perfect day to have a smoke

fifteen pound brisket started on my pellet smoker at four this morning.
I cut it in two because the flat was considerably longer and skinnier than others I have done and I was worried it might end up overdone if I left it whole.
It should take about twelve hours to complete,then two hours of resting before diving in.

The rub I used this time is made by Holy Cow and is a Texas style rub.
I also injected it heavily with beef broth.
Once I had it covered well I slathered yellow mustard on it and put it in a tub to rest for sixteen hours in the fridge.
I will post another pic when its done and sliced open to show the depth of the smoke ring.

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No George Dickel?

I’ll bring the coleslaw

nhamm wrote:

No George Dickel?

yep !! but not on the brisket,that was for the chef and two shots of it for the beans,I hate drinking alone lol.

Thanks for sharing. I’m going to smoke my first brisket in 2 weeks and I’ve been doing a lot of research. My issue is I have a masterbuilt sportsman and I don’t think the racks are big enough to smoke the brisket in one piece. I might cut it and cook the flat and point on separate racks (the point on the rack above the flat). My question would be are you cooking them both the same amount of time? Or will you monitor the temps individually and take the point off first and then the flat?

I’ve heard cutting a brisket is a big no no so that’s why I’m curious. My other option would be to fold one end of the brisket over itself to make it fit. Another option I’ve heard of would be using something like a coffee can or other device to drape the whole brisket over so it’d be in a upside down “U” shape and fit.

this is the first time I have cut one in half,I figured the flat would be done first,as I write this at 3:10 pm,the flat is at 156 and the point is at 151.
the first two hours they were separated by twenty degrees,really surprised they are staying this close together now.

the temps are being monitored separately by a maverick dual probe thermometer.
I am at the eleven hour mark now for both pieces,I will pull the first one off when it reaches 190.
the way its looking they both will be done at about the same time.

they have been sitting at the 150 mark for over an hour now so I am starting to think the broth injection is prolonging the stall.
this could easily turn into a fourteen or so hour smoke by the looks of things.
oh well,I bet its still yummy when its done !!

best of luck to ya Jake !! warning,it will get addicting once you start !

Thanks for the info. Interesting that the temps are so close. Also, I would have thought the point would cook quicker than the flat. Did you do a tin foil wrap of any sort midway? Do you know the length of the brisket before you cut it?

I have used tinfoil several times,this time I am not as I am after more bark.
when I use the foil,I wrap it when the meat gets to 165 and put it back on the smoker and take it to 195,as soon as hits that temp I pull it and put it in a cooler for two hours.

everything I have learned about doing this came from this site with the help of several good people,two in particular have been a tremendous fountain of knowledge.

I think this will be my fifteenth brisket in the last year and I still have one in the freezer,like I told you,it gets addicting once you start !
you have been warned !

edit to add: didnt measure the length of the brisket,eyeballed it and cut it.

Thanks- I still have a lot to learn about briskets. I’m trying to figure out how big of a brisket to get for a group of about 15. Trying to decide between one large one or two smaller ones. I’ve heard that the finished product usually yields about 60-70% of the initial weight (I.e. A 10 lb brisket will yield about 6-7 lbs of edible meat). Does that sound about right?

Jake, don’t put the flat on the bottom. Put the point on the bottom and fat cap down. It acts as a heat shield and helps prevent the brisket from drying out.

Gitchi Gummi wrote:

Thanks- I still have a lot to learn about briskets. I’m trying to figure out how big of a brisket to get for a group of about 15. Trying to decide between one large one or two smaller ones. I’ve heard that the finished product usually yields about 60-70% of the initial weight (I.e. A 10 lb brisket will yield about 6-7 lbs of edible meat). Does that sound about right?

sounds right Jake,I will weigh this one when it gets done,if it ever does ! sheesh! didnt expect the injection to prolong the time as much as it has.
I am using the exact same temps I have done all of the others with but this one just keeps hanging on.
fourteen and a half hours in and the temps are now at 169 and 176,hang in there fella’s,it will get done eventually.
here is a shot I just took,and what it looked like at four this morning.

Jake,I have found that if I am going to feed several people,the brisket will go further if you pull it like you would pork,slicing it is great but it doesnt last as long.

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Gitchi Gummi wrote:

Thanks for the info. Also, I would have thought the point would cook quicker than the flat. it

You have me wondering now. The point is the thick end and the flat is the thin tapered end. If the flat tapers significantly, you can fold that thin piece if it makes it fit on one rack for you.

It looks like you have some great bark on there! Thanks for the tip on shredding. My friend who gave me the recipe for the marinade and rub I am going to use also recommended shredding so that’s the route I’m going to go.

Do you think the lack of wrapping in tin foil midway is part of the reason it’s taking longer than usual?

SuperDave1959 wrote:

You have me wondering now. The point is the thick end and the flat is the thin tapered end. If the flat tapers significantly, you can fold that thin piece if it makes it fit on one rack for you.

Thanks Dave. My racks are about 13″x14″ and roughly 18/19″ diagonally. Like I said, I’ve never smoked a brisket before… do you think a 10-12lb brisket would fit diagonally on racks of that size?

My other idea would be to take a tin coffee can and cut the bottom out so it’s just a cylinder (so smoke would still vent through it to the meat) and then lay the brisket over the coffee can so it can fit on one rack and still be cooked in one piece. I’ve heard there are benefits to keeping it all in one piece so the fat can penetrate through both the point and flat.

I’m looking for any advice you guys might have because I’m a total noob. I just got my first smoker this summer and have only done pork, chicken breasts and wings, and salmon so far.

Jake,not wrapping it could be an issue but I believe that would be more of a concern in winter time??
its almost eighty here and the sun is shining so I dont believe that is an issue,maybe the experts who have helped me might chime in.
I do have an insulated cover for it when it gets below sixty on a regular basis.

shredding,if you do it in say a kitchenaide mixer,be careful how long you leave it in there as it can make the meat tougher,trust me on that one,partially shred it in the mixer and finish by hand or do the whole thing by hand.
make sure you have high temp gloves as you want to shred it when its hot,or at least thats been my experience.

oh,before I forget,once its spent two hours resting in a cooler and you get done shredding it,let it come to room temperature,cover it up tight and put it in the fridge overnight.
thats when the smoke does its magic,serve the next day after warming it back up.

Eelpoutguy wrote:

I’ll bring the coleslaw

EPG,get the slaw ready,I am guessing another hour,bring some more booze would ya?
I am about out and I am not going to town,dang Nick just had to bring up the dickel and I remembered where I had a little bit stashed.

Lol,
Me and the better half decided to stay at the cabin tonight and try to catch these Hogs.
I could FedEx you down some margaritas if you could FedEx me up some brisket.
Fyi I’ll take any and all burnt ends you have.

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heres the money shot on the flat,sorry its a bit blurry but you can clearly see the smoke rings depth.
as far as the rub and broth injection,absolutely worth it and the time it took.
I had to sample it before it went into the cooler of course.
flat took sixteen hours !!!! the point is now at 180,not long now on it.
Jake,the flat weighed four pounds when done.
EPG,you would not believe the burnt ends on this thing,I dont know what that rub did to it but its unbelievable !!

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just pulled the point of the brisket off of the smoker.
it weighed six pounds so I ended up with ten pounds of meat after starting with over fourteen pounds.

the brisket weighed 15.82 pounds when I started,I trimmed off a pound of fat.
that puts the starting weight at 14.82 pounds.
four pounds and some change total weight lost after a total smoking time of sixteen hours !!! and I thought starting early would have an advantage.

I used almost sixteen pounds of lumber jack premium brand pellets,a mix of oak,hickory,and cherry.
that figures about a pound of pellets per hour.

I will take another shot of the meat in an hour or so once its done resting,when I cut into the flat, juices ran every where,what a mess that was !
I was really surprised at how much juice was left considering the weight lost during smoking,I think that says a lot for injecting the broth.

Nice work Sheldon. Wish I could have a Sammie right now.

Jake, I think a 10 – 12 pound will fit diagonally. And they do shrink during the smoke. If it is a little cramped initially, do worry too much. I don’t like the coffee can idea for blocking smoke/heat.

wanna see something funny?? here is my GSP Gracie,she knows whats on the counter in the cooler and she is waiting for her trimmings lol.
what a clown ! I wont be able to go to bed until everything is cooled off,cleaned and put away or she will be in that same spot in the morning just waiting for ‘her’ snack.

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Our GSP, Gracie, was a counter surfer. It would have been gone by now. lol

“PERFECT DAY TO HAVE A SMOKE” , you say,,,

Me sorry, I finally gave them up about 5 years ago, +/- no more to-baccie for me!

BUTT

We did have a great Beef Rib-eye @ 1- 1/4″ thick slow grilled to 130 degrees with the famous Iowa sweet corn for din. din. Wholey Carp, it was sooooo gooood!

Sorry you were so tied up roping that old ornery steer!

FS, I think you will find the wonderful goodness in your labors, let it rest and do the slice tomorrow.

Insert drool here<—–

Here ya go,started slicing it up this morning for packaging later today.

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I was waiting to see how it turned out because I thought your initial timing seemed optimistic. I haven’t done many briskets, maybe ten, but my experience is they take about an hour to an hour and a half per pound at 250F.

When I do a brisket it is usually close to 8lb because of the time it takes. 8lbs usually take 12-16 hours for me.

I did a 10 pound pork butt on Saturday. I’m liking them for the time and price. Injected it with 12oz of “flavored” apple juice and it was done in about 7 hours.

I didn’t take meat pictures but here’s my setup, starting to get up to temp. The thermometer is a ThermoWorks. One probe on the grill grate and the other in the thick part of the meat.

I do a top down burn on the coals. Didn’t use lump this time. Made it through the seven hours without adding more coals. Topped it off with apple chips for the smoke, to go with the apple injection.
The rub was plain, paprika, garlic, cayenne, habenaro, and turbinado sugar. I mix my own on the fly depending on what I’m trying to do.

I plan to stink up the cafeteria today with my lunch.

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Iowaboy1 wrote:

Here ya go,started slicing it up this morning for packaging later today.

I want that burnt end! Yum!

I’m a bark shark and miss that with pork butts because I wrap them at 170F.

How much of the fat cap did you remove?

Ya’ll are some ravenous people down there if’n eat the top edge of the glass serving vessel off before dinner is even sliced.

The meat looks great. I’ll pass on the white stuff.

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Would you guys recommend using a water pan in the smoker for a brisket?

Also, I have a ThermoPro wireless dual temp probe… One probe is meant for meat and the other is meant for smoker temp. Is there any problem with using both probes in meat (i.e. if I was smoking 2 briskets at once)? Both probes have the same temp range.

My understanding is that the water pan is used to add mass to the cooker to help control the heat. The downside with using water is it evaporates. I use fire bricks to add mass.

I’m no expert but you could probably use both probes on meat, as long as you have a third way to read the grill temps. When my Maverick thermometer went down to one probe I used it for the grill temps and checked the meat with a regular cooking thermometer. After doing a few you realize that there is no reason to open the lid for five or six hours if the temp is controlled. At that point, figure out how many hours until the next temp test and repeat.

Edit, you can see in my first picture that I added a thermometer into the lid (left side). It sits about an inch higher than the grilling thermometer and reads about 20F higher. I only use it now for a ballpark measurement because it is too far from the grill to be accurate. Note, I haven’t bothered calibrating it while the others work. Even with that one, I still kept the single probe from the Maverick on the grill instead of the meat.

Until proven otherwise, I think the grill temp is more crucial over the long haul. The meat temp moves so slowly that you can usually stay in front of it without problems.