Got this USDA Prime 1 at HEB Lubbock Saturday. It started out being a full size vacuum packer at $51 had HEB trim all thick fat leaving 1/4” fat cap. The cost was readjusted after trimming at $35 and smoking in two weeks at 250 - 275 degrees. I’m thinking about wrapping at 7 hours with internal temperature somewhere between 155 - 165 degrees. Please give me your best ideas on smoking this beauty.
This is a great purchase and great brisket cut, am not wanting to mess this up.
HEB will always trim briskets without fuss. I’ve really never seen anyone that won’t. Our Albertsons will trim and cut packer briskets. HEB has really good customer service. After an HEB trimming the meat weight labeling will be readjusted after removing fat and adjust the price accordingly in turn getting a better price. Most places won’t adjust the price and weight after trimming. Albertsons will keep the original weight sticker attached even if two pounds of fat is cut away.
Sweet deal. Dinner for $5 a head. At that size I would smoke at your stated temps until the color looks good, which will probably be ~4 hours. With all that marbling, you could go hotter and keep around 275, it will go faster and be just as good.
Then I’d wrap or foil boat.I like the foil boat because it holds the rendered fat and juices so you can pour over at slicing time, but the top is uncovered so the bark stays firm. Wrapping the whole thing works too, and is a little faster, but makes the bark softer.
Either way, once you take it off, let cool until ~165 internal temp (open the top if you wrapped the whole thing to let steam out), then wrap and do the cooler/cambro rest thing or a 160 toaster oven for as long as you can stand it. 2 hour minimum but I’ve done the toaster oven as long as 24 with great results (got one in there right now!). Good luck!
Ghawtho - Got mine recently. Handy thing to have. Before, I’d just use the regular oven but found that the "warm" setting would creep up to 190 (thermoworks) and drop to 150. So you have to sort of manage that
We are having some of the most weirdest weather temperatures for late April. It’s like spring time is not even here. The reason waiting for two weeks for nicer morning temperatures.
Bkhuna The 1 is just a labeling that H‑E‑B puts on their prime beef. It’s not a USDA rating or anything, it’s just what H‑E‑B calls their Prime beef. 🤷♂️
Last edited by Panhead John; April 23, 2023, 06:55 AM.
I normally cook my briskets hot and fast, 300 F. Those are usually choise or select that I have wet aged for 60 to 80 days. As aggressively trimmed as this one is and because it’s a beautiful prime I would cook at 275 F. I seldom wrap a brisket, but I would this one, again because of the difference in the quality. When I wrap I wait until I get an internal temp of 175 F because I like the bark that has formed by then. To finish it on out I’d start checking for probe tender by at least 195 F internal. Last but certainly not least rest it in a good cooler or oven for a couple of hours minimum. The only other thing I would say is when you get ready to serve it only slice it as you need it. It would be almost criminal to slice it all at once and watch it dry up into something you could have gotten from a chain bbq place.
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