Whole Brisket Flat

[Jerod Broussard]

That sucker is FULL!! Very nice!!

[Dewesq55]

Good info there, Mr. B. Thanks.

[(mr.brisket)]

When I cook flats I first season them with salt, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and inject them with beef broth. For a five to six pound flat I will inject a cup of broth, refrigerate overnight and then inject another cup just prior to placing in the smoker. I have found that wrapping the meat prior to injecting keeps more of the broth inside. When it comes to seasoning , I keep it simple three parts coarse black pepper, two parts chili powder, one part garlic powder and one half part sugar. I place my brisket directly over a water pan and smoke for approximately 1 hour per pound. I usually will use oak or hickory since they are in good supply in Connecticut, I pre-burn the logs in an old grill then transfer to my firebox. I keep my fire between 225 and 250 and after two hours I begin basting the brisket with the accumulated juices from the water pan every hour. I start my brisket fat side down for the first half of the cooking period then flip it over to finish. I have never wrapped my brisket in foil, however at the end of the cooking period I will open the firebox and let the brisket rest in the smoker for thirty minutes or so prior to cutting. I make a spicy vinegar based sauce, just to have on the table for those who like a little more heat. The pictures that I attached were from a 6 Lb flat that I did last week in an old Kingsford charcoal grill, since it was only about 20 degrees outside and I knew my smoker would not work well in those temps.

[W.A.]

Yup. We are here to learn. I found Meathead's site in search of brisket recipes. The flat is the hard part to get right. I really need a trip down to TX to see what the fuss is about for more motivation to spend that much on brisket cuts. Of course - I love pastrami and think the $ spent is worth it there.

[Dewesq55]

There is nothing you say that I can disagree with, W.A. But look at it this way, if I can learn to cook the flat so it is good, I'm several steps closer to being able to do a whole packer, no?

[W.A.]

You might be right. I have separated flat from point on the last two cooks of brisket (See my post on prime brisket on PBC). Either I'm not a real fan of brisket at >$5/lb or I just cant cook it right yet. Tastes OK, but I love steak. Rather spend my $ on ribeye, filet, beef ribs, or tri-tip.

[Dewesq55]

Thanks. I have pastrami (from store bought corned beef) steaming as we speak. I could be wrong, but having the point attached doesn't do much for the flat. I will probably give it a try for the sake of learning something with low expectations.

DEW

[W.A.]

If you are up for a challenge - do it. However, think of what sort of high quality steak you could buy for the ~$50+ you are going to spend here. Also consider making pastrami.

[Dewesq55]

Thanks, Jerod. I watched Aaron Franklin's video where he trims the brisket. Admittedly that was a packer, but he trimmed off a bit of the very thin end of the flat.

[Jerod Broussard]

Yeh, my first was a flat. Drier than the point due to much less intramuscular fat, but still beef nonetheless. If you want, cut the thinner ends off, and do that on the side so it does not dry out too much. Keep in mind, the closer you get to the point on the flat, the fat content goes up a little......so it ain't all that bad if it stays with the rest. It's the thinner parts on the other end that will be the driest.

[Dewesq55]

They had whole flats (like a packer with the point removed) in cryoac at BJ's this weekend for $6.49/lb. Is this something worth buying and smoking? I have never smoked a brisket and l would like to, but full packers are few and far between around here. Also, they were very thin at the end opposite where the point was removed.