My 1st Brisket

[Brookman]

Howdy all,

So I've been contemplating my 1st brisket for some time, and have
a huge one in the freezer waiting for it to stop raining, dammit!
Ok excuses excuses! Actually I'm afraid I'll F it up and be a waste of what was it, I think 13 or 14 lbs of meat,
12 hours or more effort and $50 or more down the drain!?
I've spent hours and days reading and watching videos, arrgh!

Meanwhile my local Fred Meyers once again has briskets, and
I was able to pick up a small one to experiment before I ruin the huge one I have. (Hopefully not!)

So OK, here goes.
Whats cooking: 4.5lb trimmed brisket (Normally $35 and was only $13 bucks, not bad eh?)
Spices contemplated: Seems most people say Keep it simple, so I have
Kosher salt, and coarse pepper. Also somewhere in a video I watched they suggested celery seed so I bought that too.
Any other ideas? I've read to use equal parts salt and pepper, but how much celery seed?
How far in advance should I apply the rub?: Overnight ok?Injection: Is it really necessary?Which side goes up: The cap or the other way around?
BBQ being used: Weber Genesis II with iGrill 3.
Smoker tray: Amaz-n Products 5x8 Smoker maze (I love this thing! though real wood taste so much better)
Pellets: Mesquite (Pit Boss Brand) or, I also have L'll devils if anyone thinks thats a better choice.
Heat? : So, most video's and recipes are for a whole brisket.
But what about my little guy? How long does he need to cook?
So I was thinking, 275 on the weber, indirect heat, only the left burner (out of 3 ) going. Do I sear it 1st?
And then I've seen ~ 6 hours, but I'll be monitoring the temp, so
165F seems to be the magic number to pull it wrap it.
Trim?: It's supposedly trimmed, should I do any trimming?
The 'Stall': Ok, so wait till 165 right?
Post Stall: So I bought the pink butcher paper, so wrap it, and
then what? Not really a good idea to put it back on the bbq, paper will catch fire, so put it in the oven at 325F?
Rest: Ok, so hopefully I get some good answers here, and then the next issue is the "Rest".
Should I use an ice chest (or not)?
Should I just leave it in butcher paper or should I use foil?
People seem to say 2 hours, is that good?


Ok, lot of questions, hopefully I get some answers soon, this meat needs to be cooked or frozen, and I was going to start the prep today (dry rub or...other suggestions? And cook it starting tomorrow AM.)

Thank you in advance!!!:clap2:

What part of the whole brisket have I got here?

 

[Titch]

Bigabyte wrote this, its a great helpto everyone that i have directed to it

Most of all relax a bit and enjoy the cook
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57882&highlight=brisket+tutorial

 

[BuffettFan]

Yep, what Titch says.
For me, the hardest part was being patient getting through the stall.
No 2 briskets are alike, no 2 cooks are alike.

Sounds like you have a solid plan.
My personal method is salt, pepper and garlic powder the night before. I inject with beef stock just before it goes on the smoker.
I go fat up, offset smoker, popular consensus is fat towards the heat.
Other tgan watching the temp for the stall and wrapping, go by probing for tenderness. Temp can't be relied on for that.
It's really not as hard as it sounds, I'm sure you'll do great!

We'll need pictures!

 

[smoke ninja]

sounds like a good game plan to start.

wrap when your color is good. it may take longer on a gasser. it can go back on the grill or oven, you wont start a fire if it's not over the flame.

when it gets to about 200 internal temp check for doneness by probing. when there is little resistance it's done. let rest paper wrapped on the counter until temp falls to about 150 and serve. you can hold longer in a cooler

 

[Whumpa]

Give it your best shot, and keep in mind that if it doesn’t turn out just the way you want, remember even a less than perfect brisket makes darn good chili. Won’t be a waste.

 

[shaddie]

Seeing the weather forecast for North Texas I think chili would be absolute straight in my wheelhouse this week. Good thing for me I might get on wrong plane Monday and end up in Miami. Then I take a wrong turn and end up in Key Largo.

That’s my story and I am sticking to it. At least as far as the wife knows.

 

[Brookman]

Well, I'm gonna get an early start on it tomorrow.
Default lowest temp on the grill is ~250-275F with just the left burner going, (meat on the right) though it's possible to throttle the gas bottle a little to get it down to 200-225, but hell
that's gonna take too long. Amaz-n smoke maze will go for hours untouched, worked great on some 321 ribs.
Good idea on the chili. That'd be a lot of chili though. The wife HATES cumin. (I like it!)
Though, I used McCormick chili powder and she seemed ok with it.

What the heck piece of meat have I got here? The head or the flat?
After the stall and wrap, what temp should i bring it up to?
Should I put in the oven?


I think I'll run back to Freddy's and get some more of these pre-trimmed baby's to practice on!
Oh, just an unrelated side note, I looked in the mirror the other day...holy crap,
going Keto! Meat and vegetables no starches! And sugar free jello for desert.
I did it once before and lost 10 lbs in a month or so...all it takes is willpower.
And BBQ.

 

[Mikhail]

Good luck! Got started yet?

 

[Big George's BBQ]

Looking forward to your results

 

[frognot]

You've got the point which I prefer.

I wrap after 3-4 hours (temps in 160s) and frequently finish in the oven overnight (especially in the winter) at oven temp set 210-220..

Won't have super dark hard bark but will be mighty tender and not too smokey which is how my family likes their brisket

If it doesn't meet expectations I chop it, sauce it and make sandwiches and everybody's happy.

 

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

Just remember over done brisket is wayyyyyyyy better than under done brisket. It can crumble and still make really good sandwiches, burritos, and nachos. Underdone is going to be super tough! When it gets to around 200* start probing for tenderness. It should have the resistance of a perfectly done baked potato.

 

[Dweverett]

Assuming it is the point, it’s going to probe tender pretty early. The flat stays tight a lot longer and is what folks are usually going by when they say to pull it when it probes tender.

The point is much more forgiving to cooking to a higher temperature and often is better as it allows a little more fat to render out. Finish temp is related to the temp you cook at and how you wrap but I’d probably cook the point to 205-210 before pulling it to rest.

Others here though probably have more experience cooking just the point than I do.

 

[legendaryhog]

You've got the point and a tiny bit of the flat under the point. The "butcher" (of whom few real ones exist these days) just put it on the band saw and cut a brisket in half horizontally at the place the flat and point overlap. The flat goes under the point (or vice versa however you are cooking it, point up or point down). They are two different muscles. To properly separate them you cut diagonally through the fat layer that separates the pectoral muscles.

....but this guy was separated by a meat counter guy, not a butcher. They cut the flat off the whole packer and are selling it separate.

Good news is that at that price you got a decent deal (for the point) and I prefer the point to the flat all day long.

Cook it low and slow at 225 degrees until it's probe tender. Don't worry about the "stall", time, and all that. Cook it until you can push a wooden skewer or temp probe into it like it is room temperature butter and that's when you are done.

 

[Brookman]

9:30 am

Dum.... Dum... Dum .... DA!! DA!!! Think Sprach Zarathustra, theme song from
2001 Space Odyssey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b-tN0LBfOs
It's alive! Mustard, Kosher Salt, coarse pepper, celery seed,
garlic powder and onion powder overnight. Didn't measure just shook on in quantities that seemed appropriate.
Mesquite pellets burning nicely. Sitting on the right side of the grill, fat side down, with left burner going on low.
iGrill says my ambient temp is 251 which should be about right. And the heat stay pretty consistent with this baby.
Yes, so called butchers. Freddy's meat dept they don't have butchers, just 'meat cutters' and they're so called
Choice NY's are more appropriate as soles of shoes.
There's a better store down the way with Prime beef at decent prices (and are quite edible!),
but on Christmas I tried to get a perfectly trimmed tenderloin for a beef Wellington my wife was making,
and the guy, while super nice, knew less than me.
And I only know from watching you tube, to trim the 'chain' and the 'head'.
The guy had no idea what I was talking about, and refused to do it. I had to untie it and trim it up.

 

[Brookman]

The smoker maze jumped the track and all the pellets have burned almost in just 2 hours. Ummm...last time that happened, was with some ribs, and they tasted like a cigar, couldn't get the taste out of my mouth for days. But in that case, it wasn't with the maze, it was a ****ty smoker box, wood chips and pellets. The whole mess was a disaster, so maybe it will be ok.

Well, definitely won't need anymore pellets. Ahhh I see in my 1st pic, there were lit pellets in the 2nd row...oh well.
I wasn't awake. Usually you can't get the damn things to stay lit! Now that I have my smoke, should I just move the oven?

 

[West River BBQ]

It looks like from the picture that yo could use a little more color. I scratch the bark lightly with my fingernail to see if a crust is forming. Looks good so far!

 

[West River BBQ]

View attachment 190561
I figured out how to attach an image.

 

[halfcocked]

Congrats. Really great.

 

[Titch]

hard to believe its your first :clapOOPS Mybad, I wrongly read West River BBQ picture as the OP;s

 

[Mikhail]

Ok, so how did it turn out?