Mark R (LR)
TVWBB Super Fan
I got my first wsm about 3 years ago and use it often. I've gotten pretty decent with ribs, pulled pork, and chicken wings, but I've ruined more "practice" briskets than I care to admit. Last night/today, I finally smoked one that I would be comfortable serving to friends. I'm not saying that I "nailed it," but it was good enough that I am absolutely STUFFED right now because I just kept having to have "one more bite."
I started with a 12 lb choice packer, trimmed it like Franklin suggests in one of his Youtube videos, rubbed it with Texas BBQ Rub, and let it sit out while I started the charcoal and got the wsm up to temp. I cooked at around 260, fat side down (trying to stay between 250 & 275, so aimed for 260ish). I didn't wrap it or spritz it. When it hit 190, I started probing for tenderness every 15 minutes, and pulled it about 30 minutes later (at 192). I let it sit on the counter with foil loosely draped over it until it hit 170, then I wrapped it, put it in the ice chest, and left it for around another 80 minutes (total rest time of about 2 hours). The thinnest part of the flat crumbled as I cut it, but most of it was moist & tender and stayed together until I gave it a slight tug.
I typically end up with one portion of a brisket that is good and one portion that is overcooked and crumbling. In the past, the part that was good was usually quite small in comparison to the part that was overcooked. Today was by far the highest percentage of good and lowest percentage of overcooked that I've gotten. The thinnest part of this flat was thicker than most I've found, but I still overcooked part of it. This brings me to a question. Is it just something that I have to learn to expect ... that to nail the thicker parts of the flat, I'm gong to end up overcooking some of the thinner portions? Is the goal more just to maximize the good portion and minimize the overcooked portion?
I started with a 12 lb choice packer, trimmed it like Franklin suggests in one of his Youtube videos, rubbed it with Texas BBQ Rub, and let it sit out while I started the charcoal and got the wsm up to temp. I cooked at around 260, fat side down (trying to stay between 250 & 275, so aimed for 260ish). I didn't wrap it or spritz it. When it hit 190, I started probing for tenderness every 15 minutes, and pulled it about 30 minutes later (at 192). I let it sit on the counter with foil loosely draped over it until it hit 170, then I wrapped it, put it in the ice chest, and left it for around another 80 minutes (total rest time of about 2 hours). The thinnest part of the flat crumbled as I cut it, but most of it was moist & tender and stayed together until I gave it a slight tug.
I typically end up with one portion of a brisket that is good and one portion that is overcooked and crumbling. In the past, the part that was good was usually quite small in comparison to the part that was overcooked. Today was by far the highest percentage of good and lowest percentage of overcooked that I've gotten. The thinnest part of this flat was thicker than most I've found, but I still overcooked part of it. This brings me to a question. Is it just something that I have to learn to expect ... that to nail the thicker parts of the flat, I'm gong to end up overcooking some of the thinner portions? Is the goal more just to maximize the good portion and minimize the overcooked portion?