Just overnight cooked a 14 # trimmed down to 11 on BGE. Temp average 235 and cooked until 203 on probe. Probe was placed in thick part of flat .
used lump charcoal and 4 chunks hickory from BGE. Had great bark and the flat was really good. The point was so tender that I just pulled it for pulled bisket. This is not what I was looking for. Should I have placed the probe in the point instead of the flat to avoid overcooking the point???
Used salt and pepper run and the bark was nicely dark and crunchy.
Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center
Pit Barrel Cooker
Weber Kettle 22" Original
Ultra Chef Gas Grill
Slow n Sear Low Profile with Drip n Griddle Pan
Thermoworks Thermapen MK4 - Blue
Thermoworks Smoke and Gateway
Maverick ET not sure which
GrillGrates
Golf
Beer
Brisket
Couple things:
1. The point will often times take longer, because it can be significantly thicker than the flat, but sometimes that's not the case. If flat and point are close in thickness, the point can cook faster, because it's less dense with more fat.
2. You might want to consider separating the flat and the point. We follow Killer Hog's methods when we cook for competitions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deIs5HL4OQs it's a lot more work, but gives you more bark and the flexibility to pull when each muscle is done.
3. I'm not sure if by 'too tender' you mean it got mushy, or if you just like a firmer texture. "too tender" is usually good in my book, unless it got to the point of mushiness. If it's too mushy, try one one these:
a. make burnt ends. Cut into cubes and throw it in to a pan with some oil. It will remove some of the moisture from the outside, crisp them up, and give you delicious sides for your flat
b. If you can't even cube them, because they fall apart, pull it like pulled pork, then if you want it less mushy, crisp them up in a pan of oil, similar to how you would do carnitas.
Just overnight cooked a 14 # trimmed down to 11 on BGE. Temp average 235 and cooked until 203 on probe. Probe was placed in thick part of flat .
used lump charcoal and 4 chunks hickory from BGE. Had great bark and the flat was really good. The point was so tender that I just pulled it for pulled bisket. This is not what I was looking for. Should I have placed the probe in the point instead of the flat to avoid overcooking the point???
Used salt and pepper run and the bark was nicely dark and crunchy.
Railroadscot
I always smoke my brisket as 2 pieces of meat, in my BGE. I put the flat on the standard grate and I put the point on another grate that is about 4" higher up in the dome.
I don't use the Texas crutch. I don't turn the heat up to power through the stall. I don't use a water pan. I cook at 225°.
The point will reach probe tender softness a couple of hours before the flat because it cooks a little hotter for the first 2 hours up in the dome. Yes... that 4" makes a difference of about 15°.
Once my point reaches close to probe tenderness i pull it. I cut it into 1" cubes and put it in to an aluminum foil pan and drench it with BBQ sauce and put it back in the smokers to make burnt ends. That way the flat and the burnt ends will finish about the same time. I wrap the flat and put it in the faux Cambro and serve the burnt ends as appetizers with cocktails.😜
I've decided that I have more control over the finished product if I separate briskets into 2 pieces. If you're not going to make burnt ends out of the point... put the point on the bottom grate. They will finish about the same time as the flat that way. Not making burnt ends is a criminal offense!
I wasn't boasting or complaining. I was describing how I smoke brisket on my large BGE to railroadscot . Thinking maybe he will find something to make his brisket cooks easier and better.
LA Pork Butt ... I wasn't sure if you were talking to me or railroadscot .🤔 He was disappointed that his point wasn't what he had expected so I wasn't sure who you were talking to. Points cook faster than flats because of the difference in the fat content. I find separating them works best.
I usually separate the point from the flat and put a temp probe in each. That's what I do on my BGE. I point the flat on the grill above the platesetter and the point on one level above. That way I can pull the flat and the point at the appropriate point of doneness. Rather than going to 203 you might start checking for probe tender (feels as if it was going into to soft butter) at 190. That might get you to what you are looking for in the point.
Last edited by LA Pork Butt; January 28, 2017, 05:37 PM.
Sounds like we have developed the same technique.👍 I agree... probe tenderness is more crucial than cooking to temperature. Cooking past probe tenderness just drains more fat. Fat is flavor so keep as much fat as possible and don't dry your meat out.
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan - near Clare (dead center of lower peninsula).
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
railroadscot I like to cook mine intact, but I'll trim most of the fat in between the point & flat and stop just short of separating the two. I have never yet found the need to take the point to 203. In fact, as many here know I don't buy into the 203 thing. I take my briskets (from Choice, Prime, to Wagyu the same) to 195-200, try to lower the smoker temp at this point to ~200 to hold it there for an hour or so, and then a 2hr cambro hold (or what I call power cambro, leaving it on the smoker just dropping its temp to ~170 or so to mimic a warm hold like a cambro). I'm a strong believer in "probe tender", although I don't probe the meat in multiple spots literally checking for probe tender. I just know from experience that unless you're cooking a Select grade, you're likely not going to need 203. It's more a product of time & temp rather than just temp. If you've had a slow cook up to 195, 197, 199, then hold it from there, you should be golden. I haven't tried this with Select though. I've read they take more heat for longer but I don't know.
Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
LA Pork ButtBreadheadrailroadscot My BGE experience has led me to the exact same place: split point from flat, point on top rack, two probes. Point is done about an hour or so before the flat.
I find it interesting that BGE people here are all trending to going this way, but mention it at the BGE forum and you might just as well be yelling against a hurricane. Results rule, though.
Mosca ... I quit going to the BGE forum a few years ago. Those people are closed minded and anti social! Plus their moderators are weak and nonexistent. I mentioned Meathead's reverse sear to them and they thought this Meathead guy had no clue of what he was talking about.😡
Comment