Slim Brisket


 

J Hasselberger

TVWBB Pro
Apart from being a great stage name, I have a Slim Brisket question. I bought a 9 lb. brisket the other day, and when I took it out of the cryovac, I noticed it was much flatter than other 9-pounders I've cooked. The attached photo doesn't show how thick it is, but you can see how wide it is (it's 18" long). It's very uniform in thickness -- about 2-1/2" from one end to the other -- not the usual thick-to-thin profile of a normal packer. It has a wide and thin point as well.

So, the questions: Does anyone have any experience with one of these? Does the cook time get shorter due to the thinness? Any other guidelines?

My plan is to put it on at midnight tonight (my usual) and just observe it until it probes tender. We're having a big Taco and Tecate shindig tomorrow and some of the brisket will be chopped for tacos. Maybe I'll put out a few slices if it looks good. About three pounds of it is likely to end up in the chili pot.

Jeff

Slim Brisket by Jeff Hasselberger, on Flickr
 
“Slim Brisket and the Smokey Mountain Cookers”! Now that’s a seriously funny Bluegrass band name! I might have to steal it!.
“We only play music from the WSM (William Simpson Monroe) musical menu!”
“Just ribbing you, folks”

Holy cow, I have a whole hatful of new stage jokes!!!!
I’ll go stand in my corner now...
I just shared this with a music forum I annoy as well as this one!
 
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This will cook quicker than a thicker piece of meat at the same weight. So just keep an eye on it.

Just for fun I did some research to see if there are any ways to handle this and I did find where someone with a thin flat rolled and tied it. It worked for them so if you are just going to chop for tacos that maybe a way to go. Let us know how it turns out.
 
“Slim Brisket and the Smokey Mountain Cookers”! Now that’s a seriously funny Bluegrass band name! I might have to steal it!.
“We only play music from the WSM (William Simpson Monroe) musical menu!”
“Just ribbing you, folks”

I like it. Slim Brisket and the Smoky Mountain Boys has more of a bluegrass ring to it, but either works. Our repertoire includes, "Pork Belly Annie," "Franklin's Tower," "Charcoal Ring of Fire," "One Brisket, One Rib, and One Beer" "She's Got Turkey Legs," "Lockhart of Stone," Smoky Mountain Breakdown", and so on.
 
But the Smokey Mountain Boys has been used by a couple of bands.
I’ve been around the Bluegrass world for too long.
Sorry Jeff.
 
To go back to the top of the thread for a moment, the brisket actually took longer than a thicker brisket of the same weight. It stalled for over 5 hours at about 155. My guess is that the greater surface area provided more evaporative cooling. I did it at 240-250 and probably should've done it higher and/or foiled it to get it through the stall. It was tender and tasty and everyone enjoyed the tacos. I chopped the flat and mixed in some Franklin Espresso sauce. One of the gang pickled some onions and carrots that gave it a nice snap. The remainder is going into the freezer for post-Thanksgiving chili.

Jeff
 

 

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