1st go on Brisket


 
S

Scotty C

New member
Hello I am new to the board. I was wondering if I could get some help with my first Brisket. I am using a 18.5 WSM. How much time should I figure per pound for cook time? I will be cooking at 225-235 degrees. I have seen some people use a meat tenderizer on the meat after the rub is applied is that something that should be done? How long should I rest it in foil after I take it off the smoker? Thanks in advance for the help.
 
Welcome to the board Scotty, anywhere from 1-1.5 hrs pr lb, as for the rub keep it simple some kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper or ur favorite rub lawrys isnt bad, i like to cook my briskets fat side up, i start mopping the brisket after the 1st hr with a mixture of 1beer and 1bottle of italian dressing, if u are just going to rest the brisket take it out of the foil and just tent it for about 1/2 hr or it will continue to cook wraped in the foil, i would foil at around 160-165 and cook at least to 190 start checking for tenderness no need to check temps anymore once at 190, gd luck Scott.
 
Welcome to the board. I go with 1.5 hours per pound. Never heard of the meat tenderizer thing. I don't foil myself, but plenty here do. They could answer your question on that. My thinking on a bbq is the less you mess with it the better. No turning, flipping, moping etc. Just put your rub on, throw it in the smoker and let it do it's thing.
 
skip the tenderizer. You'll be cooking to tender all the way though the brisket, so giving the outside a head start seems pretty weird.

What size brisket are you cooking?

My standard advice on learning to cook a new piece of meat, is to go hotter and watch it closely. Essentially, the same processes occur, just a lot faster, making them more observable. The other nice thing is you can let the wsm run without minding, eliminating a lot of worry, so you can focus on the meat.

The key problem with brisket is pulling it off too soon. It will be tough and dry and will make you think you overcooked it. If you cook it low and slow, you may run out of time, or panic because nothings happening, etc and you'll end up with an underdone piece of meat, and you still won't know what you have to do to get it to tender (5 more minutes or 5 more hours?) or what it felt like as it approached tender.

Once you know tender, you can then back down on the temps for future cooks.

good luck HTH
 
So if you are going to go with higher temps, how much migher? 250, 275? I'm doing my first brisket, and it will also be my first overnight cook as well. It is a 13.33 (before cutting the fat, probably about 11-12 lber now). I'm planning on starting around 7:00-7:30pm for a 12:00pm lunch the next day. I figured that would give me time to wrap in foil and hold until 12:00.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">So if you are going to go with higher temps, how much migher? 250, 275? I'm doing my first brisket, and it will also be my first overnight cook as well. It is a 13.33 (before cutting the fat, probably about 11-12 lber now). I'm planning on starting around 7:00-7:30pm for a 12:00pm lunch the next day. I figured that would give me time to wrap in foil and hold until 12:00. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I wouldn't advise doing a HH brisket overnight. My last brisket ran 275 for most of the cook and went around 8 hours to get to tender.

Other than comps, I don't do overnighters, I'd rather wake up early, get it on, and run the smoker temp and foiling schedule to match my time line for dinner.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.
 
Well either my Maverick didn't wake me up or I turned it off in my sleep (probably what happened), but I woke up to a brisket that was 211 and a WSM at 292. Ouch! So I went down and removed the brisket and let it rest on the counter for about 25-30 mins, then I wrapped tightly in foil and put in the cooler. We will see how it turns out. Not excited that it will be resting in the cooler for 4-5 hours, but we will see.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Well either my Maverick didn't wake me up or I turned it off in my sleep (probably what happened), but I woke up to a brisket that was 211 and a WSM at 292. Ouch! So I went down and removed the brisket and let it rest on the counter for about 25-30 mins, then I wrapped tightly in foil and put in the cooler. We will see how it turns out. Not excited that it will be resting in the cooler for 4-5 hours, but we will see. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I assume you never got to foil it. How long was it on?
 
Call me ole fashioned if you will , I just done trust all the high tech stoker , ect computer stuff you hook up to cookers to help improve stuff, I will stick to the time ole tradistion such as practice makes perfect!! But to each thier own. For the money ya spend on this high tech computers add ons I can save towards canopy replacements , maybe some nice in camp furnishings???
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Call me ole fashioned if you will , I just done trust all the high tech stoker , ect computer stuff you hook up to cookers to help improve stuff, I will stick to the time ole tradistion such as practice makes perfect!! But to each thier own. For the money ya spend on this high tech computers add ons I can save towards canopy replacements , maybe some nice in camp furnishings??? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I believe he was simply using a thermometer that beeps when your temp is too high or too low.
 
J- yep you are right, only a therm that beeps. It was on for a total of 12 hours. Probe went through like butter, but I guess that is expected at 211 degrees. And no, I never foiled to continue to cook, just foiled to hold/rest in the cooler.
 
Sounds like you did just fine despite not getting the warning with the mav. Pic's of the finished product please!
 
I'd look up finishing sauces if you're worried about overcooking. Also, be careful about letting it rest for too long. 5 hours in a cooler might be pushing it.
 
Sorry no pics...at least not after it was pulled...yep that is right pulled. I was hoping for sliced flat pieces and cubed burnt ends...I did get the burnt ends to cube (kind of), but the flat fell apart when trying to cut. The flat turned out a bit dry (not bad though, but that is to be expected at 211 degrees I guess. The point, however, was spot on perfecttaste wise! On a brisket that was 13.33lbs when purchased, I only have about a cup and a half of flat meat left over, so it turned out to be a hit. I'm thinking that I should have pulled the flat at about 170 degrees to slice it or is that too early?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I'm thinking that I should have pulled the flat at about 170 degrees to slice it or is that too early? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Maybe for pork butt, which is not as tough and has more marbling, but I doubt it would work for brisket flat (which has to be tender or will be perceived as dry). My last one was around 200* when I pulled it off and the flat held together without problem.
 
So would you seperate the point and flat at any time during cooking (if so at what temp would you do that), or would you wait until it is done cooking?
 
Thanks a lot for all the responses to my question. Well I started the 11.5 lbs brisket at 10:00pm Saturday night and pulled the brisket at 5:00pm Sunday evening. Total time on smoker 19 hours. That is 1.64 hours per pound. WSM temp first 12 hours was 200-220. Wsm temp last 7 hours 235-240. Did not foil during cooking process. Foiled during 1/2 hour rest. Checked with my thermopen in the thickest place 185 degrees. The thinnest places 197 degrees. Temp probe went in the meat really easily. Meat was pretty dry. Next time I need to pay less attention to internal temp and go by when the temp probe goes effortlessly into the meat. I will also go 1 hour 20 minutes per pound then start testing internal temp at that point. If anybody else has any suggestions on what I might have done wrong that would be great. Thanks
 
It's not so much a matter of what you might have done wrong as a matter of cooking in a way that gives you clearer signals. j biesinger posted elsewhere recently the suggestion to cook at a higher temp, especially if new to brisket. Not necessarily a HH brisket, though you could do that, but at temps approaching 275 anyway. This does a couple things, both impacting the cook more directly: it shortens cooktime, and the shorter cook means changes to the meat are more discernible by the cook. At rather low/slow temps the changes that make the meat tender can be so slow they are more difficult to determine - to feel - for one not used to it. Speeding the cooktime makes these changes more perceptible, and thus makes the change to tender more dramatic and easier to determine.
 
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