Smaller Brisket: Any advice?

sthamm · Aug 17, 2018

I usually pick 'em in the 14-17 lb range before trimming. This time, all I could find at my local Costco were briskets in the 9-11 lb range so I ended up taking a 10 pounder home with me. Any special considerations for smoking smaller ones?

1) Cook time (roughly the same or correspondingly shorter)?
2) Wrap time
3) Unwrapped the entire time ok or will it dry out easier?
4) Trim (should I leave more fat on)?

I plan to smoke around 250-275 in my HOS, wrap at around 160 with BP (if color looks good), and rest until dinner. Question is mainly timing when to get started.

sudsandswine · Aug 17, 2018

I treat them exactly the same as I do bigger brisket, everything just scales relative to size.

CentralOhioBBQ · Aug 17, 2018

Do the same thing. If anything, you have a longer rest period, which isn't a bad thing.

KB BBQ · Aug 17, 2018

I agree, same process just shorter cooking time.

ThelostTexan · Aug 17, 2018

I was just wondering the same thing on size. I was at a place this morning that uses 7-9 pounders where i usually use the largest i could find. I figured it was maybe cook time since it looks like they'd only been on a few hours at 830 this morning and they were serving for lunch

El_coqui · Aug 17, 2018

I used to do 15 to 16 pounders for the food I sell.....that stopped after a few runs with some 10-12 pounders......to me it seemed like the smoke flavor came out much better on the smaller briskets than the big ones.

Even had several regulars ask of I changed my rub up or something....the only thing I changed was the size of the brisket

pjtexas1 · Aug 17, 2018

sudsandswine said:
I treat them exactly the same as I do bigger brisket, everything just scales relative to size.

^^^this. 10LB is what i look for. Cook them all the time. Cook them like a 15 pounder.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

sthamm · Aug 18, 2018

Thanks everyone. Brisket will go in the smoker one hour from now.

kevinstaggs · Aug 18, 2018

What bugs me the most about the smaller briskets is how thin the flat tends to be. Seems that I have to trim them off or the “cook to nothing”

My process doesn’t change.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

pjtexas1 · Aug 18, 2018

kevinstaggs said:
What bugs me the most about the smaller briskets is how thin the flat tends to be. Seems that I have to trim them off or the “cook to nothing”

My process doesn’t change.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I normally see that on bigger briskets. Cut it off and that's the cook"s treat half way thru the cook.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Smaller Brisket: Any advice?

sthamm

Full Fledged Farker

sudsandswine

Quintessential Chatty Farker

CentralOhioBBQ

Full Fledged Farker

KB BBQ

is Blowin Smoke!

ThelostTexan

MemberGot rid of the matchlight.

El_coqui

Knows what a fatty is.

pjtexas1

somebody shut me the fark up.

sthamm

Full Fledged Farker

kevinstaggs

Babbling Farker

pjtexas1

somebody shut me the fark up.

Similar threads