Questions Re: First Brisket Smoke

[NDKoze]

Yes... just put the whole chunk in there as-is and it would come back out in great condition.  I throw my frozen chunk into a warm-hot pot of water to thaw and heat it for serving and it comes out nearly indistinguishable from when it was taken out of the smoker.

Just to be clear, I am 99.9999% sure that Larry means to put the whole vacuum-sealed bag in a pot of simmering water. This is an awesome way to reheat smoked leftovers and what I do for pretty much all of my smoked and vacuum-sealed meats.

[Jumanji]

Thanks Greg, yeah, I interpreted Larry's recommendation that way.  OTOH, the unbagged meat added directly to simmering water would make it pretty high in moisture!  Thankfully I've not had any smokes (yet) that needed that degree of meat revival.

Looks like I've busted thru the "stall" period.  Meat probe temps:

0 hrs 37 deg
5 hrs 156 deg
7 hrs 159 deg
8 hrs 160 deg
10 hrs 167 deg
11 hrs 174 deg

I left the standard brisket programming on the PID.  So it is set to drop temp when the probe hits 195 deg.  But I'm watching it, and will test it then, and if done wrap it up and put it in the cooler.  If it keeps climbing at about 7 deg/hr, will be taking it out in three hours.  But I'm watching.

 

[Jumanji]

Hmmm, well maybe I had another stall. 

12 hrs 178 deg
14 hrs 188 deg
14-1/2 hrs 190 deg (this would be 1.4 hrs/lb)
15 hrs 192 deg
16 hrs DONE at 195 deg (1.56 hr/lb)

It took 1-1/2 hours to get than final 5 degrees.  So the referenced 1.5 hr/lb in the cook table was pretty close for the target cook of 190 deg.  The fat-trimmed brisket weighed in at 10.25 lbs.

The PID flashed and beeped, and then lowered the oven temp.  However, I was getting my stuff together, and one thing noticed that the oven temp drops really slow.  In the 5-10 minutes I was getting things lined up to remove the brisket, the PID only started to flash back and forth between 225 and 224 deg.  (You guys I'm sure already know all of this, but for a newbie, its still learning!)

So checked the brisket and toothpick and probe went in and out easily on both the flat and the point.  Temp was pretty consistent around 197-198 deg in the flat, and 195 deg in the point.  I picked it up and it bent easily, and juice/grease was running onto my gloves.  It's not going to be dry.  Bent easily.  Double-wrapped it in foil, towels, and into the cooler.  Just finished cleaning up the smoker and racks.  This was by far the greasiest smoke to-date!  Wife is working on some rosemary roasted potatoes and fresh asparagus.  Going to rest for about two hours which will align well with her cooking.  In the meantime I am going to mix up a big margarita and hit the shower so I don't smell like smoke!

Here's the pic when the brisket was removed.  Looks like a burned stump.  Beautiful. :-)

[Jumanji]

Ok, so here is the final product.  It was very tasty.  We only ate on the flat side, which was very tender (had to be careful when cutting, to keep it together), but just a very tiny bit dry.  Taste was fantastic.  Cut up the rest of the brisket into three portions, vacuum bagged, and into the freezer.  The rest of the flat, and the point, were very moist.  Just beautiful.  I can see with these briskets that to get the flat nice and juicy, the point is going to be a bit less cooked.  That said, I took it off at 195 deg, let it sit in the cooler for two hours wrapped, it was still pretty hot when I cut it.  Next time I think I will take it off just a bit early.  At 190 deg, that would be pretty close to 1.5 hr/lb, which I think I will plan for next round.

My wife says if I continue to take pictures, I need to go to the wooden cutting board instead of the lime green one!  Bad presentation apparently.

[LarryD]

Just to be clear, I am 99.9999% sure that Larry means to put the whole vacuum-sealed bag in a pot of simmering water. This is an awesome way to reheat smoked leftovers and what I do for pretty much all of my smoked and vacuum-sealed meats.

Indeed!  Good catch...

[SconnieQ]

When you smoke it all in one piece, you are bound to have a slightly dry flat (toward that thin corner) and maybe a slightly less done and not as thoroughly tender and rendered point. That's why you should aim for the ideal temperature in the flat (190-195). Because the point is probably still a little underdone at that point, many people make burnt ends from the point (which adds significant extra cooking). The point is very forgiving. Since I have a #1, I have no choice but to cut my whole packer in half, and place the point on the lower rack fat-side down, and the flat on the upper rack fat-side up. Both halves are perfectly done at the same time (flat 195, point 200-205). I like to slice the point and eat it just like that flat, but go ahead and make burnt ends if that is your thing. I love burnt ends, but I also love a point that has been allowed to smoke to 205, and sliced.

[Jumanji]

Thanks Kari.  And I think you were spot on with the recommendation to put the probe in the flat.  Also, when I cut the cooked brisket into sections to freeze, I found there was actually almost no fat between the point and the flat.  I also made the mistake of sending out some pics to family members, and suspect my next brisket smoke will be a multi-brisket smoke.  Even half of this brisket is disappearing today to nearby relatives!

I also need to read up more on "crutch" method, whereby the meat is wrapped in either foil or butcher paper mid-smoke.  Wouldn't that help keep the flat moist?  And wrapping with butcher paper would allow the probe to go back in, but what about foil?  If the foil touches the probe - albeit away from the tip - would that affect the probe reading?

[LarryD]

I also need to read up more on "crutch" method, whereby the meat is wrapped in either foil or butcher paper mid-smoke.  Wouldn't that help keep the flat moist? 

I'm still pretty new to this having only ever done two briskets, but I have to say that I have no need/use for the crutch method.  Following Kari's method they come out perfect and just crazy juicy/moist.

[barelfly]

Looks great Michael! I was following your posts yesterday as I was traveling! Then got busy and wasn't able to catch up until today.

Can't wait to smoke the Snake River Farms brisket I got last month....going to be fabulous!

[SconnieQ]

I also need to read up more on "crutch" method, whereby the meat is wrapped in either foil or butcher paper mid-smoke.  Wouldn't that help keep the flat moist?  And wrapping with butcher paper would allow the probe to go back in, but what about foil?  If the foil touches the probe - albeit away from the tip - would that affect the probe reading?

I am not opposed to using the crutch, either foil or butcher paper. In fact, when I used to smoke on my Weber Smoky Mountain, I ALWAYS wrapped in foil at around 150-160. I've just not found it to be necessary with the SI. I like to keep it simple. But you should go ahead and try, and see how you like the results. So...back in the old days I would wrap the brisket in foil, then stick the probe right through the foil and into the meat. I don't feel I ever got an off reading because of the back end of the probe making contact with the foil. Maybe someone else has.

[Jumanji]

It seems like crutch might be the only way to get the flat and the point cooked and moist, without separating the two pieces of meat and cooking them separately.  My 3D is deep enough that I can do a whole packer, and next time I plan to do two.  Mostly because the cooked and vacuum-sealed hunks from this brisket are disappearing to other households!

Or I might just do the same as last time, and take it off a bit sooner.  Cooked with the probe in the point, to 195 deg.  Next time follow Kari's advice and probe in flat, to 195 deg. 

[SconnieQ]

If you are cooking two briskets, I'd get another probe so you can probe both. Less stressful that way wondering about the second one. I have several inexpensive digital wired remote thermometers in addition to my Maverick. They work fine. I do test them in boiling water every now and then for accuracy, and they have kept within a degree or so which is good enough. You can pick them up and Walmart, Target, etc. Me...I'm paranoid. I probe both the point and the flat. Even in a butt I will use two probes, just in case I get bad probe placement, or next to a bone, on one of them. You should go ahead and try wrapping them. Or try wrapping one. I personally could care less about bark on a brisket. I kind of prefer it without much crust. I feel like if you try to get good bark on brisket, the flat is going to dry out too much. I reserve bark for butt. So I'd go foil. Unless you want a little bark/crust, then go butcher paper.