I cooked my 2nd Brisket last night, I have a few questions regarding temp and weight

[101Airborne]

Hello guys. I cooked my 2nd brisket of my life last night. I took the advice of the forum and cooked this one at 225. This one cooked very fast for me so I have a few questions.

Here is the cooking information for the 7.3 lb Prime Brisket from Costco.
I cooked with 50% hickory and 50% mesquite

Hour 1 90 degrees
Hour 2 129 degrees
Hour 3 153 degrees
Hour 4 157 degrees
Hour 5 158 degrees
Hour 6 160 degrees
Hour 7 166 degrees
Hour 8 171 degrees
Hour 9 182 degrees (wrapped with butcher paper at Hr 9, missed the stall point)
Hour 10 196 degrees
Hour 10:45 203 degrees

The stall seems to have happened at the 3:21-6hr mark.

Questions:

1. I put the brisket on at midnight and went to sleep. I did not expect the stall to happen so quickly. I wrapped the brisket when I woke up this morning when it was already at 182 degrees. Do you guys normally wake up in the middle of the night to wrap the brisket? Or do you wait three hours or so and wrap the brisket and then go to sleep?

2. When reading all the cooking information online and in books is given, for example "Cook 1hr 15min per lb of brisket" are they talking about the weight before the fat is cut off the brisket or after? I must of cut off 3 lbs of fat at least.

3. The thickest part of my brisket was 203 and the tiny part was about 195, should I pull it off when the whole brisket is 203 or just the biggest part?


Thanks guys. Come to Colorado and grab a bite of brisket.

[Troutman]

What type of cooker was this on, a stick burner or a pellet smoker?

Regardless, as to wrapping, it's not a necessity but can help get you through the stall. Since I really don't see much evidence of a stall looking at your temps, wrapping may not have been necessary. The smaller size of your brisket probably didn't sweat as much and would have powered through regardless.

As to the finish, remember the rule. When a brisket gets up into the 190*s, forget the termometer. I use my Thermapen to probe the meat for tenderness. It's good to notice the temperatures at that point but probing is what you need to do. If it's soft like butter, you got a winner.

[101Airborne]

What type of cooker was this on, a stick burner or a pellet smoker?

Regardless, as to wrapping, it's not a necessity but can help get you through the stall. Since I really don't see much evidence of a stall looking at your temps, wrapping may not have been necessary. The smaller size of your brisket probably didn't sweat as much and would have powered through regardless.

As to the finish, remember the rule. When a brisket gets up into the 190*s, forget the termometer. I use my Thermapen to probe the meat for tenderness. It's good to notice the temperatures at that point but probing is what you need to do. If it's soft like butter, you got a winner.

It was on a Rectec 700 pellet smoker

[jfmorris]

101Airborne was this a full packer, or just a brisket flat? I ask, because 7.3# is pretty tiny for a full brisket, and I think cooking and where you probe for temp are different for a packer versus a flat.

Anyway, for one that small, getting done in that amount of time is reasonable. I've typically cooked 16# or so packets, say 14# after trimming, and always probe in the thickest part of the flat, making sure to avoid the deckle - the layer of fat between the flat and the point. I don't ever check the temperature of the thinnest part of the flat. Wrapping at 182 versus 160 - I imagine that is a non-issue. You really want to wrap AFTER the stall anyway, so you certainly did that. Many on here don't wrap at all and get great results. I usually wrap around 160F, in foil - mostly to ensure the final product is tender, and to speed up the cook once the bark is set.

I assume you are letting it rest in faux cambro or a warm oven before serving. I hope it's juicy and delicious! Enjoy!

[SMOG MAN]

Your cook results match mine. I usually start a little later, 3 am or so, that works for my plate time. I sometimes set my alarm when it's time to wrap.

[101Airborne]

101Airborne was this a full packer, or just a brisket flat? I ask, because 7.3# is pretty tiny for a full brisket, and I think cooking and where you probe for temp are different for a packer versus a flat.

Anyway, for one that small, getting done in that amount of time is reasonable. I've typically cooked 16# or so packets, say 14# after trimming, and always probe in the thickest part of the flat, making sure to avoid the deckle - the layer of fat between the flat and the point. I don't ever check the temperature of the thinnest part of the flat. Wrapping at 182 versus 160 - I imagine that is a non-issue. You really want to wrap AFTER the stall anyway, so you certainly did that. Many on here don't wrap at all and get great results. I usually wrap around 160F, in foil - mostly to ensure the final product is tender, and to speed up the cook once the bark is set.

I assume you are letting it rest in faux cambro or a warm oven before serving. I hope it's juicy and delicious! Enjoy!

I guess I should know the difference between the two but I didn't know that Brisket was sold as either a flat or a packer. I just saw the prime brisket at costco for the same price as the choice, about 45 dollars and I jumped at it. Now I know I guess.

Perhaps, I bought just the flat, But the brisket did have a portion t on the top that you cut the fat away from. I threw away the plastic a few days ago so I can't check but I weighed it just now and it's about 4.4 lbs after it's cooked.

[jfmorris]

Definitely just a brisket flat if it is only 4.4 pounds post cook. The flats are usually more per pound than the full brisket. Looks good though! Just less to eat, and the flat is more lean than the point end.

[dahcopilot]

i don't wrap till it's done, then i stick it in the yeti till it's time to eat

[ColonialDawg]

I cook my briskets hot and fast so I only get up at night to go to the bathroom.

I personally don’t worry about the stall any more. I cook until I get the color I want and then I wrap. At that point I start checking internal temp and I will cook until I can stick a probe into the flat feeling little to no resistance (some say like probing warm butter). For me that is typically at round 207-210 internal.

[parkerj2]

I do the same - cook until the bark looks good and then wrap. My last 2 or 3 cooks I haven't even checked the internal temp a single time, and they've come out perfectly based on how it feels in my hand.

[JoeInTX]

What temp to you cook at for Hot and Fast? And after you get the color you want and wrap, do you drop the temp or maintain the same temp?

[ColonialDawg]

For me, hot and fast is around 275-325. I keep this temp throughout the entire cook.