Brisket Advice needed for today

[raymillsus]

I just found a deal, I think, on a brisket. It is a 100% Grass fed no chemical farm. they have a 1/2 brisket just under 7lbs. I want to have it for dinner tomorrow night for 6. 2 are small children. I know this farmers Market and they usually have amazing food there. I Figure it is only $.20 a lb more than Walmart so why not. Looking for suggestions.

I have done brisket in the past but since I will not have the 24hrs for my injection to work, I am looking for what you would do if you had a 7lb brisket.

for wood I have 1 block of hickory that came with it. I have some Apple, and Jim beam and maybe some Mesquite bradley pucks. And today I have coming in the mail,  from Fruitchunks something, Anejo Tequilla barrels that were Jim beam barrels before that.  And a bag of Jack Daniels Chips I use on my grill.

Ok Go.

Thank you,
-Ray

 

[SuperDave]

A 7 pound brisket is likely just the flat and very difficult to keep moist.  I would definitely brine overnight or inject.  How much fat was left on the flat?  You want to leave as much of it on as you can, to 1/4" thick if possible.  If it is already over trimmed, adding some fat will be key.  Don't over cook this piece of meat!

All of your wood options will pair well with beef.

 

[t-motheviking]

Curious to see what ya do and how it works as this sounds like a similar cut of brisket that is available in town for me!

 

[raymillsus]

Here is what I got. 6.5 lbs if I brine it how long to cook?

 

[Walt]

It will probably take about 9 hours @ 225 if brined + an hour of rest. However, these hold real well, double wrapped in foil and put back in the SI @ 140 or placed in an ice chest with void space filled with towels. I've held for 7 hours like this. So, give yourself some extra time. I would start, minimum, 12 hours before serving. Also, make sure you have a pan of liquid tucked up tight to the back of the fire box. I usually brine & inject & have never had a flat come out dry. They just have to be treated with a bit more attention than a packer.

 

[raymillsus]

I am about to put it in the brine. Thanks for the timing. that will really help.

 

[SconnieQ]

If it is a flat, don't trim any fat off of that. It looks like it was already trimmed a bit before packaging. Most flat-only cuts come already trimmed by the butcher (sometimes too much). Yours looks like it still has a decent amount of fat on it, so that's good. Flats can be tricky to keep moist. And grass-fed beef is usually leaner than commercial corn and grain fed beef, so there are few things you can do to help.

• Leave the fat cap as is
• Brining and/or injecting
• When the internal temp reaches 160-165, wrap in foil and smoke until 195. (I generally don't wrap my briskets in foil, but if it's a flat-only, I think it can be very helpful.)
• A good long rest wrapped in foil, placed in a cooler surrounded by towels. (1 hour minimum. 2+ hours even better.)

Note: the more I look at your picture, the more it kind of looks like a point to me (which would be good). There are some pretty thick areas of fat on there. I can't read the label. Anyone else think it might be a point? If it is a point, then you might want to take the internal temperature to 200-205.

 

[raymillsus]

If it is a flat, don't trim any fat off of that. It looks like it was already trimmed a bit before packaging. Most flat-only cuts come already trimmed by the butcher (sometimes too much). Yours looks like it still has a decent amount of fat on it, so that's good. Flats can be tricky to keep moist. And grass-fed beef is usually leaner than commercial corn and grain fed beef, so there are few things you can do to help.

• Leave the fat cap as is
• Brining and/or injecting
• When the internal temp reaches 160-165, wrap in foil and smoke until 195. (I generally don't wrap my briskets in foil, but if it's a flat-only, I think it can be very helpful.)
• A good long rest wrapped in foil, placed in a cooler surrounded by towels. (1 hour minimum. 2+ hours even better.)

Note: the more I look at your picture, the more it kind of looks like a point to me (which would be good). There are some pretty thick areas of fat on there. I can't read the label. Anyone else think it might be a point? If it is a point, then you might want to take the internal temperature to 200-205.

I believe it to be a Point too. It is about 3" think on the skinny side and about 4-5" thick on the thick side. It has some thick and some scarce areas of fat on one side and completely covered in about atleast 1/2-1.5" of fat on the other.  For this reason I put the fat up. I figured it would alteast melt the fat down and keep the rest moist. I am good at everything but brisket. So I will take any help I can get.

Also She is on with 5oz of Anejo/Jim Beam Barrel and 2 oz of Hickory. The chicken we had last night with the Tequila barrel was freakin Amazing. I think I understand why this stuff is so Expensive. It is like a divorce it is worth it.

 

[old sarge]

I always do brisket fat side down to protect the naked meat from drying out.  If I trim any fat, I lay it across the naked areas. That is just me.  Everyone has their own method. I see you're giving the model 3 a real work out. Good luck!

 

[SconnieQ]

I believe it to be a Point too. It is about 3" think on the skinny side and about 4-5" thick on the thick side. It has some thick and some scarce areas of fat on one side and completely covered in about atleast 1/2-1.5" of fat on the other.  For this reason I put the fat up. I figured it would alteast melt the fat down and keep the rest moist. I am good at everything but brisket. So I will take any help I can get.

Yep. Sounds like a point. Points are my favorite, but impossible to get normally without buying the whole brisket. Most points go into hamburger believe it or not. Don't be afraid to take it up to 200-205 for the internal meat temperature. Points just do not dry out, and just keep getting more tender. It should be kind of jiggly and a toothpick will go in and out with ease. Fat side up or down is less critical with a point, so I wouldn't worry about it too much, but I have also adopted the fat side down method. Actually in my #1, if I am doing a whole brisket, I have to cut it in half to fit. So I put the point fat side DOWN on the lower rack, and the flat fat side UP on a rack above. The point shields the flat from the heat, and the thick fat on the point shields it from the direct heat from the smoke box.

 

[old sarge]

One other prep I occasionally do to brisket is to use a Jaccard meat tenderizer.  If I inject I do not use.  Anyway, here is a link.

Maybe some folks who are more religious in it's use and virtues will chime in.

http://www.jaccard.com/Original-Super-Meat-Tenderizer--48-Knife_p_10.html

 

[raymillsus]

Ok I can tell you I believe that this was the best brisket I have ever had. I used the brine from KY Smoker. http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=4199.0 I did not have a couple of the ingredients so I changed the Texas Pete hot sauce with Franks Wing sauce(Same but has butter) And I did not have beef broth so I used the paste better than broth. Brined for 15 hrs, longer than I had hoped. 10 hrs to get to an IT 201(the number i have always used for brisket)  And FTC for 2 hrs. The wood I used as stated before was 5oz of Tequilla/Jim Beam barrels, and 2 oz of Hickory. The meat is so juicy and cut with a fork tender.

I have never been able to master the brisket. I will never fear it again. Si or the brine, either way, Amazing feeling to not fear the brisket anymore.

 

[JeffroTull]

Yep. Sounds like a point. Points are my favorite, but impossible to get normally without buying the whole brisket. Most points go into hamburger believe it or not. Don't be afraid to take it up to 200-205 for the internal meat temperature. Points just do not dry out, and just keep getting more tender. It should be kind of jiggly and a toothpick will go in and out with ease. Fat side up or down is less critical with a point, so I wouldn't worry about it too much, but I have also adopted the fat side down method. Actually in my #1, if I am doing a whole brisket, I have to cut it in half to fit. So I put the point fat side DOWN on the lower rack, and the flat fat side UP on a rack above. The point shields the flat from the heat, and the thick fat on the point shields it from the direct heat from the smoke box.

I have a full brisket (11.5 lbs) that won't fit in my #2. When you halve your brisket do you brine the whole thing first, or halve it and then brine the 2 pieces?

 

[Walt]

That brisket will probably fit just fine. Fold the flat under itself or place a beer can under the center. I cook 17 - 20 lbers in my 2 all the time. I haven't had to cut one yet.

 

[JeffroTull]

That brisket will probably fit just fine. Fold the flat under itself or place a beer can under the center. I cook 17 - 20 lbers in my 2 all the time. I haven't had to cut one yet.

Took your advice, didn't cut it and, yeah it fit fine! Thanks for saving me from a potential misstep!