cooking a smaller piece of brisket


 
K

k walsh

TVWBB Super Fan
I need to tap the cumulative wisdom of this board for some advice for roughly calculating how much time I neetd to cook a smaller piece of brisket. I have a 5lb piece and will be doing a standard cook at 235F. How much time roughly will i need. I am trying to determine if I have to start the cook in the evening or the following morning.

Thanks
Ken
 
I am assuming this is a brisket flat? How much fat is on it? Is the fat cap intact or is it pretty well trimmed up? These factors all play into the cook time. As a rule though, I plan for 1-1.5hrs/lb if you are cooking low and slow (230-240).
 
Ken I'm guessing since it's 5lbs there actually is some fat on it yes? As Ryan said, 1-1.5hrs/lb is the norm. I would aim for a low target temp as well. I like doing 220 for briskets that size. No reason, just preference. It may take a little longer but it will be amazingly tender!
 
If I remember right, thickness is more important than weight. If it's generally even in thickness like the bigger briskets you've cooked, I'd treat it the same. Thinner probably requires less time.
 
I did a thin 5 1/2 lb flat a few weeks ago. Trimmed pretty clean. It took 7 1/2 hours at a average temp of 230. I did foil it for the last hour and a half.
 
Have you considered High Temp method for your cook? You can be done in 4 hours and the results are incredible.

Two cooks ago I tried low and slow (after mainly sticking with high temp for years) and the results were terrible. Last cook I went back to high temp and the brisket turned out the best I have ever made. Not saying low and slow is inherently bad, but I've had consistently stellar results with high temp in a fraction of the time, especially with smaller flats that tend to dry out.

Just my $.02
 
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