Steven P (Tupelo)
TVWBB Super Fan
I smoked a 7.3 lb brisket flat this weekend to try out an injection. The injection consisted of about half of a small can of beef broth, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tspn worcestershire sauce, 1 tspn BBQ Magic rub, and a few dashes of Texas Pete hot sauce. I mixed that up and refrigerated overnight.
I had planned to inject the flat 2 to 3 hrs before cooking. But, the weekend was kind of hectic and I wound up injecting it just before rubbing it and putting it on. I rubbed it with TexasBBQ Brisket rub. The charcoal chamber was full of unlit. I lit a 2/3 full chimney starter and dumped that on top. The water pan was filled with warm water. My target temp for this flat was 265-275. The wood was mesquite, small chunks that would equal about three and a half fist sized chunks.
I got the temperature dialed in at 268 with little effort and went to bed. I didn't touch the vents or the meat again until 715 Sunday morning when I woke up and checked to see if it was done. Another thing I was trying with this brisket was NO FOIL. I've done quite a few briskets, packers mostly, and a few flats over the last few years and had foiled every one of them for the last couple of hours of the cook. But not this one. At 715 I stuck it with my Thermapen. The thickest part was very tender. The probe went in with the desired "like butter" feel. The thin part threw me off a little bit. On the outside edge, it was tough to stick the probe in from the side. But, I probed it from the top and it had just a little resistance. The temp of this flat averaged 185 or so and I really didn't want to dry out this brisket, so I took it off. I double wrapped it in foil and put it in a cooler with towels.
After 2 hrs in the cooler, I took it out, let it rest for another 30 mins loosely tented on the counter and sliced it up. The thin part of this flat could've been a little more tender, but was pretty good, and it was reasonably moist. The thicker part was perfect. Perfectly tender and juicy. This was the best flat I've ever done. I could tell that the injection made a difference. It added a nice complimenting flavor and a little bite. I was also happy with no foil. The bark stayed in place and didn't smear off like it always had when I foiled. I'll attach some pics if I can figure out how.
I had planned to inject the flat 2 to 3 hrs before cooking. But, the weekend was kind of hectic and I wound up injecting it just before rubbing it and putting it on. I rubbed it with TexasBBQ Brisket rub. The charcoal chamber was full of unlit. I lit a 2/3 full chimney starter and dumped that on top. The water pan was filled with warm water. My target temp for this flat was 265-275. The wood was mesquite, small chunks that would equal about three and a half fist sized chunks.
I got the temperature dialed in at 268 with little effort and went to bed. I didn't touch the vents or the meat again until 715 Sunday morning when I woke up and checked to see if it was done. Another thing I was trying with this brisket was NO FOIL. I've done quite a few briskets, packers mostly, and a few flats over the last few years and had foiled every one of them for the last couple of hours of the cook. But not this one. At 715 I stuck it with my Thermapen. The thickest part was very tender. The probe went in with the desired "like butter" feel. The thin part threw me off a little bit. On the outside edge, it was tough to stick the probe in from the side. But, I probed it from the top and it had just a little resistance. The temp of this flat averaged 185 or so and I really didn't want to dry out this brisket, so I took it off. I double wrapped it in foil and put it in a cooler with towels.
After 2 hrs in the cooler, I took it out, let it rest for another 30 mins loosely tented on the counter and sliced it up. The thin part of this flat could've been a little more tender, but was pretty good, and it was reasonably moist. The thicker part was perfect. Perfectly tender and juicy. This was the best flat I've ever done. I could tell that the injection made a difference. It added a nice complimenting flavor and a little bite. I was also happy with no foil. The bark stayed in place and didn't smear off like it always had when I foiled. I'll attach some pics if I can figure out how.
