Smoked my first brisket today. OMG.

FlatFender

FlatFender

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Weber Kettle, Kingsford original stacked 3 high snaked around the kettle.

Didn't open the lid for 4hrs, kept her between 225 and 250 for 8hrs, then bumped up to 300 for the last hour.

I think I wrapped it in foil after 6hrs, iirc.

It was a wee little thing, only about 2lbs, but it's delicious, maybe just a little on the dry side.

How'd I do?IMG_20170910_202204.jpg
 
I think you did well. I'm still trying to get up the nerve to try another brisket, after turning one into shoe leather many years ago.
 
Good brisket is the ultimate BBQ. There's nothin better IMO
 
It sure looks really good. I love cooking a brisket. I eat myself into a meat coma. What wood did you use for smoke?
 
Beautiful smoke ring. Dammit I'm hungry now
 
I'm going to try one here soon on my ceramic smoker!
 
Don't bump the temp in the end. That makes it dry.
Run at 225 till it hit 165 , then wrap in double foil and put back in for as long as it takes to get to 190
Then put in insulated box/cooler for an hour.

Can't rush greatness .
 
Mirac said:
Don't bump the temp in the end. That makes it dry.
Run at 225 till it hit 165 , then wrap in double foil and put back in for as long as it takes to get to 190
Then put in insulated box/cooler for an hour.

Can't rush greatness .
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To the OP it looks great. This is solid advice! Brisket often will hit a "stall" period. The meat will hit 150-165 and not move for hours. Using the aluminum foil, sometimes referred to as the "texas crutch", helps you get past the stall.

With brisket the king of BBQ IMHO you need to just go slow and let the meat do its thing. I push my temps a little higher, 200- 205, but it also depends on what piece of meat you are cooking.

The cooler trick is also great advice. Allowing it to rest in the cooler will help it retain juiciness. I will leave it in a cooler for up to 3 hours.

Small briskets are much a harder to cook than a full brisket. Well done!
 
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bigfelipe said:
Problem I have is finding a piece of meat with enough fat on it. Grocers trim them too damn much...
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If you have a costco in your area they often have pretty good brisket cuts. They often have prime for the price others charge for choice.
 
wvsig said:
If you have a costco in your area they often have pretty good brisket cuts. They often have prime for the price others charge for choice.
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We have a couple in the area but I'm not a member of any of the bulk joints. Going tiny doesn't make for bulk storage...
 
bigfelipe said:
We have a couple in the area but I'm not a member of any of the bulk joints. Going tiny doesn't make for bulk storage...
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I can understand that. A good hack to get into Costco without a membership is to get a member to buy a gift card for you. You can then shop and pay for the rest on your debit card. You pay a 5% premium but for something like a brisket thats not a big deal.

I always try to get to know the butchers in my local grocery stores and find a true butcher shop if I can because you are 100% correct that the majority of consumers these days are looking for cuts that are too lean and too small.

It drives me crazy when you see a nice marbled ribeye steak that has been cut into 1/2" thick steaks. :rolleyes:
 
bigfelipe said:
Problem I have is finding a piece of meat with enough fat on it. Grocers trim them too damn much...
Click to expand...

The Butcher's Market in Cary has very good briskets. They usually have Kobe and USDA Choice. 10-14 lb range untrimmed. I usually have to trim off some of the really thick tough fat on the USDA's. But that is normal. Not the cheapest place in town, but they carry nice cuts of meat.

If forced to buy the trimmed flats or smaller briskets from your local store I have found adding a layer of bacon on top really helps keep it moist and add flavor as you cook it.
 
bigfelipe said:
We have a couple in the area but I'm not a member of any of the bulk joints. Going tiny doesn't make for bulk storage...
Click to expand...

If you come to chads next year. Bring a cooler with ya and stop at the Bi-Rite next to his house before ya leave. They usually have 1/2 dozen of them to pick from. I stop there and take something from their meat dept home every time I'm up that way
 
We smoke ours for 6-8 hours between 210-220. Then double wrap in foil and cook at that same temp for another 2-4 hours (about 10 hours total cook time) then remove and place in a cooler for a couple hours to rest.

6-8 hours is all the smoke any meat is going to absorb. Wrapping it after that continues the slow cooking process without drying out the meat. It also multiplies the enzyme break down to tenderize the meat.

Letting it rest pulls all the juices back into the meat. If you don't believe that unwrap a brisket and look at the amount of juice pooled in the foil. Then close the wrap and put it in the cooler. When you pull it back out in a couple hours there won't be a pool of juice anymore.
 
I do the same except I run mine between 230-240. Takes the same amount of time. The only one of the 4 that I have done that sucked was the packer brisket I bought at Walmart. Turns out I was stupid and you get what you pay for! Won't make that mistake again.
 
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