Help needed ASAP to Save my Brisket!!!!


 
T

Tom Callahan

New member
I'm going to be smoking my first brisket. My wife went to the butcher shop to pick up a nice piece of meat today, 13 lbs is smallest they had. My wife, saw how big it was and had the butcher cut it in half (Gasp) so it would fit better into the 18.5." WSM... :mad: I nearly had a heart attack. She was just trying to help out... This is a $50+ piece of meat, that to my understanding should never be cut like that as it will dry out.
Is there anything I can do to save this piece of meat and make the best out of it? Someone mentioned somewhere that they had separated the Point from the flat, and stacked them so that the point dripped on the flat or vice versa which made a good piece of meat, Should I do something like that? Also what does this do to the cook time since I now have two 6.5 lb. briskets, instead of one 13 lb. brisket?

Thanks in advance.
 
Cook time is more about the thickness of the piece(s) of meat, not the total size, so it won't change it that much. Basically cook as you were planning, but keep an eye on the flat so you're pulling it when it's ready. You could also remove the point from the remainder of the flat, the two pieces of flat should cook in similar times, and your point can cook for a hell of a lot longer and still be awesome (burnt ends).
 
I wouldn't worry about it, its your first one. Just cook it and have fun. Do your flat and wrap it little early. Then make some good O'l tasty devil candy out of the point.
 
Ok, thank you both, I will try not to get too worried about it and just go with it.. Is there anything different that I need to do to make the "Devil candy"? Mike mentioned that it cooks for longer, how much longer, how do I know when to stop cooking? Also, Photos I've seen seems to show its cut differently? is there sauce applied differently or at any time during cooking/smoking?. Can you provide any details about this?

Tom
 
Howdy Neighbor !

Just cube the point, reseason with some more rub & a sauce bath, and put back into the smoker for another hour.
When properly cooked, they will almost melt in the mouth.

btw, you're got a bunch of us living less than 15 miles from you.
Also, an active BBQ competition area.
 
Hey Bob, we are definitely Neighbors, thanks for the info on how to make the "Devils Candy". I'll let you know how it goes monday. I have a whole weekend of smoking ahead of me with the brisket starting tonight into saturday. Sunday, Im doing something much easier, which is couple of santa maria Tri-Tips and sausage. Lots of christmas gatherings....I'm really new to this, but based off of the way things have been turning out, I have already built a level of expectation when my family comes over for dinner. Im only an apprentice, but Im really good at following directions.
 
A 13-pounder is probably a little large for an 18.5. Couple of tips for your next one: You can cut it down by trimming off the thin end so that it fits, then save the cut-off to grind for burgers. You can also wedge the brisket in-between the grate handles -- once it shrinks a bit, it will lay flat for the rest of the cook. It will take a few cooks for you to settle into a routine, but the WSM makes awesome brisket.
 
The last burnt ends I made I actually cooked the point for about four hours longer than the flat. Flat was done way early from what I was planning, so I sliced off the point, hit the cut side with rub and just left it on there. After the fourish hours had passed I took it off and cubed it up then, tossed in a little sauce and three of us completely obliterated that while I was slicing the rest.
 
J Hasselberger said:
A 13-pounder is probably a little large for an 18.5.
Click to expand...
I've had considerably larger on my 18.5". My new go-to move for too-long briskets is a commercial box cheese grater under the brisket's center. Porous enough for smoke transfer. Works like a charm. Just be sure to thoroughly coat with non-stick spray (as you would/should your grate).
 
If I want to do burnt ends I'll remove the point from the flat. That way both get rub and smoke all over it.
 
I wouldn't worry about the butcher separating them. people cook just flats and just points all the time. They will prob be done at different times but should turn out fine. I look forward to seeing your results.
 
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