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Oldpro1946
09-03-2012, 08:12 PM
Every brisket is dry and bad. I cannot fit a packer in my smoker, grates are 13"X13". I try flats and just don't get it. Tried slow, hot and fast, foil it and don't foil it. If someone has a method for "smoked brisket for dummies" I'll try it one more time. Also have tried to cook by temp and probe method. I can get a butt to probe great but have never had a brisket to probe anywhere close to that.

QTEX
09-03-2012, 08:20 PM
What kind of smoker is it? Upright or offset or? I have a cheapo upright square one that will not fit a whole packer, its 14x14 so I trim the brisket to fit. Mine has four trays stacked so water tray goes on the bottom one meat on the others.

Bludawg
09-03-2012, 08:33 PM
Read this thread and do exactly as it says http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57815

jemezspring
09-03-2012, 08:42 PM
My heart goes out to you. Out of about a dozen+ briskets I have done only 2 have come out to what I considered perfect. Tried but never could repeat. Those two were so good though that I refuse to give up. Sorry I cant offer any tried and true techniques but just to say keep on tryin.

NickyG
09-03-2012, 10:10 PM
Amen to that. Have had a few briskets go bad on me. It happens. What type of cooker are you using and what kind of meat?

bigabyte
09-03-2012, 10:13 PM
Every brisket is dry and bad. I cannot fit a packer in my smoker, grates are 13"X13". I try flats and just don't get it. Tried slow, hot and fast, foil it and don't foil it. If someone has a method for "smoked brisket for dummies" I'll try it one more time. Also have tried to cook by temp and probe method. I can get a butt to probe great but have never had a brisket to probe anywhere close to that.

The highlighted text is where the problem is. You're pulling them too early.

landarc
09-03-2012, 10:16 PM
I agree, you are pulling to early. Oh, a brisket pulled to early can be as dry a dust.
Some hints on reading your brisket:

Too dry, chewy, hard, rejects probe = underdone by quite a bit
too dry, chewy, probes with a moderate push = just underdone
dryish, tenderish, easy to cut, probe slid in with just a push = almost perfect
moist (not juicy, moist), cuts cleanly and easily, probe slides in easily with a finger push = done
dryish, cuts easily but not cleanly, probe goes in easily = just over done
dryish, falls apart during cutting, probes very easily = over done

jmoney7269
09-03-2012, 10:18 PM
First, just a flat is twice as hard to perfect than a fatty 12lb packer. 2nd you gotta have a larger grill. 13x13 is that like a tail gater? I have a traeger jr that has cooked some wonderful briskets. I think the grates are about that size.
Temp control temp control temp control. If you got that small of a pit, smoke it for a hr or two and just finish it in the oven. Once foiled, heat is heat.

Oldpro1946
09-04-2012, 05:24 AM
What kind of smoker is it? Upright or offset or? I have a cheapo upright square one that will not fit a whole packer, its 14x14 so I trim the brisket to fit. Mine has four trays stacked so water tray goes on the bottom one meat on the others.

I have an upright smoker with 3 levels of 13x13 grates. Water tray and wood chip tray on bottom.

Oldpro1946
09-04-2012, 05:27 AM
Amen to that. Have had a few briskets go bad on me. It happens. What type of cooker are you using and what kind of meat?

It is an upright and inexpensive electric smoker. My ribs and butts come out great but beef products, not so much. I buy flats at Sam's Club.

QTEX
09-04-2012, 06:19 AM
The briskets I cook take between 5 to 6 hours @ 300 degrees, keep the water pan no less than half full and dont be opening it to peek too much. Wrap in foil after 2 2 1/2 hours, poke with probe at around 5 hours to see if its tender. I usually cooked them to 200 to 210 degrees, depending on how it feels with the poke test. Also what I do is cut off part of the flat side and part of the point side, the center cut is the best part and I usually put that piece into the 1/2 pan from Sams them cover with foil. In the pan you can even leave it uncovered if you want more smoke and bark but will take a little longer to cook. Good luck keep trying you will get it right with practice.

Scubadoo97
09-04-2012, 07:18 AM
I just finished cooking a smallish 10.5# packer on my smoker with 13 X 13 grates. I was all set to tent it over a bowl but it just fit and was glad the door has a lock

The only problem I had was when the majority was probe tender there was still apart of the flat that felt tight and never seemed to soften enough. I didn't want to over cook the majority so pulled it.

The burnt ends came out great. The good parts were sliced and pulled and the dry part was recooked in the oven with broth which helped it out considerably

JimmyDAL
09-04-2012, 07:39 AM
Take Scott from Cancer Sucks Class :grin:

CarolinaQue
09-04-2012, 08:03 AM
Take Scott from Cancer Sucks Class :grin:


Not every one's pockets are that deep, nor is every one concerned with comp quality 'que as opposed to just good tasting home quality 'que. Besides, didn't Scott/Cancer Sucks come in DAL in brisket at the Rhode Island contest?

Point being, even people that put on classes to teach for a price don't always get it right either. I think that for the money, the best advice you're going to get is right here on this forum!

To the OP, what temp are you cooking at? What size is the brisket you're cooking? How long are you cooking it? How thick is the flat? How thick is the fat cap on them if any at all? Are you foiling at all? Do you know what the internal temp is when you pull it? How long and how are you resting it?

All of these things factor into a good end product. Another option may be buying a whole packer and trimming the point off yourself and cooking it seperately. But, the problems with the flat will remain until you get those issues worked out.

maynard001
09-04-2012, 08:14 AM
Don't be too hard on yourself...I think brisket is just hard. I've done various chickens, fish, spares, baby backs, boston butts...all came out excellent. The one brisket I tried came out dry.

I think it's just hard to get right. Keep trying...

mr dirts bbq
09-04-2012, 10:21 AM
make sure the gauge in your smoker is correct first and foremost, it could be way off and that could be the root of the whole problem

NickTheGreat
09-04-2012, 10:46 AM
You need TIME for brisket. Lots of TIME.

Never invite people over for brisket for lunch. Always do supper :caked:

jimmyinsd
09-04-2012, 11:45 AM
ive tried a variety of different ways, but never just a flat alone.

this is my method for a packer i just did saturday.

friday at about 3:00 i trimmed and dunked it into some of daddios cow bath and headed out to the football game.

saturday at 1:30 am i took it out of the cow bath and gave it a heavy dusting of my beef rub.

saturday at 8:00 it went on the UDS at about 235, at around 11 the IT was in the 145 range so i started to push the heat up. i was targeting 275 but it was actually closer to 300. around noon i liked the color so splashed it with evoo and whorchestershershire sauce and sealed it up in the foil. probed at 2 and it was a little resistant, probed at 2:20 and it was buttah.

i opened it for a couple minutes to check it out and then closed the foil back up and into the cooler. about 3 hours later we opened it up and ate some really great brisket. slight pull on the slice, good moisture, great taste.

the bark wasnt much to talk about, but i dont care about bark as much as tenderness and flavor.

anyway, that was my approach this time.

landarc
09-04-2012, 01:32 PM
First off, even a flat alone can be cooked fast if you have a little trick or two. If you can run your cooker up around 300F, here is something that might work for you.

1. Get a flat that is a little to large, trim the edges vertical, so that all of the meat is about the same size and there are no thin edges.

2. Rub the meat, whatever rub you like.

3. Fire up your cooker to 225F to 250F, add in smoke wood, get it going nice and clean.

4. Put meat in a nice stable cooker for one hour, then ramp up heat, best if you don't open cooking chamber.

5. Cook for 2 more hours, allowing temperature to come up to 300F in cooker.

6. Meanwhile, take 3 cups of beef broth, 2 tablespoons of rub and bring to boil. Add to a oven pan large enough to take brisket flat. Put in rack that is above fluid.

7. Take brisket and put in pan, put foil over top, put back in cooker. Cook for an hour, probe through foil. If tender, remove, if not, keep going.

8. remove when probe goes through brisket as if it is barely there. Done.