSM and fat side up. That said I'm sure fat down won't hurt anything but I'm thinking 11 the night before for a 6 o'clock dinner seems a little long,not trying to argue and it's better early then late it seems 12 hour cooking time could be plenty and you still may be done early with time to rest especially if you foil.
 
Cooking time varies with thickness more than total weight. If it is only a flat it should not take as long as a whole packer assuming it is not as thick as a packer. You can likely start early in the am in my opinion. I would definitely wrap since it is a flat only. That should help with keeping it moist. Consider water in the pan for the same reason.

Again, just my take, but I haven't cooked a flat only in many moons. Here in Texas you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a whole brisket. Hell, I'm about to start one right now. Just a small select grade but at about $20 I can do em all the time. And do. God bless Texas.
 
At 225 it's going to take a lot longer than 12 hours in my experience. Keeping in mind I don't wrap.

Like I said, if you start at 11pm and you're done early, by all means wrap up in a cooler until you're ready to eat.
 
Another way to keep it hot is to just foil it with some drippings & put it in a 170 degree oven.

It will stay hot until your ready to slice it.

Al
 
Ok guys I'll be keeping u posted on the progress. Gonna salt and pepper tmw in the am and put in the fridge until night. I am also gonna put some of malcolm reeds rub on it also but maybe not until right b4 I put on the smoker
 
If I'm gonna let this go overnight is it in my best interests to get my grate temp on the wsm to maybe 240 or so in case it drops a few degrees an hour overnight?
 
Ya I'm hoping it takes a little longer. 14hrs would be perfect. If I cook fat side down after wrapping in foil would fat side up be ok?
 
So I got the wsm going last night around 1230. Man i got it kinda settled in around 240 or so, put it on and went to bed. I opened the vents a little more figuring it may need the extra air overnight. My alarm went off at some point not too far after I went to sleep telling me it was at 250, I silenced it and went to bed. Woke up around 6 and pit probe was at 284 and musta been dropping lots of juice cus the water pan was sizzling. I pretty much shut the air vents except for one a Crack. It dropped down to about 240 when I just got up and checked it. I flipped it to fat side up and probed it. 174 with the thermopen, a little higher at the skinny part. I stuck a probe in it closed the lid. Current situation meat 172, grate 252. Am I making a mistake by not foiling? Is it gonna dry out if I don't? Did that high temp run already spell my doom?
 
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You can foil if u want, but it will probably speed cook up. I'd let her go , and start probe testing for tenderness in the flat around 195*. When the probe slides in with no resistance, pull it, separate and wrap the flat and into a cooler . Cut point up for burnt ends.
 
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Sound like you are good either way. Remember, it will keep a long time warm ina cooler or as Al said in the oven.

One comment about taking it out of the fridge to warm up before putting on the smoker: as Duke mentioned you run the risk of growing cooties. Even if you left it out for an hour or so then put it in the smoker and something happened and you temp lowered, you may not get to the important 140* within 4 hours, since you had an hour or 2 before you put it on he smoker.

Also, you are adding time to the overall process. Leave it on the counter for an hour or so and it may get to room temp. Put it in the smoker and it will get to room temp a lot quicker. And get to the140* within 4 hours. Plus cold meat takes on smoke better, so they say.
 
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