1st time brisket

[rip1877]

I have been putting this off for a while, but decided to take the plunge and try my first brisket. I believe i already messed up a little. I thought I needed to trim all the fat cap off, but then after going through all the posts, I know it is more a personal preference to trim it or keep it on, but well.... I trimmed mine off. I started the dry-brine last night and plan on cooking it Friday (my day off), but need a little help. It is not going to be the meal for the night, but am planning on starting the grill up around 5 am and hope to get it all set up and nestled in the smoker by 5:30. It is a 12 pound (pre-trimming and it felt like I trimmed at least 3 pounds off if not more). I plan on using the faux cambro after it is done. To help with the drying out, can I sprinkle a little beef love on it during the cook?

Using My WSM 14" so I had to cut it in half to get it to fit in. But which piece am I needed to place on the top rack vs the bottom? Smaller thinner piece on top or bottom?

Who all will be checking the forums during the day Friday in case I have some "emergency" questions?

[ecowper]

I expect I will be around off and on Friday .... feel free to tag me with questions.

I don't think you have "messed up" .... the fat cap, honestly, isn't going to make the meat more tender, moister, etc. As the fat renders and melts, it runs down the outside, it doesn't penetrate the meat. tender/moist/etc is going to come from the fat and connective tissue IN the meat rendering as you cook it. Leaving 1/8-1/4 inch fat cap is mostly cause that can be very succulent when you slice and serve. However, taking it all off means more meat for crust :-)

As far as which piece to put where .... which grate on the WSM is hotter when cooking? Probably the top grate, since the water bowl is right there under the bottom grate. The thinner piece is going to cook faster and has less fat to keep it from drying out. Put it on the cooler grate.

[mattyb05]

Good luck rip1877. I'll be rooting for you. I think I may attempt my first brisket in a few weeks so I will be following this post.

[rip1877]

I'll post some pics tonight after I get the BBBR layered on.

[CandySueQ]

I cut all (or almost all) of the surface fat off of a brisket. You didn't say that you separated the point muscle from the flat muscle. But no matter. Get your WSM ready to cook put brisket side with the most fat left down on the grate towards the heat. 2 hours into the cook, swap brisket pieces to the other rack and turn over. Have good gloves! 2 hours later (or so) wrap brisket (if you want). Use a leave-in thermometer to monitor the meat.

[ecowper]

What CandySueQ said :-) ... but seriously, cutting the fat cap off is not a big deal.

[rip1877]

Thank you, I bought a pair of Beast armor gloves and built a temporary table/shelter when smoking in the back yard. I have had practice swapping in the middle of cooks. I didnt separate the flat, I measured the length of the brisket and cut it so it would fit on the grates without hugging the walls.

[CandySueQ]

Just for future reference, brisket is going to plump up height wise and shrink in lengthwise as it cooks. You can help that process along by "squishing" the brisket from both ends to keep it off the sides. I did this all the time in my 18" WSM. Now the 14 is really small! Good luck with your cook!

[Eugene A]

I'm 0-for-3 with brisket. And it's all my fault -- I was buying the brisket flat at the supermarket, small pieces, maybe a little over three pounds (there's just two of us). The meat came out flavorful, but really dry. I was advised to get a more substantial piece of meat, maybe in the 7-10 pound range, and then just follow the recipe. Brisket is still on my barbecue/grilling bucket list.

[rip1877]

I got everything set up last night ready to go first thing this morning. got the grill started around 5:30 and had the meat on at 6. Around 10 I pulled it and wrapped it with IT at 162. Currently I am at 190 at 11 o'clock. here are the before pics.

[mattyb05]

Hey rip1877 Out of curiosity how did it fit on you WSM?

[rip1877]

Perfect. I measured the cut so I could split it on the 2 racks.

[mattyb05]

Oh right! Forgot you said that in the beginning!

[rip1877]

here is the story for today:

Friday, got up at 5 am walked the puppies and started up the charcoal. Got the meat on by 6. Pulled and wrapped at 10, IT was at 162. Pushed through the stall and pulled it off at noon with IT at 203. Unwrapped and put back on the grill to dry it up a little and saved all the juices for an au jus.

Pulled it again at 1 and wrapped and put in a faux cambro till 4:30 pm. Juicy as hell, good bark and texture. Just too heavy on the pepper.

It didnt get a good smoke ring but as a first try, I think it went really good. just will tone down the pepper in the seasoning next time.

[SlushDeezey]

Looks tasty. May I suggest cutting across the grain next time instead of with the grain? Pic 4 is with the grain and looks like the point. You'll get a much more tender piece of smoked heaven slicing it the other direction. Also, the Dexter Russell serrated knife on amazon is cheap and great for brisket slicing. Thanks for sharing your pics.

[rip1877]

When you say to cut against the grain you are talking more like pic 6?

[SlushDeezey]

Yes, exactly like that.

[ecowper]

It looks great, actually .... Don't worry too much about the smoke ring, honestly. Not yet. Worry about how to achieve the outcome you want, which is beefy, succulent, tender goodness that we get from a great brisket. The smoke ring is achieved by control of your fire, which may take some time.

Meanwhile .... that brisket looks good for your first time ..... or 10th time

[rip1877]

Thanks, the temps held steady pretty much throughout the cook in till the sun started coming out and then it started spiking a bit towards the end.

[kmhfive]

Good looking meat! Congratulations.

[mattyb05]

Looks good rip1877. Thanks for setting the bar so high for first timers.