This looks like a flat, would you agree? results posted!

[40 caliber]

So I bought a brisket. i asked for the whole brisket. point and flat. obviously the guy didnt know what he was doing. in the cryovac, i wasn't sure what it was. i have never done this before. I have wanted to but this is a first try on brisket!

After i got it out of the cryovac and looking at the pics, i am assuming this is a flat. I also notice it was quite trimmed as there is no fat on the top.

I have since altered my plans and put this in a brine overnight. I plan to smoke to 190 195 at 225

1. Can you confirm this is a flat not a point?
2. any suggestions on smoking this puppy beyond the brine?

 

[Walt]

It's a flat. I have had great results grinding these.

 

[40 caliber]

what do you mean grinding?

i am not sure what you mean.... did you mean Brining?

 

[Walt]

Sorry typo.  Brineing

 

[stout]

actually grinding is good too.. i run briskets through the meat grinder often.. make great burgers.. but they do need to have some fat on them for that

 

[TX Gent]

Same here.... brisket burgers are great when ground with fat in the 80/20 range

 

[40 caliber]

Thanks Walt.
To the rest, maybe someday, tomorrow is a different plan

 

[40 caliber]

ok, it was brined overnight in DM's recipe. i put it in last night at 7:40.  I checked it at 4am and it was at 170. i pulled it , the bark looked awesome. I  foiled it and added some beef broth. i have gotten paranoid as it's my first one and i read how Flats come out dry.  it was at 195 by 530. i re positioned the probe and tried again. at 6am it rang 195 again.  I pulled it and it felt soft in the foil. I used the probe and everywhere i stuck it it slid right in. (except the thin tip end which i have read can be dry and tough?).

anyway it took 10.5 hours for a 12lb flat with a 24 hour brine. I am not sure if that's right but it's in the cooler now double wrapped in foil. I forgot to do the jiggle test before i wrapped it but the probe went in about everywhere like butter. i stabbed it about 4-5 different spots.  but it feels pretty dang soft! I will let you know the results in a couple hours. pictures if it comes out well!

 

[Walt]

For me, without wrapping, brined flats consistently take right @ 1.25 hrs/lb. I would expect it to be quicker if wrapped. I'm sure it will be great. The flats or lower quality Select cuts just require a bit more attention to be all they can be.

 

[40 caliber]

well the verdict is in.  I let it rest 2 hours and took it out of the cooler. Overall it was a good brisket but not a great (eyes rolling back in your head screaming OMG) brisket. It was however my first brisket.
1. Meat was juicy and dry depending on the area. when i brined it, it was in a 2 gallon bag sitting up in a pot.. the thinnest part of the brisket was out of the brine most of the time. i think that changed the profile of parts of the meat and probably why it was tougher to probe.
2. Some slices easily passed the pull test while others failed the tug test.  .  I wish i had paid more attention to the jiggle test.
3. It was definitely at 195 but i think it needed more. i am not sure how much more or the meat would have dried out more so it was a trade off.
Next time:
1. get a full packer at a better price. i am embarrased to say what i paid for this one.
2. let it run a little longer and keep checking it.
3. foil with broth a little earlier.

Don't get me wrong, it's a good piece of meat, i just need a few more times to keep my smoking reputation at work where it is thanks to my SI!

 

[SconnieQ]

Sounds like you have a good plan. In your pictures, the side that is facing up generally does not have any fat to begin with. Did the side that is sitting on the counter have fat on it? That would be the side with fat. I don't trim any fat off of flats. I would not be surprised what you paid for that. At Costco, even though you can get whole Prime packers for $2.59/pound, a Choice flat will run you something like $8.99/pound. At a regular grocery or meat market, it can go way higher. And who knows why the flat brings that price. You can buy a whole Packer, cut off the flat and throw the point away, and the flat will still be cheaper than buying the flat alone. But don't do that! Send me the point, that's my favorite part. I think wrapping early in the smoke (probably around 150) with some liquid in the wrap is a good idea for a flat only cut. You will probably have to sacrifice bark in this case, but I think bark on brisket is overrated. The juiciness of the meat is top priority. A flat is going to start getting dry once you start getting past 195, but when it is wrapped like that with some liquid, it's going to be more forgiving, and you are probably right in that it might be good in that case to take it to 200+. And... that thin end... that's never going to be good. It's always dry. I don't serve it with the main meal. Save it for some other use, like sandwiches or shredded in an omelet, burrito, taco, nachos, loaded fries or something. Take your slices from the thickest fattiest part first. They are the best.

 

[TX Gent]

It's a journey 40 caliber, over a lifetime of learned success and failures. As the saying goes .... we learn more from our failures and the success are our rewards.

BTW SconnieQ always provides Smoking wisdom

Keep On Smoking!

 

[40 caliber]

Thanks to both of you. SconnieQ, i agree with your assessment. I am not a member but actually went to costco to see what they had before i bought this at a grocery store. Costco had flats but i did not ask the butcher there for packers. i probably should have.. Their rib and steak prices were no better so i assumed their grocery store prices were not (but i need to check).  The grocery store, which I usually have good luck at, just did not understand  flat and point. or at least misunderstood me. They definitely did not have them. 

i will go back to costco and ask before my next one. if the difference is as big as you say (locally), it will pay for the membership with the first brisket!

thanks to all , have a good day
Tom

 

[baran3]

I think wrapping early in the smoke (probably around 150) with some liquid in the wrap is a good idea for a flat only cut.

I also just did my first brisket this weekend -- all I could get was a flat. I brined, injected with a Worcestershire/apple juice blend, and wrapped during the smoke. Overall I was pleased and everybody who ate said it was awesome.

My question is about the above quote. Would you wrap in foil prior to the stall, or wait to get through the stall? Also, what liquid would you add to the foil when wrapping?

Thanks for the advice,
Ken

 

[SuperDave]

Ken, I wrap before the stall simply because doing so helps the stall period be shorter.  I use my reserved injection liquid or part of a bottle of Coke for my steaming liquid.

 

[SconnieQ]

Would you wrap in foil prior to the stall, or wait to get through the stall?

Ken, yes, if you are going to wrap, you should wrap before the stall (because you want all that fat and collagen to remain in the wrap with the meat), but after the meat has absorbed a good amount of smoke. Some people say the meat does not absorb smoke after if reaches 140 (but it does attach to the outside of the meat). That might be debatable by some... but based on that, 150 is a good place to wrap, to get the best of everything.

Tom, the reason I originally became a member of Costco was solely because of their Prime packer briskets. A couple a year, and it more than pays for the membership in my opinion. They can't be beat for quality and price. The bonus is all of the other great quality meat and food buys. Plus, there's a lot of other cool stuff there that I don't plan to buy, but end up in my cart somehow. ;D

 

[baran3]

I use my reserved brine liquid or part of a bottle of Coke for my steaming liquid.

Thanks Dave. I would have never thought of using Coke. The idea about leftover brine scares me because of all the salt. What about the same Worchestershire/apple juice that I used for injection?

Kari, thanks for your reply too. The 'wrap prior to stall' idea makes sense.

And finally, Tom, I apologize for highjacking your thread. I was excited to see your post on the same weekend that I also did my first brisket flat, so the info in here was very relevant to me at the time and I added my post before thinking it through. Sorry about that.

Ken

 

[SuperDave]

Ken, don't know why I wrote brine, I meant injection.  i.e. beef broth/garlic...