What part of brisket for smoking?

[Imp81318]

As I mentioned in another thread, I am planning to smoke my first brisket. Being my first, I really don't want to have a ton of leftovers in case it doesn't turn out as good as I'm hoping for, and we're only going to be feeding around 5-7 people with it. That said, for a 6-ish pound brisket, am I best-off seeing if I can get a local butcher to cut down a full packer or would I be better off getting either a flat or point?

I thought I had heard that the point was best for smoking, but today I read that the flat has more marbling and is better suited for barbecuing. So, from the great experience on here, which is best and why?

 

[jwtseng]

The point is the more highly marbled part, which I prefer...and not everyone does. A lot of people cube up the point and return it to the smoker to render out more fat and make into burnt ends. Both portions can be smoked at the same time. If I could buy just points, I probably would, but that's my preference...and I haven't seen anyone selling just the point around me.

Leftover brisket is great for a lot of things...sandwiches, chili, tacos, pizza, etc. I've cooked a handful of briskets, but I'm still looking to achieve that brisket nirvana. In the meantime...leftovers!

Best of luck to you! Just have fun with it!

 

[SmittyJonz]

Point has more Fat therefore more moist and more forgiving/easier to get right. I would get a small to medium whole packer. Cooked brisket freezes well.

 

[Ron_L]

Point has more Fat therefore more moist and more forgiving/easier to get right. I would get a small to medium whole packet. Cooked brisket freezes well.

In this case, packet = packer :becky:

I strongly prefer whole packers that are at least 12 lbs, with 15 lbs being the sweet spot. they just cook better for me, and as Smitty said, the leftovers freeze well and are very versatile.

 

[IamMadMan]

Point has more Fat therefore more moist and more forgiving/easier to get right. I would get a small to medium whole packet. Cooked brisket freezes well.

The point is the more highly marbled part, which I prefer...and not everyone does. If I could buy just points, I probably would, but that's my preference...and I haven't seen anyone selling just the point around me.

^ +1
Same here, I love some fat on my sliced brisket, it just brings more flavor. But my wife and granddaughter don't like the fat, so they get slices of the flat, and my sons and I get to share the point.

 

[mattmountz94]

I would also recommend doing a packer. Each person has there preference on the flat and point. Most women I find like the flat while most men like the point. Best of both worlds. Have confidence going in thinking this will be a good brisket and I can't wait for leftovers.

 

[Imp81318]

What is a reasonable size brisket to expect to be able to find on the small end? The other issue that i have is that I'll be smoking the brisket the day after attending a wedding so I'm not sure how well an all-night cook is going to go realistically. And I doubt the alarm on my Maverick will be loud enough to wake me up either!

 

[JohnnyB]

Blu will be along any time now to help take care of the "all night brisket" concern. Haha!

 

[JS-TX]

Cook a small whole packer, the better marbling in the flat the better. But the flat will always be less marbled compared to the point. Honestly if you can't properly tend a 6-8 hour cook, you may want to reconsider when to cook it, you don't ruin a good piece of meat. Especially true if you aren't too experienced with brisket.

 

[Imp81318]

Cook a small whole packer, the better marbling in the flat the better. But the flat will always be less marbled compared to the point. Honestly if you can't properly tend a 6-8 hour cook, you may want to reconsider when to cook it, you don't ruin a good piece of meat. Especially true if you aren't too experienced with brisket.

I can tend a 6-8 hour cook without a problem. I'm planning to have the brisket off the grill (I smoke on my 22 inch weber kettle grill) around 2 to allow for a 4-hour rest before slicing it for dinner 6 PM. That has me putting it on the grill around 8:00 or so (for a 6 hour cook), which is not a problem at all for me. My concern is with doing a larger brisket that is going to take 10, 12+ hours where I'd need to be starting it in the middle of the night. I have temperature control down pretty tight with my Weber, but I'm not comfortable enough to let it go for hours while I snooze away...

 

[THoey1963]

Just sounds like attempting a brisket might be better put off to another day. Never know how late things are going to go at a wedding. Or the condition your head might be in the next day. As far as packers go, two 12 pound briskets may take an hour or longer different, so there is really no firm "this will take 6 hours" rule. Brisket is done when it is done.

I would suggest you get several Tri-Tip's and do those. Great beef flavor, tender (as long as you cut it against the grain), and juicy. They are reverse seared to 135* (indirect to 115*, direct to 130*, rest to 135*) so they can be cooked in an hour or two at the most.

Just a suggestion. Gives you more time to rest, wake up, socialize, and then cook dinner. You can always try your first brisket when your schedule is a little looser...

 

[WineMaster]

After trimmed down and cooked down, I think you will be surprised at how little

leftovers you will have with a well cooked 12-15 lb packer with 6-8 people eatin off of it.

 

[Imp81318]

I get what you guys are saying regarding the timing, but I have 2 small kids at home. There is never a "good" time to barbecue. I make it work the best I can.

 

[Bludawg]

Like RonL said packer 12-15 lb is easier to get right not to mention much cheaper you'll pay for a whole packer just buying the flat or the point. might as well Go Big. Freeze what you don't eat in meal size portions or re-purpose it into other dishes. Left over brisket makes the best Bolognese sauce you ever ate.

BluDawgs Brisket

K.I S.S. some of the best brisket you will ever eat! Total cook time including the rest 8 hrs or less. I promise it will be as moist as mornin dew on the lilly, tender as a mothers love, pure beefy smoky goodness.

1 packer 12-15 lb
Trim off the hard fat on each side of the flat thin the fat cap to 1/4"

Mix your Rub
1 part kosher salt 4 parts Med grind Black peppa by volume( this is a true 50/50 BY weight)
apply a coat of rub you need to be able to see the meat through the rub clearly.

Pre heat the pit to 300 deg (house temp)
place brisket on the pit Fat Cap Down and point to the firebox unless it is a RF cooker then point to away from the FB

Maintain pit between 275-325 if cookin on a stick burner
cook Brisket 4 hrs
remove from pit wrap in a single layer of Butcher paper Return to pit Fat cap up.
after 1 hr probe the thicket part of the Flat only! If it isn't *probe tender it should be within 1 hr.
once it is probe tender remove from the pit keep it wrapped in the paper you cooked it in and allow it to rest on your counter until the Internal temp reaches 150 this will take about two hrs.
Don't ever slice more than you can eat big pieces retain moisture and won't dry up on you like slices will.
*PROBE TENDER> This is the feel that is mimicked by cutting room temperature butter with a hot knife, there should be no drag

 

[Imp81318]

Thanks Bludawg! I assume that you're able to cook a 12 lb brisket in 4 hrs rather than having it take 15-ish hours just because you're cooking at 300 instead of 225, right? If that's the case, would it work to start it out low and slow and, if I start to get worried about the timing, increase the temp to 300-ish to finish it off?

Also, why do you do fat cap down instead of up?

 

[cueball21]

In answer to your subject line, "All of it!"

I have smoked a flat but it was because there was no full packer in a size I could use. IMO, your best advice was to get a small full packer - if you can.

Another thing - if this is your first brisket, I would question planning it for guests (assuming your 5-7 people means guests). A poor result will disappoint you and, if your guests are brisket fans, might damage your reputation as a smoker. I'd smoke a much more forgiving boston butt, but that's not the question you asked.

 

[Imp81318]

I hear ya' cueball, and I am a little bit concerned about doing my first brisket for guests, but as I mentioned before I have a hard time finding time to barbecue, and most of the time it is because we have guests and need more food than if it is just our immediate family. The guests that we're having are my wife's parents and her aunt & uncle, all of whom will greatly appreciate the time and effort on the meal. They all love brisket, especially my MIL and FIL, but they'll also love anything that I take the time to make for them. I've done butts for them before, but my MIL doesn't eat pork so I'm looking to do something different for her since they're coming into town (3 hr drive) to babysit our kids while we go to the wedding Saturday night. I could do pulled pork/ribs and turkey/chicken like I have in the past, but I really want to do something different for them. And I've been itching to smoke a brisket for a while now anyway...

 

[cueball21]

I hear ya' cueball, and I am a little bit concerned about doing my first brisket for guests, but as I mentioned before I have a hard time finding time to barbecue, and most of the time it is because we have guests and need more food than if it is just our immediate family. The guests that we're having are my wife's parents and her aunt & uncle, all of whom will greatly appreciate the time and effort on the meal. They all love brisket, especially my MIL and FIL, but they'll also love anything that I take the time to make for them. I've done butts for them before, but my MIL doesn't eat pork so I'm looking to do something different for her since they're coming into town (3 hr drive) to babysit our kids while we go to the wedding Saturday night. I could do pulled pork/ribs and turkey/chicken like I have in the past, but I really want to do something different for them. And I've been itching to smoke a brisket for a while now anyway...

By all means GO FOR IT! You'll do fine!

 

[JS-TX]

If you do this cook, take the brisket and leave it on the counter for a couple hours if you can, cause a really cold hunk of meat will suck the heat out of your 22 kettle.. very easily. Don't be surprised if temps are 75* are lower than expected for a couple hours.

 

[landarc]

I agree that for 8 people, I would be cooking a 14-15 pound brisket, and would expect little to no leftovers. If you really can't believe that, then next best, buy a 14 pound packer, and cut off some of the flat. Use that for another dish, and use the point and remaining flat for your cook.

In my experience, there is a big difference in cooking a small packer compared to a large one. I won't do a brisket that is under 12 pounds trimmed.