I may be in Deep Brisket Bandini !! .....

[Q_Egg]

..... 1) still early in my Q progress I am pumped up after reading the brisket posts here and got my local butcher to pull out the largest whole brisket he had. Today I got a 14.34 lb whole brisket, which he was very proud of, and he noted that flat was quite thick and the point not so notably thicker so the cooking time differential should not be so great. I hope that is a valid issue as you Brethren see it!

2) Old dumb-farker Tom (me) was so pleased that he didn't notice that the brisket is 22 inches long and my Big Green Egg only has an 18-inch diameter cooking grate. Since this is a low-and-slow cook, I'm feeling that I should fold the extra (thinnest) portion over 'on top' of the flat and hope for some shrinkage so I can straighten it out later. ....seem reasonable?

3) I'm planning to trim the fat side leaving only 1/2 inch, rub only the meaty portion of that side, trim the fat off of the lean side and rub it thoroughly, double-wrap and refrigerate for a day. My plan is to rub with mustard just before the cook. I'm using John Henry's Texas Brisket Rub (salt-based). .... OK so far??

4) At low 200*sF. cooking temp, I'm expecting as high as 20+ hours total. (1.5 hours per pound).

5) Per posts here, I'm either going to pull the brisket when the flat hits 190*F, foil the flat and return it 'til the point finishes ... OR .... cut off the flat, knock off the bark from the point, re-season/rub it, and return to the cooker.

6) Between now and the end of the cook, I need to learn more about 'burnt ends'.

If this is a disaster, I'm headed over to Home Depot to see if they still have my 'returned' Bandera for possible repurchase!

Thoughts?

 

[jgh1204]

I have never heard anyone complain about their Egg. To bad you could'nt find a big brisket. :biggrin: (see my other thread).

 

[Kevin]

You're lookin just fine so far Q. Bend me, shape me, any way you want me, as long as you love me, that's alright. OK, back to reality, fold it, drape it over a SS bowl or rib rack. They all work. It WILL shrink.

 

[The_Kapn]

Tommy- this will be an "adventure" for sure :lol:

No problem with folding the end of the point under or over till it shrinks. I do it all the time. Also, I may trim off a couple of inches and cook it beside the main chunk. Cooks up fast and makes a great "Chef's snack" :lol:

If you cook at or near 200, and want to get to 190 + meat temp--.......:!:
Gonna be a long, long, time. Some folks call that "low and slow", some call it "warming it to death" :lol:
Kick that heat up to the mid 200's and let the brisket cook in less than a week :lol: 235-250-270 is still "low and slow" and the brisket (and you) will be out of your misery a lot sooner.
It can be cooked as high as the low to mid 300s so don't worry!!!!! Not suggesting that for you--just a fact that temps are not near as critical as some folks stress over :lol:
Try mid 200's--works wonderful!

Soaking in rub is a matter of prefence. If you have it rubbed, that is it. Goes to the smoker. Adding mustard later would call for more rub. Is that what you meant, or did I read you wrong?

Gonna be fun.
Relax and enjoy!

TIM

 

[jgh1204]

I agree with Kapn, 200 is too low, go with 240 or so.

 

[Ron_L]

Tom... I've folded the thin end of a brisket to get it to fit into my WSM. It generally stays folded, but it cooked OK. The other thing you can do is lay it over a stainless bowl or a rib rack. I rub the whole brisket, indluding the fat cap. i don't know if it makes a difference, but that's what I do. As far as cook time, mine generally run 1.5 hours per pound, but at 225, not 200. YMMV.

 

[Q_Egg]

Hey! ... I'm feeling better already!

.... will plan to crank up the temp a bit, (I really like the SS bowl or rack idea!), and plan to either skip the mustard or plan to add more rub.

Thanks men .... I really do feel more confident and optimistic!

Regards,

 

[thirdeye]

Hey Tom,

1) Briskets all cook differently. Each one is a little adventure. Just let it cook itself tender and you'll be a Brisketeer before you know it.

2) Don't worry about the length. If you have a V rack or rib rack, put it in and drape the brisket over it. In three or 4 hrs it will shrink enough that you can remove the rack. If you dont have a rack, drape it over an empty upright beer can or two.

3) The no sugar brisket rubs are my favorite, and I'm ok with a little slather with mustard too!

4) Like Tim said, bump up your temp.

5) Sounds like a plan IF it passes the tenderness test. Love some burnt ends on the plate.

Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Q_Egg]

Man! ... that porn is going to be hard to compete with!!

..... I much appreciate your thoughts from a familiar perspective. It's also great to hear the broader view from the Brethren .... so much help available here!

Best ....

 

[The_Kapn]

One final thought before you launch this adventure!
Consider forgetting "Burnt ends" on your first brisket cook.
They are wonderful. I love them.
But, I suggest that, for now, you consider them an "advanced project" for later. :lol:

If you will just focus on quality flat and point, you will be amazed at the results!
Take the whole Brisket to 195 or so and a "buttery" probe doneness state.
Dry cooler or lay heavily wrapped on table for an hour or two.
Remove the point and chop it. Slice the flat. Pour some of the cooking juice back into and on it for added moistness and flavor.

Enjoy the heck out of your first wonderful Brisket :lol:

To me--1st cook needs to stay KISS :lol:
Burnt Ends are just more things to fuss with and can be added to your skill set later,

Just a thought.

TIM

 

[Q_Egg]

This seems like a very sound point .... also, my early .....

..... comment about the 'close' relative thickness of flat and point will help me avoid overcooking the flat (won't it?). I think this is a good plan!

 

[jgh1204]

my wife prefers the point and would probably kill me if I made burnt ends out of it.

 

[Brauma]

I still cant believe you took back a used BSKD to HD and they actually gave you a refund. That took balls. You da man. If it were me they would have laughed me out of the door and still be laughing to this day. Good luck with the Egg.

 

[Q_Egg]

Deep Brisket Bandini ..... final pre-cook question.

.... your posts on my earlier thread have made me pretty comfortable with my brisket (14lb) cook tomorrow. It is now in the fridge, trimmed, rubbed and wrapped. I am wrestling with one final issue. I can follow thru as advised and drape the 22-inch whole brisket over a stout rib rack and it will just fit my 18-inch diameter cooking grate. Since I also have a 'grate extender' which is like another grate with adjustable legs, I could also separate the point and flat, placing the point just a coujple of inches directly above the flat. With the dome top, it should be just slightly hotter but would also drip juices/fat down on the flat before they fall to the drip pan.

What are the 'critical' reasons why I would choose one set-up ove the other for this low-and-slow cook?

 

[tommykendall]

Don't separate them. I once draped a 18.75#'r over a large can to fit in the 'dera.

 

[MilitantSquatter]

Hey Tommy,

Why would you want to separate ? Just so the the point can drip fat onto the flat ?

I say go for the gusto and cook it whole...let the fat layer in between do the work...

I think you'll get more satisfaction out of knowing you cooked the whole brisket or learning from the experience.

Whatever you decide will be what is the right thing for you to do..

Good Luck and let us know how it turns out !!!

 

[Q_Egg]

Thanks for the really quick (Sunday night) help !!

.... I now have time to complete the 'draped brisket' set-up and get ready for an early morning start.

It's nice to have this dilemma out of the way.

 

[JamesB]

Go ahead and seperate it if you want. Will not hurt a thing. I often will remove the point when the flat is done and return it to the smoker to continue to render... The fat dripping on te flat can't hurt either IMO...

James.

 

[thirdeye]

Tom, Leave it whole........If you want to do some kind of auto-basting, dash down to Safeway and pick up one these on sale. It would be a great over/under cook. I'm gettin ready to pull one right now. The foodsaver is on stand-by.

 

[BBQchef33]

i never seperate em, and flop them over a rib rack to help them fit.. the rib rack doesnt interfere with air/heat flow under the meat.