Brisket Point Lesson


 
D

Dean Driver

New member
Hi Smokers, I recently smoked 2 pieces of Brisket Point, 3 & 4 pounders. I separated the whole Packer into Flats & Points to have more chances at learning how to do this meat (right or wrong). So, put these 2 pieces on my Smokey Mountain 18.5" Cooker in our 16*-18*F brutal winter here in Fort Erie Ont right beside Buffalo NY. The inevitable Stall happened at 155*F but, this time due to the extreme cold, the Points sat at 155F from 1;30pm to 4;30pm before I decided to Oven Finish them at 270*F. In the past (2020), i've done 4 Flats & 2 Points previously, however, the is the first time I had a wonderful Bark on both Points & both turned out as the 2 Best Brisket smokes yet for me. My WSM Cooker seems to like 270*F & so they were cooked at that temp, apart from a few drops & spikes in temp, as we all experience. I used Weber Briquettes with 3 large chunks of Texas Mesquite & 3-4 medium chunks of Apple, water bowl with hot water & spritzed 1.5 hrs in, then every 45 mins or so with Apple Cider Vinegar (3 times) then Beef Broth the rest of the times. I wanted to share this experience as you all have helped me a lot with your info & tips. I also wanted to thank Jeremy from Mad Scientist BBQ for his Awesome vids on Smoking too! Thanks So Much to All of the Members here, couldn't have gotten to this "Point" without U! Dean.
 
If your 18.5" WSM Cooker was running at 270*F, the time in the stall had absolutely nothing to due with your extreme cold weather.
 
Bob Bass said:
If your 18.5" WSM Cooker was running at 270*F, the time in the stall had absolutely nothing to due with your extreme cold weather.
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I guess 3-4 hrs @ 155*F had me looking for answers & the points received a good amount of smoke/heat to form some great Bark. I've read many posts about Oven finish & it may just be incorporated into my Brisket Smokes. Do you think I should have cooked/smoked at a higher temp then?
 
Well, I found the Briquettes at Lowes here in Niagara Falls Ont in the late summer/Fall & there are likely scarce now. Found another Quebec source that are good & stocked up on 10 bags for this blasted winter.
 
Bob Bass said:
Hi Dean,
The stall you experienced was SOP.
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Ok Thanks Bob, the people who ate this Brisket loved it, as I did, so I may just try to repeat this method. Incidentally, how much longer would you think that Stall would have continued? & what would I be missing by keeping it in the smoker for another several hours, (2-4?) Could it have been juicier or had more moisture? Thanks again, Dean.
 
It would be hard to tell how much longer it would have continued. If I could make the suggestion, go ahead and repeat the cook but change up only one item at a time. This will probably take multiple Brisket cooks to get it where you are fully satisfied with the results. On one of the cooks, you could continue cooking in the smoker. Another time you might try foiling or wrapping in pink paper. All these methods are in your toolbox as the pitmaster in charge.

On the juicier / moisture issue, some study of meat muscle protein and how it changes during cooking might be in order. The moisture most everyone raves about in a succulent slice of brisket comes from gelatin that was once very chewy collagen !
 
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