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1st Brisket - Gameplan + a few questions

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    1st Brisket - Gameplan + a few questions

    Morning!

    So! First brisket and first post! Working through my game plan and timeline.

    Here's what I've got:
    -18 lb Choice full packer (will be 44 days wet aged on 12/24)
    -Vertical propane smoker (Just got a PBC but my 1st three cooks didn't go well. That's another post...)
    -Plenty of pecan, hickory and apple
    -Maverick 2 probe wireless that I paid $20 too much for because it has a Big Green Egg logo on it...
    ***2 hour dive to mom's house. Me + meat + 6 kids + wifey need to be on the road by 10AM Christmas Eve morning!

    Here's what I'm leaning towards.
    -Trim like Noah does in his PBC video
    -Salt 24 hours early
    -Inject with beef broth
    -Rub with either Dalmatian or BBBR
    -Hang vertically in the propane smoker @ 225 to bark
    -Crutch with beef broth indoors @ 225 to 203
    -Cambro
    -Drive to Columbus
    -Use her oven to bring the bark back
    -Burnt ends on her grill

    Here's my questions
    -I can't find any posts on a brisket this big. I'm guessing I'm 24 hours on the long side? What's the longest I can hold in the oven at 170 if it's done earlier?
    -To Mop or not to Mop?
    -Can you get a good bark with Dalmatian?
    -Where in the meat should I place my probe?
    -Where in the smoker should I place the other probe? (next to the middle of the hanging meat?)
    -Number one thing I could do to bugger it up?
    -Number one thing I could do to nail it!

    Thanks for any thoughts!
    Btw - I'll post updates and pics.







    #2
    Paging Dr. Broussard --

    Comment


      #3
      1. I don't know about a packer that big for time, but I would consider separating the point from the flat (but still cooking both). I'd have to guess that one end of that packer is really thick and it's hard to get an even cook on an uneven piece of meat. It's what I'm going to do with a 13 pounder I'm getting ready to do.
      2. I've never mopped a brisket
      3. You can definitely get good bark going Dalmatian. That's what's on a traditional central Texas brisket.
      4. I'd probe in the flat, but see #1

      Comment


      • _John_
        _John_ commented
        Editing a comment
        After my last couple of cooks, I think I will be separating the point from the flat. I typically use the whole point for burnt ends so it really doesn't make sense to leave them attached.

      #4
      Separating the two muscles will help some. I separate mine when they get too long to hang in my Pit Barrel. I find if you are going to make burnt ends, that point really needs plenty more time to get the "rubberiness" out of it.

      Just some random thoughts:

      1. If you really do plan on barking it up right before serving, no reason to cook past 150 internal without wrapping. That will be your biggest time saver. If you cook till bark, yeh, that could be a loooooong cook running 225.

      2. I would up the cooking temp to at least 250 degrees.

      3. I wouldn't bother with an injection myself. If you have never injected, I say go for it. I feel everyone should at least inject one brisket. Be careful on the salt content if you dry brine, and what you will bring with the injection. Sodium could get high.

      4. Thickest part of the flat gets a probe for sure, 205 or probe tender should be when it gets taken out. The point, probe tender tends to fool you because of the fat content. I would take it to 205. The cube in 1" chunks and see if they will apart any.

      5. I trim, trim, and trim. I do just like Noah, maybe more as for as on the fat cap. 1/8-1/4" fat, and that is all it needs.

      6. I prefer the BBBR, I use salt and pepper on a ribeye. Why would I want the same flavor profile on a brisket. ?

      7. Is that weight before the fat trimming? If you can cook at 250-275, with it hanging until 150 internal, then crutch, should take way less time than 24 hours.

      I'm about to trim up a 17+ pound rib roast. I'll check back in a bit.
      Last edited by Jerod Broussard; December 22, 2014, 04:57 PM.

      Comment


        #5
        The last one I did was about that same size. I did mine on my PBC. I followed Jerod's instructions and mine came out great. Although I didn't separate mine. I didn't know how exactly to do it and I didn't want to mess up a good chunk of meat.
        I used Oak Ridge "Black Ops" rub on mine and it was amazing. I'm with Jerod, I don't think you need to inject, but if you want to, do it up. But one thing I will say is try to get as much bark on it in the smoker as you can. But that may be tough to do if your in a crunch. (you can always start earlier)

        My brisket was 15 lb. before trimming. When I was done trimming it was about 11 pounds. So plan accordingly.

        Other than that follow what Jerod says. After all, he is the sole proud owner of the "Texas Brisket Edition" PBC.

        Good Luck!!

        Comment


          #6
          Originally posted by Jerod Broussard View Post
          6. I prefer the BBBR, I use salt and pepper on a ribeye. Why would I want the same flavor profile on a brisket. ?
          Even with the same "rub," or even if they were both naked, they would never taste the same. Dalmatian is the way to go - in my not so humble opinion.

          Comment


            #7
            I have made a brisket and kept it on heat for 24hrs from when I started smoking it. I do not remember the smoking time, but I started it around 6pm the night before and I remember once it hit 203ish (I'm guessing 12 hrs later, roughly) I tightly double wrapped it and then did the towels and faux cambro thing until the IT got below 150 then the meat & foil wrapping went into the oven at 225 until the IT was back toward 180 and I repeated this process until dinner, which was 24 total as described. I had to do it this way due to other obligations preventing me from giving it a more "normal" time frame. The results were fantastic! It wasn't mush and it wasn't dry rubber, it was wonderful. I do not remember the grade of meat since this was my first ever brisket and I didn't really know enough to check.

            So, did I have a piece of junk and my method happened to make it wonderful? Maybe. But my point in this is that it will take a lot to flub one up, or it will take total and utter deviation from standard practice. We have had readers do everything right and still end up with a bad end product, and actually get upset at us since "we" let them down. This is few & far between though. Really, it's hard to guarantee anything since one steer to another to another you can get different muscle properties.

            I would suggest muscle thickness playing a bigger part in cook time than weight. Thickness dictates how long the heat takes to get to the right level in the center of the meat. Don't cook it too low or you'll extend the cook time and dry it out, like Jerod says go more toward 250. Some guys go 275-300. Make sure your thermometer is calibrated so you don't accidentally take your meat to 213 instead of 203 for instance.

            Number one thing you can do to nail it is read, re-read, and re-read again Meathead's Texas Brisket recipe page. Do your best to follow everything to a T.

            Number one thing you can do to flub it up is not use a reliable accurate digital thermometer, or not follow the other instructions.

            Cheers!

            Comment


              #8
              Oh, and one more thing bryceQ, welcome to The Pit! Since this is your first post, please check out our homework assignment post for new members, it contains lots of how-tos and please-dos!

              Hope to hear & see more from you.

              Comment


                #9
                Cook is on! Trimmed them aggressively and ended up spliting it. It's a much better looking piece of meat with that fat gone! Must have been 25%+ of total weight. Salted from 10PM till 2 hours ago. Rubbed with BBBR. On the smoker steady at 265 now. I had considerable issues finding room for them. I'm still scared of my PBC and the little verticle propane unit just isn't big enough. Ended up hanging from the top rack, removing the water pan and adding a water filled green bean can next to the wood pan to make room. Meat is 2" from my chuncks of hickory.. I'm expecting that to be an issue later..

                Comment


                  #10
                  Originally posted by bryceQ View Post
                  Cook is on! Trimmed them aggressively and ended up spliting it. It's a much better looking piece of meat with that fat gone! Must have been 25%+ of total weight. Salted from 10PM till 2 hours ago. Rubbed with BBBR. On the smoker steady at 265 now. I had considerable issues finding room for them. I'm still scared of my PBC and the little verticle propane unit just isn't big enough. Ended up hanging from the top rack, removing the water pan and adding a water filled green bean can next to the wood pan to make room. Meat is 2" from my chuncks of hickory.. I'm expecting that to be an issue later..
                  I found they can cook waaaay faster if most or all of the fat cap is removed. Have fun!

                  Comment


                    #11
                    Help please! Meat temp was coming up quicker than I wanted so I passed on the crutch. Trusty Maveric woke me at 4:30 reading 203. Wrapped and moved to oven at 170 to hold. Moved to the cambro at 11:00 to drive to grandmas. Points look a little dry but good. They're in the oven simmering in some sauce. THE FLAT IS DRYYYYY.... Any good ideas on making it palatable? (chop thin and mix with sauce?)

                    Comment


                      #12
                      Make burnt ends out of all of it. Chop into pieces, cover with sauce, let it set in a pan uncovered at 300F for a while. At that temp the sauce will caramelize and blacken if left too long, so keep a watch on them.

                      Comment

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