Opposite direction as of late - 3# flat


 
R

Rick Moore

TVWBB Super Fan
So I was at Costco the other day and saw a beautiful choice brisket flat - 3.11 pounds. Couldn't resist it... I've only smoked a brisket twie over the years...my Eastern NC roots just won't let go of the pork too many weekends. So the question is, for a 3# trimmed flat (no fat cap) is it worth breaking out the WSM? Or should I just do indirect on the kettle? I can't imagine the cooking time is going to be very long on this guy and it is small enough that it will def fit on my kettle with no problem.

So, with no regared for rubs, temps, etc - I've already got it rubbed according to the Modified Louis Charles Henley's All Purpose rub - what is your suggestion for which cooker to use and can you guesstimate a cooking time running at 225 on a brisket this small?

Thanks in advance for the help!
 
I wouldnt of bougth a trimmed brisky, fat adds the flavor and protects it. But...since it has no fat cap, I would use the kettle, high heat, bacon on top. You for sure dont want to go low and slow...will be beef jerky
 
You can cook on either. 3 lbs is small and overtrimmed isn't great so you're fighting two issues there. (I would have resisted it. Get better brisket cuts if you want to do brisket.)

I would not cook it that low at all. You're looking at too slow a process, imo, and all that time isn't good for a small, overtrimmed cut. Cook higher 250-265, if you want to low/slow, and foil it when it hits 160, tops. Cook till just tender. My guess is 3.25-4 hours cooktime but it will depend on actual cooktemps.
 
WOW! You guys are fast today... Thanks for the input - wish I would have resisted and made it more of a typical brisket cook/eat...wasn't thinking of it in terms of buying what sounds like will be more london broil than brisket...oh well, live and learn

Was going to ask about the bacon and forgot - didn't know if mixing the two meats would be bad - but then thought of the butts over brisket discussions in the past and just figured on doing that.

Sounds like it is going to be a kettle cook - just easier that way for the shorter cook.

Since this is going to be a little different meal than I had planned, any serving suggestions? Got my first bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's (after having heard about it so many times) and had planned on chopped/sliced brisket sandwiches...now I'm not so sure...
 
Laying bacon on top will just add alittle protection and help keep the meat moist. At 165 or so you can wrap in foil and add a little beef broth. But yeah Id probably just chop up and mix w/ some sweet baby Rays...will be good.
 
Bacon will do nothing to "keep it moist" The only thing the bacon will do is prevent one side from getting any kind of bark on it, and give your brisket some bacon flavor.
 
When the fat renders off the bacon, It will aid in keeping the meat moist, to get the bark back on, you can open up the foil. Since it is such a lean piece and youll prob chop it, no need to worry about the bark anyways.
 
The old brikset (if you can really call it that) went on my kettle at 6:00 - small bank of coals and some apple wood on one side, brisket on the other - covered in a criss cross fashion with a full package (what 12 oz these days?). The temps varied from abiout 275-325 but stayed primarily in the 300 range. At 8:15 I had meat temps ranging from 261 in the thicker part to 272 in the thinner part. I then wrapped ni HD tin foil and it has been in the for almost 30 min.

When checking temps with my thermapen, the meat seemed a little tough still so I am thinking an hour in the foil - didn't add any braising liquid to the foil - just brisket and bacon. I'm going to rotate the foil pack and leave it on there for another 30 min - then bring it in and see what happens.

At that point, total cooking time will be 3.25 hours - one hour of which was in foil. Hoping the hour in foil will help with the tenderization. I'll let you know how it turns out!
 
So pulled it at 9:15 - rested for 15 mni and just sliced it. The bacon was amazingly flavorful...the brisket has good flavor but it is a litte tough - I'll chop it tomorrow to try and get it more sandwich ready. Final temp at pulloff were 275 to 283. Then rested in foil for 15 min.

Again, good flavor but not as tended as I would have liked. But on some bread, with som Sweet Baby Rays, very good flavor.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gary Michael:
When the fat renders off the bacon, It will aid in keeping the meat moist </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Nope! Laying Bacon on top, will do nothing to keep the meat moist inside.
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Yeah, the bacon would only give you pork flavored beef.

Rick, at first I assumed your quoted temps were a typo. But your last post repeated them. Those are nearly 90 degrees over what would traditionally be considered done, on a brisket. The toughness came from being overcooked. No amount of bacon or any fat for that matter would help that.
 
When I get those overtrimmed briskets I lay down some thick sliced bacon UNDERNEATH the brisket to protect the bottom side from the direct heat. It just keeps it from getting dried out same as the "fat cap down" thing does.

And the bacon sure does taste fine!!

Al
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rick Moore:
... The temps varied from abiout 275-325 but stayed primarily in the 300 range. At 8:15 I had meat temps ranging from 261 in the thicker part to 272 in the thinner part....

...total cooking time will be 3.25 hours - one hour of which was in foil. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I am surprised that the internal temp got to 265 average in 2 hours 15 mins cooking at 300 or so. I cook briskets at higher temps and I don't think I have ever gotten close to 265 in four hours. I suppose the size and trim may have a lot to do with it. I am just surprised it could run that much in that short a time.

All the best,
Tom
 
The meat would have to be a brick to hit those temps no matter how long it cooked.

It's a typo. Rick surely means 161 and 172.
 
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