First Brisket

[Jmerryiv]

I am very excited to finally smoke my first brisket this weekend on the 590. This forum has been very helpful in terms of finding good "first timer" tips.

Since it is my first time, I thought it would be wise to start small with a 6 pound brisket. My question is around how long I should reasonably expect the process to take.

Any thoughts, ideas or advice is appreciated. Thank you in advance!

 

[Mike]

@Jmerryiv let me start by saying this is a very light general rule of thumb, as every piece of meat is certainly different from the next piece.

Everyone will tell you to cook to temp, and you should, but I know that doesn't help when you're trying to plan on what time to eat dinner.

All that said, you're typically going to smoke your brisket at 225-250 degrees, and at that temp it will take roughly 1 hour per pound.

Again, this is just a ballpark figure. I've had large briskets cook faster, and small briskets cook longer.

What I do is take that ballpark figure and add a couple of hours to it just and then start my smoke based off that extended time. So if the cook does take longer than I'm covered.

If it gets done quicker, I wrap it in towels and place it in a cooler. This will keep the brisket piping hot for several hours easily.

 

[Jmerryiv]

@Jmerryiv let me start by saying this is a very light general rule of thumb, as every piece of meat is certainly different from the next piece.

Everyone will tell you to cook to temp, and you should, but I know that doesn't help when you're trying to plan on what time to eat dinner.

All that said, you're typically going to smoke your brisket at 225-250 degrees, and at that temp it will take roughly 1 hour per pound.

Again, this is just a ballpark figure. I've had large briskets cook faster, and small briskets cook longer.

What I do is take that ballpark figure and add a couple of hours to it just and then start my smoke based off that extended time. So if the cook does take longer than I'm covered.

If it gets done quicker, I wrap it in towels and place it in a cooler. This will keep the brisket piping hot for several hours easily.

This is great, thank you Mike!

 

[Roaniecowpony]

I am very excited to finally smoke my first brisket this weekend on the 590. This forum has been very helpful in terms of finding good "first timer" tips.

Since it is my first time, I thought it would be wise to start small with a 6 pound brisket. My question is around how long I should reasonably expect the process to take.

Any thoughts, ideas or advice is appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Sounds like it's a flat or a partial flat?

 

[Jmerryiv]

It is labeled as a whole. USDA prime from Costco.

 

[BNeal]

Like Mike said. I would go ahead and plan it so it's done early - even several hours early. Then either put it in your oven at like 175, or even 150 if you oven goes that low, or in a cooler. It will literally keep all day and be as good as right off the grill. Good luck - it's really not hard, though.

 

[Jmerryiv]

Like Mike said. I would go ahead and plan it so it's done early - even several hours early. Then either put it in your oven at like 175, or even 150 if you oven goes that low, or in a cooler. It will literally keep all day and be as good as right off the grill. Good luck - it's really not hard, though.

That's great, thank you!

 

[geneseohawk]

I recently did a flat for my first time and went with a temp to 203- however, when I cut into it later it was not tender. I made the mistake of going to a temp- instead of probe tender. Temp can be a gauge, but not the final straw so to speak. My brisket took longer than 1 hour per pound just to get to that temp- and it still wasn't done. So long story short- temp can be a gauge, but feel is more important.... Don't make my mistake.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

My experience with small briskets is that they can be dry. I'd wrap it after the bark sets to ensure some moisture.

Also, you can make an au jus to serve with it as a dipping sauce or pour over it before serving.

My concoction has a base of beef stock, a good bit of the rub used on the brisket, a very small amount of soy sauce or Dales Steak Seasoning, and tiny splash of red wine. Simmer for a little while. Oh, and a slice or two of bacon.

 

[BNeal]

My experience with small briskets is that they can be dry. I'd wrap it after the bark sets to ensure some moisture.

Also, you can make an au jus to serve with it as a dipping sauce or pour over it before serving.

My concoction has a base of beef stock, a good bit of the rub used on the brisket, a very small amount of soy sauce or Dales Steak Seasoning, and tiny splash of red wine. Simmer for a little while.

Another option is to keep the fat from the trim. I put it in a foil pan and toss it on the smoker with the brisket, the fat will render nicely. I then remove anything that didn't render and am left with a pure tallow. I pour that on the brisket right before wrapping and it really helps the meat keep from drying out.