Brisket Question


 
Jeff Langer

Jeff Langer

TVWBB Fan
I've smoked two briskets and have never separated the flat from the point and thrown the point back on the smoker. Is that something I should be doing? I've read a lot lately how people take the flat off when it reaches 190 - 200, throw more rub on the point, and put it back on the smoker until it reaches temperature. That is when people make burnt ends right? How much longer does it normally take the point to cook?

Sorry for the newb questions! I am planning a brisket smoke this weekend and don't want to screw it up!:rolleyes:
 
Jeff Langer said:
I've smoked two briskets and have never separated the flat from the point and thrown the point back on the smoker. Is that something I should be doing? I've read a lot lately how people take the flat off when it reaches 190 - 200, throw more rub on the point, and put it back on the smoker until it reaches temperature. That is when people make burnt ends right? How much longer does it normally take the point to cook?

Sorry for the newb questions! I am planning a brisket smoke this weekend and don't want to screw it up!:rolleyes:
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Check out this link. It may help. He mentions separating the point from the flat and then cooking the point another 2.5 hours to do burnt ends. I've not done a brisket before but maybe this will help.

http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?35544-How-I-cooked-a-brisket
 
I usually go an extra 2-2.5 hours then cube them, toss them in sauce and then back on the smoker for another hour or so. I took a 3lbs of ends to my cousins party and he did about 5lbs of wings and all the ends were gone before most people turned to the wings.
 
Cubed point burnt ends are little delicious chunks of bbq from heaven. Ive though of just grinding the flats for burger and making cubed point burnt ends for parties.

I try not to go longer than 2hrs or so after returning the the smoker. Ive had them actually get dry while I was trying to get the ultimate crust on them. when I throw them back on, I open all the vents wide open and throw an extra chunk of wood in there. I think higher heat helps get them crispier and its easier for me to burn off charcoal than to attempt to snuff it out if I have to travel with it.
 
Chris Bjork said:
I try not to go longer than 2hrs or so after returning the the smoker.
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I'm quite honestly trying to find my preferred setup for BE. My current approach is about 2-2.5 hours back in after trimming & re-rubbing the point. Then cutting into big cubes.... closer to 1.5" than 1". I then take two parts BBQ sauce to 1 part beef broth, and gently roll each cube in the modified sauce, ensuring I get 100% coverage. Finally, into an aluminum pan for up to another 1.5 hours at the highest heat I can get the WSM to go (probably ~ 275 given the condition of the coals at that point in the cook plus the water in the pan). Give them a toss or two over that final cooking period. They carmelize up pretty nicely. And, most times, I don't even need to plate most of them--gone out of the alum. pan!
 
Had three cooks this weekend and 2 of the 3 turned out great. The brisket cook was definitely the worse of the three; I think it will be a while before I try to cook another one. Pork butts were the rave at a party we went to on Sunday, and the chicken I cooked last night was pretty good too!
 
I am assuming the brisket cooked to long and too hot. I put the brisket on the WSM around midnight with the temp hovering around 230. I waited about an hour and the temps seemed to be pretty steady so I went to bed. Woke up around 8:00 am and the internal temp of the brisket was 205 and the WSM temp was over 300. I got some pretty decent meat off the point, but the flat was hard and dry. Started with the minion method, about 20 lit in the center of the ring.

The next time I do a brisket I am going to start it early in the morning and monitor the WSM temp better. I really need to get a Maverick ET-732 or an Igrill.

Thanks for the kind words Monty!
 
Jeff, what you really need for long cooks is a Stoker. Last weekend I did two pork butts at 225 (which took about 14 hours) and then I left things going to see how long it would hold 225 on my initial load of charcoal. I packed the ring and mounded it up a little and dumped 30 lit coals on top at 9pm Sunday. The Stoker brought it up to 225 in about 10-15 minutes and held there until I took the butts off at 1pm Monday. After the lid was off for a few minutes it spiked to about 250 and then settled back down to 225 where it held steady until 9pm Monday (24 hours!!!). At that point I had to shut things down but there was still a little coal to burn. Granted, at that point it was an empty smoker so there wasn't meat or anything sucking up heat but it still went a long way.

I know how important it is to be able to control your smoker on its own (which I can), but there is nothing better for a good night's sleep and a consistent cook than a Stoker. Yes, a little pricey but worth every penny.
 
I'm a poor state employee Chad! I would love to have a Stoker but with my measly salary and two kids in college I don't see it happening anytime soon! :)
 
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