Attempting first brisket - help! :)

Hey guys,
I am attempting my first brisket tomorrow. The two pieces I bought are both trimmed fairly lean and are packaged as unseasoned corned beef (That's all that was available on short notice here). My thought was to use a basic BBQ rub tonight and then a beer mop tomorrow while cooking. I was planning on indirect at about 200-225 for about 6 hours. There is 7lbs total of meat, one 4# and one 3#. Anything I need to look out for? Should I cook it in a pan as opposed to directly on the rack? Thanks for your help!

Jon

For some reason I wasn't logged on... Need to get the email replies

Jon

Hi,

Let the meat tell you when its ready.

Smoke the meat indirect until brisket internal temp is 165 deg. Then, wrap in foil, and back on the cooker until internal temp is 190 deg. Then, off the cooker, and let it sit for 1 hour, still wrapped in the foil.

Different briskets, even of the same weight, sometimes require different cooking times. That's why its better to let the brisket tell you when its ready by its internal temp.

I used this procedure for a 5 lb brisket flat, used a 200 deg cooking grate temp, and it took approx. 10 hours total cooking time to reach the 190 deg internal temp.

Hope this helps!

-egkor

Thanks for the advice!

I've got a bunch of people coming over for football tomorrow. Looks like I need to start cooking around 6 or 7am!

Jon

I think you have the basics correct. A standard red – paprika based – rub, and a beer based mop. I did a similar brisket last weekend and for the first time kept the smoker at 300 degrees. Six and a half hours later is was perfect. Just finished the last leftover at lunch today. You did say it was nice and lean. That could be a problem. I smoke briskets untrimed with the fat layer on top. It melts away and keeps the meat moist, so my guess is you may need to mop a lot.

Great - I'll be sure to keep a close eye on it. It looks like I can vary the temp a little bit if I need it to be done a bit sooner.

Well - I'm off to light light the grill!

J

So JonM - how did it turn out?? I am curious about using a brisket that was trimmed - I do not trim mine until after it has been cooked, however before would be easier

I don't have a lot to compare it to. It came out good - but not great. Meat was juicy, but not falling apart. I could have cooked it a little slower and longer, but the guests were getting impatient. Next time I'll get a different cut and have a bit more to compare to. The basic BBQ rub and beer-mop were a great combination though.

Jon

Thanks for the update

Help! I know these aren't the best conditions, but with the grocery strik ein SoCal and no butcher nearby, the meat is pretty undesirable at the market. The steak cuts are shall I say interesting.

But I found a 2.7 pound cut of brisket with a medium fat layer. I know it is small and won't give me true BBQ, but how long do you think it will take to BBQ indirect. I'd say it is 2.5 inches thick with a 1/8" fat layer. I plan to do it in the pan to keep it in its juices and mop it as frequently as necessary. I just don't know how long.

If a brisket finishes early, will it dry out if kept warm in an oven and BBQ sauce?

I wouldn't woory about finishing too early. If you take the advise above it seems like you could be safe figuring on 5 hours to start. And nowhere does it say that a bigger cut is better (my gosh did I say that?!?) I would say that a mop will help make up for the lack of fat as well. Putting it in the oven is a last resort but if you plan acordingly you shouldn't have to worry about it.

Bummer about the strike, I hadn't heard of it.
Good luck, honestly I don't know how long I'd last without some good cuts of beef!!

Well even though I had to read Grand Scales post twice since I saw the text "BIgger is not better??" I would agree that it should not be a big concern as to the size and just keep mopping it to keep it moist.

Grand Scale - Are you feeling alright? I think that maybe you need to see a doctor you are not sounding like yourself......

Bummer about the strike, I hadn't heard of it.
Good luck, honestly I don't know how long I'd last without some good cuts of beef!!

I can only eat so much chicken, pasta and pizza. They went on strike for all safeway affiliated stores (vons, pavilions) so the Ralphs (Kroger) and Albertsons locked out their employees.

I couldn't even find a decent skirt steak, and I must say I'd recently been making some kick @$$ terikyaki skewers since I couldn;t find a decent rice bowl anywhere.

This is suburbia. I could go to costco but I don't need that much meet, and the closest butcher isn;t very close. It's been 4 hours. One corner feels tough to the finger poke. Hope the cut wasn't so small it dried out the edges fast. I'll be patient though.

Ok guys - we are at it again this weekend. Found some fresh brisket that weighs in at about 4# each. Those will be on the grill at about 9-10 am (looking to be ready for 8pm). 2 shoulders are going on at 8am (about 6-7#'s each) hoping for the same done time. I'll let you guys know temps, taste and times tomorrow.

Jon

Mine came out a mixed bag. Some parts tasted like good ol' TX barbecue. Some parts were dry and a tad tough.

Here is what I am thinking. My set up is the Charbroil big easy 3 burner grill. I also stuffed foil balls into each side of the lid where there are openings for a rotiserie if u wanted one. So I had a pretty tight box to keep smoke and heat in.

I put the brisket in the middle and lit the outside burners. I think what happened is the out extremities were a little too close to the direct heat. so it got dried out and the tissue didn;t break down on the sides close to the heat.

Next time I am going to try lighting only one burner and moving the entire brisket further away from the heat source. I'll have to tof course run the one burner a little hotter and pay closer attention to the temp, but I think i'll be more successful.

Not bad for a first try with a small brisket to boot.