Brisket questions? What is this?

Man those are big pics.
Looks like a flat.

It appears to be large blurry pictures of the flat of brisket.

Unfortunately when you go to places and ask for a brisket or whole brisket they will give you a flat. If you ask for a packer, packer brisket, or brisket with point and flat, they will give you a packer.

Some meat unboxers don't know the bbq lingo and only go by what is on the label of the meats.

Yep it's a flat from a brisket. The guy at Costco probably didn't know what a whole packer was and assumed that your Mom wanted what most other people in NY would consider a "whole" brisket.:-D
Just cook it like you would a whole packer, it'll be done quicker is all! I'd cook it at 275, wrap it in butcher paper after about three hours and pull it when it probes like butter. DO NOT go by IT, always probe tenderness. Let it rest (still wrapped) on the kitchen counter for at least an hour before serving. Slice and enjoy!:wink:

SmokeGut said:

So 275. Then foil and remove when probes like butter? What am I probing into it? Also what would be your estimate time to have it like butter, 3 hours then foil, then another 3 hours? 8 more hours? I have no clue. What if I think its like butter after 3.5 hours and the temp is 100 degrees? I am confused. Thanks.

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I can usually get a 15 lb. whole packer done in 7 to 8 hours, your flat will take probably about 4 or so I would think, especially using foil.
It doesn't matter what the thermometer says, if the meat's probing tender in the thickest part pull it. I will guarantee you though that it won't be no 100 degrees, more like 205 to 210!:-D
P.S. Not sure what kind of cooker you'll be using but if the heat source is directly under the meat, cook the brisket fat side down to help protect the meat.:wink:

SmokeGut said:

OK thank you. Everything I read and saw on YouTube said to do 225 and let it smoke till its 195 degrees. Everywhere you read has totally different directions. I guess I will try your method, seems simple.

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Good choice, there's a lot of bogus info out there and it usually makes things a lot more complicated than they have to be! LOL!!!
Cooking at 225 is fine it will just take a lot longer to get the meat cooked but I've NEVER had a brisket done at an IT of 195!:wink:
Just to revise a little, you might want to wrap the meat a little sooner than at the 3 hour mark since it's a little on the thin side. Check it after 2 hours and if the color looks good to you go ahead and wrap. Better to be on the safe side since the point isn't there to help moisturize the flat. You may even want to add a little bit of water, apple juice or some other liquid to the foil to add moisture as well.:-D

There are many ways to cook a brisket and I can say that I have had very good success with them lately. I now like to inject with a beef base mixture and then smoke till a temp of 160 wrap in foil/foil pan covered to keep the moisture in and collect the juices which will have great flavor.
Cook to an IT of 198ish take off keep wrapped and let rest for at least 1hr longer is fine.
I know people on this site say probe tender but IMO if your new go by temp in the thickest part of the flat and foiling helps it from drying out. You do stand a chance of loosing some "bark" on the flat but I would rather have a moist flat with no bark then have bark on a dry piece of meat. Save the probing till your more comfortable with smoking and do not go by time go by temp. Every piece of meat is different and my 7lb brisket may be done in 5 hrs and yours may only take 4hrs. Smoker temp is what you can maintain 225-250 is a good range but I like running hotter at 280-300 again I monitor the IT and I'm not probing. Again there is more then one way to skin a cat and smoke a brisket. I have made some tasty dry brisket in my day but now I will only cook the Myron Mixon hot and fast method. I'm not saying he's "the man" but I can't argue with the success I have had using his method. Let us know how you make out.

With that thin of a flat, if your smoker can run cleanly at lower temps (225* - 250*) I would go with that. While I like cooking at the higher temps, it shortens the window where your brisket is going to go from Not done (dry and tough) < done (juicy and tender) > over cooked (dry and falling apart).

I agree with the above. Get a clean fire going (Thin Blue Smoke coming from the exhaust), keep the temps about 225* to 250*, check it after two to three hours to see if the color is good (a nice dark brown), wrap in foil or better yet butchers paper, after another hour or two stick a skewer through from the top into the thickest part of the meat. When it goes in like sticking the skewer into room temp butter, it is done. When done, set it on the counter with the foil open for 15 mins, then close the foil and let it rest for an hour or two. If it is done early, you can wrap it in a towel and put it in an empty ice chest for several hours.

No guess how long it will take. Rough guess of an hour to and hour fifteen per pound plus. Make sure to add in the rest time.

That's a flat. I had this happen to me out east once. Butcher showed me a whole brisket to confirm that's what I was asking for, then took it back and cut the point off and trimmed the flat and handed it to me.

Costco, in Texas at least, sells Choice whole packer briskets.

I use a metal skewer to probe, others use the probe from a thermometer, some use a ice pick. They can all work fine.

That ain't a legal size best to toss it back and let it grow