Smoking my first brisket this weekend.

[nnifnairb]

So I'm going to try my first brisket this weekend, but I have a full packer that weighs almost 15lbs, and I don't think it'll fit in my mes30 unless I separate the point from the flat. Originally, I had planned to do an overnight cook, but I'm wondering if I should if I separate the two parts. I guess my questions are, about how long should I allow for the parts to cook separately, and should I expect the flat to be done before the point? Really, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[hillbillyrkstr]

Separate it so it’ll fit into your smoker.

When your point hits 170ish cut it into cubes douse them in rub and sauce and put them in a tin pan for your burnt ends. Continue cooking the burnt ends until the fat is rendered.

Start pushing toothpicks into the flat when it reaches 198ish and when you can push them in the meat with little resistance your flat is done. Should be somewhere between 198-205 degrees.

I won’t even attempt to give you times as every piece of meat is different. I like to start late the night before. If you finish to early you can wrap meat in foil and towels and put in a cooler to keep warm for hours.

Brisket is a tough one to figure out at first but it’s well worth it in the end.

Good luck,
Scott

 

[ghoster]

Once you trim it you will lose 3-4 pounds. You can split the point from the flat if you like which will shorten the cook. You need to take the internal temp of the meat to 203 degrees F then wrap and rest it for at least an hour. I cook my brisket at 260 -270 and the full brisket takes 8 - 9 hrs. If you're going to separate the point from the flat then consider making burnt ends from the point and slice the flat.

 

[sammartin]

Wise man once said "dont cook for time, cook for temp." I agree with everything ghost and hillbilly said, i like to test my flats and point with my temp probe, it should feel like room temp butter, very easy to push through with very little resistance. Just be patient give yourself plenty of time for the meat to cook and for it to rest, can not stress letting it rest enough i usually do mine for at least 2 hrs. Post some pics with the finished product! Cheers!

 

[nnifnairb]

I'm definitely going to have to separate them, there's no way it'll fit, even if I just trim part of the flat off. I guess a better question would have been, once they're separated, will it shorten the cook time enough that I won't need to do an overnight cook? I'm worried about the flat getting done too quickly.

My thought is to put the point above the flat in the smoker, start them at 10:30 or 11 at night at 225º, and check them around 7:30 or 8 in the morning. 9 hours shouldn't be too long for the flat at 225º, right?

 

[sammartin]

It will shorten your cook time yes but I’ve had flats that finished in 6 and some that took 9. 225 is a good temp to start at and in your case I would put it on at 11pm then check it around 4 or 5 and see what the internal temp is. What time are you planning on serving the meat?

 

[hillbillyrkstr]

I’d wake up around 4ish just to check your temps. Better safe than sorry. You can always go back to sleep for a bit.

 

[nnifnairb]

It will shorten your cook time yes but I’ve had flats that finished in 6 and some that took 9. 225 is a good temp to start at and in your case I would put it on at 11pm then check it around 4 or 5 and see what the internal temp is. What time are you planning on serving the meat?

Not serving until dinner, around 6 or 6:30. If I bump the temp up to around 250, is it reasonable to think the point can be done in 12 hours? If so, I may just start it early in the morning. I realize it's impossible to say exactly how long it will take, I'm just wondering what you guys would do in my situation.

Thanks for all the replies, too!!

 

[sammartin]

If it were me i would put it on at 4am at 225, then i would check it at noon. Then see what the internal temp is like, then if you wanna wrap, you can if not thats fine too. put it back in then i would think it would be done by 4. Do the poke test too see where its at. Once its to your liking/temp pull it off, let it rest for those 1 1/2- 2hrs then start slicing. Thats just what i would do, granted Ive never cooked with a MES but in my offset or my propane smoker, thats how i would go about it.

 

[nnifnairb]

If it were me i would put it on at 4am at 225, then i would check it at noon. Then see what the internal temp is like, then if you wanna wrap, you can if not thats fine too. put it back in then i would think it would be done by 4. Do the poke test too see where its at. Once its to your liking/temp pull it off, let it rest for those 1 1/2- 2hrs then start slicing. Thats just what i would do, granted Ive never cooked with a MES but in my offset or my propane smoker, thats how i would go about it.

Alright, I think that's what I'll do. I was hoping to avoid getting up in the middle of the night, but it looks like there's no way around that. With two small kids, sleep is a scarce resource around here. Thanks for the help!