Help with my first brisket on MAK

[Av8er]

So I am going to do a packer brisket on my Mak this weekend. Its about 14lbs prior to trimming so I am guessing it will be somewhere around 12 when trimmed. Since this is my first brisket on the Mak, I am looking for pointers. I have done them on the Lang and PBC but have never been real happy. The point (I think that’s what you call the smaller separated hunk of meat on top) was fantastic but the flat was still not as tender as I have had from others in the past. I bought butcher paper so at what point should I wrap? I am thinking about putting it on smoke for a while then transition to about 250 or so. Thoughts? I want to eat around 4:00 on Sunday so what time should I put it on Saturday? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Burnt at Both Endz]

Cooking brisket on the pellet grill is not gonna change how tender the flat is, until you cook it long enough to be tender.

Wrap when you get the color you want, that should be 160*-170* in my humble opinion. You make want to raise the temp to 300* or so at that point. Thinking that you want a couple hour rest, you should have it wrapped by 11 am?


Just some thoughts of mine.....

[Jrogers84]

I agree with the above, wrap at color. If you were dry it was undercooked. Usually around 200-204 is where the flat is done but temp is only a guideline. Go by feel and wait for probe tender

[Cook]

Brisket is as easy as anything else once you understand that it isn't done until it's tender in the flat. Forget about the point...it doesn't matter. Probe for tenderness in the thickest part of the flat...what temperature it is when it gets tender is somewhat inconsequential. When the probe slides in easy with not much force required, pull it & allow to cool unwrapped for about five minutes. Rewrap, drop in a dry cooler for at least two hours, or up to 4-6 hours. If you have a temp probe you can use it to monitor temperatures...keep it above 135-140...if that means taking it out of the cooler and placing it in a warm oven, then so be it. I have pulled brisket from the cooler and placed in a 170 oven until the internal temp went back up to 150+ and then returned to the cooler...this would be for extended rest periods of 6-9 hours.

Cooking until it's tender is crucial, but the long rest is what makes spectacular brisket.

[Av8er]

All great info!
Would you start out on smoke for a couple hours prior to going to 250? And this time, I am going to ignore the point and rely solely on the flat for my probe tenderness. Thats where I screwed up in the past.

[Smoking Cajun]

consider injecting the flat with beef broth.

[noobieQ]

it's really hard to wrap your head around, I know, but if it doesn't feel tender enough yet - just keep going. check it again in 20-30 minutes and see if it's ready then. If not - just keep going. It goes against everything you've ever learned about cooking meat, and believe me I pulled a number of mine too soon early on because I thought it was really close and was afraid it would go too far during the rest.

if it's not probe tender in the thickest part of the flat - just keep going until it is.

[Av8er]

Originally Posted by Smoking Cajun

consider injecting the flat with beef broth.

Just told the wife to pick some up.

[NYC ‘Que]

You don’t need to wrap, spritz, or mop to get a tender and juicy brisket. Just cook the flat until it probes nearly as easy as the point. I just did this on the MAK a few weeks ago. No wrap.


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[rwalters]

Originally Posted by NYC ‘Que

You don’t need to wrap, spritz, or mop to get a tender and juicy brisket. Just cook the flat until it probes nearly as easy as the point. I just did this on the MAK a few weeks ago. No wrap.


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Why on earth would he follow that advice... just look at those pics... ewe!!!! [emoji12]

[Av8er]

Originally Posted by rwalters

Why on earth would he follow that advice... just look at those pics... ewe!!!! [emoji12]

I know right!!!! Now I am second guessing my wrapping.

[Av8er]

Originally Posted by NYC ‘Que

You don’t need to wrap, spritz, or mop to get a tender and juicy brisket. Just cook the flat until it probes nearly as easy as the point. I just did this on the MAK a few weeks ago. No wrap.


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What temps did you use? Did you use the smoke setting at all? How long did it take?

[alecksjaycubs]

I usually do mine in a foil pan and put it in at SMOKE temp at 10 pm the night before and let it go all night. When I wake up it's usually ready to wrap so I put foil over the pan and set the temp to 225 or 250 depending on when I need it done. 250 usually gets me done around 1 or 2 pm (probe tender is the test here) and then I FTC it until time to serve.

[Cook]

Some good advise for you from actual MAC users. Take what they tell you to heart.

Injecting is a good way to add moisture, but I always stress learning to cook without those aids before experimenting with them. That's just advise...either philosophy will work.

As said multiple times now...tenderness trumps temperature. I normally know what the temps are only because I use my thermometer as my tenderness probe. The brisket pictured below probed tender at 210 degrees. It was never wrapped until it came off the pit...then held for at least seven hours until sliced & served.

Best of luck to you on your next one!

[TexasRT]

Originally Posted by Cook

Some good advise for you from actual MAC users. Take what they tell you to heart.

Injecting is a good way to add moisture, but I always stress learning to cook without those aids before experimenting with them. That's just advise...either philosophy will work.

As said multiple times now...tenderness trumps temperature. I normally know what the temps are only because I use my thermometer as my tenderness probe. The brisket pictured below probed tender at 210 degrees. It was never wrapped until it came off the pit...then held for at least seven hours until sliced & served.

Best of luck to you on your next one!

Awesome looking brisket. What temps did you use for the cook?
Thanks in advance.