Smoked my first brisket last night but I'm not quite sure if it turned out ok. Having never had brisket before, I don't know how it's supposed to turn out when cooked correctly. Mine was a little under 4 lbs (precooked) and cooked for a little over 8 hrs at around 240*. I pulled it when the meat thermometer reached 185*, wrapped it and let it rest in a cooler for about 2 hours. Meat tasted good and had a good smoke taste but seemed a little tough. Perhaps this is the way brisket is supposed to be. For those of you that are experienced with briskets, how do yours turn out?
First brisket
- Thread starter Kevin K.
- Start date
Doug D
TVWBB Hall of Fame
At 4 lbs, that had to be a flat-only, and a kind of small one at that. The flat portion of a brisket is less fatty, and therefore can dry out more easily. If it has been "super-trimmed", then you face an additional obstacle-- it really needs to have about a 1/4" fat cap left on it to help self-baste. Some lay strips of bacon on top of such flats to overcome the lack of fat cap. Given your final temp, and the fact you rested it in foil, I would have guessed it would have turned out OK. On the other hand, 8 hours at 240° seems a bit long for that particular piece of meat. Where were you measuring the 240°?
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Around here in the supermarkets the flats are precisely as Doug describes and no alternatives are available. However, a local butcher carries brisket 'packers' (whole fairly un-trimmed briskets), replete with fatcap and other extraneous fat usually 10-13 lbs. That's what I--most of us here, really--use, and I'd urge you to seek a source. (I think Sam's and Costco carry them; others here have better info on meat from the national chains.) Although you can do small, over-trimmed flats successfully in the WSM, it does take a little figuring out as far as the fat issue is concerned. Since you're new to brisket, try getting a packer. It sounds like you did well on the cooking front (but I'd recommend pulling at a higher temp), so if you do a packer successfully you'll know just how they should be. Then, if you want to do smaller too-trimmed cuts, you'll have a better idea of what, how, and why to make adjustments. Just a suggestion.
Kevin
Re-reading your post and Doug's I'm wondering the same thing--where were you measuring your temp?
Kevin
Re-reading your post and Doug's I'm wondering the same thing--where were you measuring your temp?
Joe McManus
TVWBB All-Star
Welcom Kevin,
Cook sounds like it went OK. I think most of the advice that says pull the brisket at 185 is assuming you're using a full packer cut. I wonder if the rules are different for the little cut you had. At 4 lbs, I'd guess you even had a section of the flat. One thing to watch out for is to make sure you slice the finished brisket across the grain. If you don't, you will get tough meat.
Follow Kevin (Kruger's) suggestions and seek out a supplier of packer cuts, or maybe just talk to your grocery store meat cutter, they might have some, or would be able to trim the brisket a little more "gently". Don't know where your from, but you might want to try seeking out a smaller, independant grocer or one that belongs to a co-op instead of the Kroger, Safeway, Alberson's behemoths.
Cook sounds like it went OK. I think most of the advice that says pull the brisket at 185 is assuming you're using a full packer cut. I wonder if the rules are different for the little cut you had. At 4 lbs, I'd guess you even had a section of the flat. One thing to watch out for is to make sure you slice the finished brisket across the grain. If you don't, you will get tough meat.
Follow Kevin (Kruger's) suggestions and seek out a supplier of packer cuts, or maybe just talk to your grocery store meat cutter, they might have some, or would be able to trim the brisket a little more "gently". Don't know where your from, but you might want to try seeking out a smaller, independant grocer or one that belongs to a co-op instead of the Kroger, Safeway, Alberson's behemoths.
Thanks for the responses. I bought the brisket at BJ's and the packer was Excel. Other than that I don't know whether it was choice or select. Price was $2.99/lb. Brisket was on the bottom grate and temp was meaured at the grate. The brisket was well trimmed and not much in the way of fat on either side. If I do a brisket again I'll take your advice and buy from a butcher. Thanks again everyone!