Cooking time on a 3.64 lb flat brisket?

[Aaron Buys]

This will be my second half brisket. The first was a point and seemed to take forever to finish. I'm prepping for a cookout tomorrow and just pulled this little 3.64 lb flat out of the freezer. It has some nice fat on it with good marbling. Following the traditional 1 hour to 1 hour 15 min per pound, should I really expect this cut to be done in 4ish hours? I really don't want to have it done 5 hours before the guests arrive... Suggestions?

 

[JimmyE]

A point takes longer because it's a lot larger than a flat. Flats don't take much, just be careful you don't dry it out which is easy to do.

 

[Gene_N]

24 hr thaw from freezer? Is that enough time to thaw properly in the refrigerator? This is a small cut, I would suggest the 3-2-1 method (low & slow) to and cook to 195-205 F temp. I would wrap after 3 hrs, make sure you leave enough time to rest the meat, at least 90 mins.

Good luck.

 

[Aaron Buys]

24 hr thaw from freezer? Is that enough time to thaw properly in the refrigerator? This is a small cut, I would suggest the 3-2-1 method (low & slow) to and cook to 195-205 F temp. I would wrap after 3 hrs, make sure you leave enough time to rest the meat, at least 90 mins.

Good luck.

I typically use the Alton Brown method of placing the frozen meat in cold water in the sink. Thaws it out nicely and the frozen meat acts to make its own ice bath while still vacuum packed. Once thawed a put it back in the fridge before it warms up too much.

I put the brisket on at about 6:30 with guests arriving at noon. I'm guessing that even if it takes longer than I expect I can always toss it in the cooler for a few hours without harm.

 

[Al Silverman]

You can't judge the cooking time by the weight of the meat alone. The one hr/lb doesn't really work well with small cuts as yours. Cooking temp, is very important, obviously. But I seriously doubt that if you're cooking @ 225°-250° that it will be done in time.