Ist Brisket - A few Questions - UPDATE


 
B

BrianZ

TVWBB Member
I am attempting my first brisket for a small amount of friends and my father tomorrow. I have been reading a lot of posts from here and recipes from the VWB. I have done ribs a bunch of times on my SM , but never did a brisket. Here's what I have:
As far as the brisket, it is a 9.5lb flat. I tried many places to find the whole brisket, but the best I could find was cryo-vac untrimmed flat. It looks nice and its thickness is pretty even throughout.
I am only putting the brisket in the cooker. I know that is a bit of a waste of fuel, but I want to focus on the brisket.
I am basing the time of the cook from the midnight-brisket recipe. I am guessing around a 9 - 13 hour cook? Being that it is just the flat, will my time be shorter? I hope that I do not dry it out.
I am hoping we can eat by 7pm. I figure on starting around 4 or 5am.
I plan on cooking to about 180 temp, then wrapping in foil and placing in a cooler for about an hour.
Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated. I will post my results. Thanks.
 
PS - any rub suggestions? I have tried a few of the rubs on the VWB and they have all been great.
 
Rub, I would do salt/pepper a lil onion and garlic powder. Dont get too crazy and put a bunch of crap on it. So..the flat sounds decent, decent amount of fat on it? Leave all that on. Time line seems about right. Id say 10 hours or so. Id cook to 165, then wrap then cook till 195 and let it rest in the cooler for an hour or so. Those temps are approx. but...they have never did me wrong. Important on the flat cut across the grain to slice it. After its cooking it wont resemble much of when you first put it on. I make a deep notch in the corner of the meat across the grain, then cut the same way when you pull it out in nice slices.
 
I'm a big fan of the Texas Sugarless Sprinkle rub for brisket. It's got a peppery kick but it's my favorite to use right now.
 
Sounds like you have a good piece of meat. I agree with Gary in not trimming it. I put it on with the fat cap down.

For rubs I personally like Brisket Paste . Kevin posted it a while ago and it smells and tastes excellent. I've done it a few times and everyone loves it.

If your doing a slow cook I wouldn't foil personally. I know many do. I wouldn't focus to much on temperature either and just pull when it is tender enough to put a fork in and twist with little resistance. Have you thought about doing a high heat cook for your first brisket?

Clark
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by BrianZ:
PS - any rub suggestions? I have tried a few of the rubs on the VWB and they have all been great. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Brian, Here's a nice simple one. Savory Brisket Dry Rub.
 
Very seldom do I go much over 1.25 hours a pound usually 1 hour a pound but I cook at 250°. For me I would figure 10 hours cooking and 2 resting. It could run an hour long and still be alright, time wise. If you do the foil that should definitely cover it. I never foil my briskets until it comes off the smoker.

If you are worried about dry brisket throw the therm away once it reaches 180°. Don't actually throw it away but brisket isn't done by temp. Brisket is done when it is done and each is different. Once it hits 180 I start checking for tenderness about every 20-30 minutes. I actually use the therm but I just slide it in the meat. when it goes in like it was being inserted into room temp butter it is done. Once it becomes tender it starts to dry out, so you will need to keep an eye out.

I like to use wild willies rub but I see a couple in this thread I need to try.
 
My first brisket was a huge success. I was extremely pleased with the results. The moisture, flavor and smoke ring were great. It came out better than I expected. Here is how it went down:
Thurs night - I trimmed very little fat off of the 9.5lb flat (I am very glad that I did not trim any more off) I seasoned it using the Texas Sugarless rub, which I changed a bit to my liking. Went back into the fridge overnight.
Fri morning - Woke up at 5am and loaded my SM with Kingsford and 12 medium sized pieces of apple wood. Fired it up using the Min Method. The brisket went into the cooker at 5:45am.
The temp settled in around 240 degrees very nicely. The temp held great. At noon, I basted with apple juice, flipped and rotated it. I also added a half gallon of water to the pan.
Around 1pm the lid temp started to rise to about 265, even with the vents shut. Being that it was a really nice day up here on LI yesterday (sunny and 78), I put a large umbrella up to block the sun from shining directly on the cooker. In about an hour, I was able to get the temp just under 250.
At 4:15pm, the brisket reached an internal temp of 182 degrees. I pulled it, wrapped in foil and blankets and placed in a chest. The brisket cooked for 10 and a half hours.
At 5:45, I took it out of the cooler, and began slicing. The notch I sliced before putting it in the cooker helped to find my starting point.
The brisket was awesome! It was very juicy, and extremely tender and flavorful. I already can't wait to do another.

Just as a side note, my SM was holding around 225 degrees at 7pm last night. I kept the thermometer in the lid to see how long the coals would last. I did not have to add any fuel or mix/tap the coals the entire day. It always amazes me how well the SM cooker holds its temp for so long.
 
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