My Plan for First Brisket Cook!

[Santamarina]

Lots of great advice here. I’ll agree that probe tender is when it’s "done"...typically the more lean a cut is the higher that temp is. The Prime packers I get from Costco are often done in the mid/high-190s. Pull too soon and it’ll be tough; too late and it will fall apart (although shredded brisket still tastes delicious).

Wrapping only happens when the bark is the color I want it...never by time or temp. I use butcher paper.

A long hold never hurts. Toss it in a warm oven if your faux-Cambro isn’t holding heat as long as you need. I’ve held brisket in a warm oven for 12 hours and it came out great!

Following the sage advice of Aaron Franklin, brisket is the only cut I don’t dry brine. While the smoker is coming up to temp I trim the brisket, hit it with equal parts coarse kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, and throw it straight in the pit! No other seasoning required.

You’ve done your homework, and that significantly increases your odds of having it come out good. Happy smoking, and good luck with your first brisket.

[Richard Chrz]

Thanks for sharing that recipe

[CaptainMike]

Doing your first brisket is like buying your first house. The first one is the tough one, after that they get easier, sometimes waaay easier. You have a great plan, roll with it, learn from it, then apply lessons learned and adjust to your desired outcome. I do humbly submit my favorite BE recipe: https://jesspryles.com/recipe/best-e...et-burnt-ends/

[STEbbq]

And PBR?

[bbqLuv]

You got the Plan.
Plan your cook, and cook your plan.
CAUTION -- BBQ is addicting! You might get hooked.

[Richard Chrz]

Give yourself some space, more you do the long renders, you are working on rendering fat, not cooking meat (kind of), y0u will slide in a probe sometime and you’re going to say, yeah! That’s what I’m
chasing!

[STEbbq]

Usually when temp is 190+

[Richard Chrz]

No stupid questions here, except for the ones not asked. When you probe various areas to test the doneness with your thermometer, it will feel like probing through warm butter. That tells you the fat has rendered, and time to rest it for 2-4 hours.

[STEbbq]

When the probe slides into the brisket like a hot knife slices through butter. It is one of those things that you are like, I will never have that...and then you probe the meat and ... bingo.

[NotTheGolfer]

Thanks for the great commentary from everybody! I have one stupid question: What is "probe tender," and how do you check that? I have a feeling this is a "duh" answer...

[Richard Chrz]

I’m not nearly as experienced as many in here with brisket. I have a 22 wsm, and also smoke on my 26 kettle. I sleep like a baby with my briskets on the smoker, and my 26bkettle. I have yet to separate the point, but, others in here do, with success. Best way to learn, is to light the fire and say, go! It is really not an intimidating cook at all, really quite simple in a wsm. Love to wrap with butcher paper, after the stall, when I have the bark I want. I do not wrap to expedite the cook, I wrap, to get a better bark. Sounds counter productive, but, I get an improved bark, once it is wrapped, and I have what I wanted already. Which tends to be more towards the 180 plus range.

[HawkerXP]

wow. I see a man with a plan. Can't wait to see the results. Good cookin!

[RickyBobby]

BFlynn , like klflowers , I too am now jealous and also a touch ashamed as I am WAY behind on my pastrami game!! I need to raise it a few levels on my list! Loren , you have inspired me! I never separate my briskets either, but I never thought of keeping a bunch of that delicious fat AFTER it has been smoked for use in other dishes. Well played. Well played.

[Loren]

I liked, but I also wanted to add "what he said" 🙃

[Loren]

I leave the fat and trim post cook now, and then use the fat for frying eggs, bacon, grilled cheese sammiches, beans.

I'm too lazy to separate it before I smoke it...plus afterwards it's easier to cut and has smoke flavor 😎