Estimating Cook Time for World's Thinnest Brisket

[PGH_RAM]

I got a whole prime brisket from Wild Fork to cook on my kettle tomorrow as my first ever smoking of a brisket. I was leaving myself 16 hours to cook it and let it rest. Now that I've thawed it and trimmed it, I can see that it's pretty thin. It's only about an inch thick on most of the flat and just shy of two inches on the alleged point. (I say "alleged" because it had the big streak of hard fat separating the flat from that end, but there really is no deckle to speak of. It's the thinnest "whole" brisket I've ever seen.)

So, my big question is: am I ok giving myself 12 hours for the cook at 225°F-250°F plus a couple hours of rest, or should I still wake up at 3am to get this thing on the fire? Should I scrap the idea of smoking a brisket this thin and just braise it in my oven instead?

[LA Pork Butt]

According to the Pit thickness of meat determines cook time. Expect a short cook. I’ll guess 4-8 hours.

[realdocBBQ]

I'd expect a shorter cook, too - but plan to wrap, so you don't dry that out and turn it into a leather shoe sole.

[Huskee]

Yeah the heat doesn't have to travel as far to the center...BUT...the cook is also a factor of time to get the tough stuff soft and delicious. It's not as linear as cooking a thinner steak.

I'd give yourself a bit more than you think you need just to be safe. Worst case scenario, you have to hold it an extra coupla hours and it gets a little crumbly, but that might be better than shorting yourself and having a 9pm dinner, or tough brisket because it wasn't actually "done" as quick as you thought.

[Johnny Booth]

Might be too late, but looks like it would make excellent pastrami slices. 😎

[Huskee]

Agreed!

[Clark]

What did Wild Fork represent it to be? If it was substantially different than what you received, I would contact Wild Fork and ask for a refund.

[Jfrosty27]

+1 on this. I use Wild Fork extensively and the very few times I’ve had any issues, just two or three times in total, they have immediately offered a refund or replacement product at no charge. Once they even gave me both.

[Huskee]

I hate complaining about stuff like this, but this is very true. If he ordered a 12-14 lber, and that one came and it's 9lb, it's worth a complaint to their CS to allow them to make it right.

[PGH_RAM]

It was represented as a roughly 14 lb USDA Prime brisket. It was 13 lbs before I trimmed it and 10 lbs after, so I'm not disappointed in that. I am disappointed that it's so thin, has no deckle, and the marbling is substandard for a prime grade. I reached out to Wild Fork this morning and look forward to their response.

It's just a weird shape. It's about 13x20 as far as LxW goes. Would've been a real beaut if the thickness were proportional.

[jecucolo]

I recently cooked a brisket on the kettle. It was the first time for me to cook a brisket on the kettle. I usually use the PBC. I have a new contraption on the kettle that will set the temperature and maintain the temperature throughout the cook. (Part of the FB beta test). Anyway I gave myself 11 hours. It was a 17 pound brisket that trimmed to 11. It was not as thin as yours. I usually crutch the brisket at 185*. I set the original temperature at 180*. I start at 6:30 pm. By midnight it was 185. I did not crutch it. I slowed the temperature down to 150*. It was still done by 2. The brisket never stalled. This was not what I expected. I could have easily pulled the brisket in 6 hours.
You can never tell how the brisket will cook.
i won first place in church cook off so it was good eating.

[Huskee]

That's how my one quick outlier was, no stall plus a quick cook. I've done probably 20 or 30 with stalls, some really long, and only one w/o a stall.

[PGH_RAM]

Well, I decided not to smoke it. I couldn't even find a decent spot for a temperature probe because the meat is so darn thin. A Texan connection on another board suggested treating it like carne asada, so I've got it marinating now and I'll grill it over direct heat to get a crust but hopefully not overcook it this evening. If it turns out all right, I'll post here and it SUWYC. If it doesn't I'll sulk quietly in the corner, wallowing in shame and ignominy.

[PGH_RAM]

Update: I sent the pic to Wild Fork and they're giving me a refund.

Also, the carne asada treatment worked tolerably well. Cut small enough it made good tacos.

If I could choose again, I think I would've smoked it a couple of hours and then braised it in beer, but the suggestion to direct grill it intrigued me.

[Purc]

I have found Wild Fork to have excellent customer service. They stand behind their shipping and product quality. Of course, YMMV

[PGH_RAM]

They responded to my complaint in less than 12 hours and are giving me a refund. I'm happy. I'll order from them again.