Semi disaster...Good recovery...lol, pics added.

[Bill S.]

Picked up a couple packer briskets this week, cheap, but they were close to their "toss it" date. Took them out last night to prep them. And man were they funky coming out of the cryovac, smelled like rotten eggs. I figured that was just from being in the bag for so long. So I rinsed and let them set, and the smell went away. The meat looked good but it just felt "off". I thought maybe they were just about to go south but they would be good to go for this morning. Wrong, opened up the fridge, this morning, and lets just say the meat was looking real iffy. So I said screw it and threw it away. 20lbs of brisket done the crapper. So I ran to the market and grabbed a fresh 8.5 pound flat, thanks to an understanding butcher that grabbed me one an hour before the fresh meat counter opened. Didn't get it in the WSM until 8am. We were supposed to be eating at 4. Now I'm just hoping that it's done by 6....lol. It's a pretty thick flat so it's going to take a while. I got my fingers crossed. Goes to show ya....You get what you pay for.

 

[Craig Castille]

I've had that happen to a brisket that I had wet aged once. Chucked it.

You can cook hotter if you are running behind.

I do briskets high heat (325-350), and they are usually done in 4.5 hours.

 

[R. Hanson ("Rondo")]

Hey Bill! Here's an easy fix for ya... just smoke 'til 165* internal...then double foil with a 1/4 cup apple juice... place in a 350* oven to finish...saves several hours and produces nice moist brisket.

Slice thin and rebaste with foil drippings

 

[Dave/G]

Those $.99/lb briskets will get you every time.

My experience has been that flats take approx one hour per pound smoked to 165* or until they achieve the color you like, then foiled and cooked until tender. I rest mine for maybe 20 minutes, then open the foil and rest another 15. Why? Because I read that on this forum. Don't want to slice a piping hot brisket. So if you began an 8, you are looking good as far as timing is concerned. If cooking high heat ala Craig, you have plenty of time. I've never done the oven thing (I hardly know how to operate the **** thing, lol) so i can't comment on that. I'm sure that works well too. Show some pics so your cook can be verified.

 

[Bill S.]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave/G:
Those $.99/lb briskets will get you every time.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

LOL..You ain't kiddin. I think I saw it move in the fridge..lol...Oh well what can you do. It was a shot.

I usually go 1.5 hours a pound on my flats because I don't foil. It was down to a little over 7lbs after trimming. But the flat is quite thick. So I figure that gets me to about 10 hours. I'll just run a bit hotter. I called my guests (just my sister an brother in-law so it's no biggie) and told them, so they'll grab a snack in between.

 

[Bill S.]

Replacement flat came out good. Got great reviews....lol. Just a tad dry in spots IMO,though no one else thought so. May have trimmed it a bit tight. Had good flavor and nice bark. Smoked at about 260-270 instead of 250. Bumped it up to about 300 for the last 20- 30 minutes to finish off the bark. Took it off at 5pm, making it a 9 hr smoke. Not bad, only an hour late. The bottom 3 pictures were from the leftovers for lunch today.