Working on 16lb packer for tomorrow

[JTolbert]

Trimming one up

 

[SmokeOCD]

Seasoning? Wrapping? Tallow with the trimmings?

 

[JTolbert]

Going to keep seasoning basic salt pepper, Greg's four letter rub. I usually pull and wrap at around 200 roughly last time in plastic wrap and foil wrapped in blankets in cooler for at least 2 hrs. No tallow like to try that at some point

 

[JTolbert]

Seasoned going to fridge til tonight

 

[JTolbert]

Unveiling the packer

 

[Motodad1776]

Looks pretty steamed, is there much bark? Not bashing by any means, sometimes pics don't do justice.

 

[JTolbert]

I apologize for everything I said when I first got this BFG. I cried and belly ached, no smoke, no smoke blah blah blah. Now I will say I can't see it much during cook, but hey proof is in the pudding, I have never produced anything so beautiful and flavorful on any other equipment I have had. This brisket is amazing, and haven't even cut into the money meat yet.

 

[JTolbert]

Looks pretty steamed, is there much bark? Not bashing by any means, sometimes pics don't do justice.

Yeah pretty decent bark but I wrapped at around 165 took off at 203. Did release some moisture before finished.

 

[Jim6820]

Looks pretty steamed, is there much bark? Not bashing by any means, sometimes pics don't do justice.

Looks like it was wrapped in foil. I prefer pink butcher paper as it seems to breathe a bit and holds the bark better. That brisket does look good, however.

 

[SmokeOCD]

Try peach paper next time. I was a skeptic for the longest time, but the whole family noticed the difference. It’s foil-lite or something like that, hard to explain, but it helps like foil without the steaming effect of foil.

Edit: Jim posted in the middle of me typing my response, I concur.

 

[JTolbert]

Try peach paper next time. I was a skeptic for the longest time, but the whole family noticed the difference. It’s foil-lite or something like that, hard to explain, but it helps like foil without the steaming effect of foil.

Great tip yeah it was wrapped with foil been wanting to go butcher paper, tallow. But hey that's BBQ fun. Plenty more packers to get better

 

[Greg Jones]

As another suggestion (and I could be mistaken), it looks like you sliced it with the grain. If that’s the case, you will be much happier with the results if you slice it across the grain.

 

[SmokeOCD]

As another suggestion (and I could be mistaken), it looks like you sliced it with the grain. If that’s the case, you will be much happier with the results if you slice it across the grain.

It's a lot easier to see the grain while it's raw (before you season). Take a knife and make a score mark (maybe half inch deep) to indicate your optimal slice angle/direction once it's done. I really only do this when I'm serving guests and want everything as perfect as possible.

 

[Threadcutter]

I don't want to de-rail the OP's thread, but I have a few questions for you experts. There probably aren't enough Q's to start a new thread and the answers may be helpful for others.

So I bought a 13lb brisket from Costco about 2 weeks ago. Trimmed it and my guess is that it ended up being about 11.5lbs. Cold smoked it with Hickory chips for about an hour. Rubbed it down with French's yellow and seasoned with doctored up Bad Byron's Butt Rub.

Put it on the grill at about 235 for about 4 hours. Pulled it, wrapped it in butcher paper, put it back on the grill and probed both the point and the flat. At no time during the cook was the point (thick part) any closer than 20 degrees less than the flat (thinner, flat part).

I am having some confusion as to which end is referred to as which. I've seen some people call the thick part the flat and some call it the point. Vise versa in the thin flat part. Can you guys define this for me ?

Anyway, my internal temp target is 205 degrees. The flat (part) gets there much sooner that the thick (part). I pulled the whole thing and cut/separated the thinner part from the thicker part, re-wrapped the thicker part and it went back on the grill. Took about another hour and a half for the thicker part to get up to 205 degrees. Total cook time was about 11.5 hours. I then pulled it, put the thin part back into the butcher paper, wrapped it in a towel and into the cooler (no ice or refrigeration) it went. When cut/served, it was tender/juicy, just like it should be, so it was a good/successful cook.

Do you guys separate the thick vs thin sections like I did ? If not, what are your target temperatures, if left whole ? What are your criteria ?

Also, it was really fatty. Like so fatty that I'm probably going to focus on other cuts of meat in the near future. Are beef briskets known for being so fatty ?

 

[Snorebaby]

I don't want to de-rail the OP's thread, but I have a few questions for you experts. There probably aren't enough Q's to start a new thread and the answers may be helpful for others.

So I bought a 13lb brisket from Costco about 2 weeks ago. Trimmed it and my guess is that it ended up being about 11.5lbs. Cold smoked it with Hickory chips for about an hour. Rubbed it down with French's yellow and seasoned with doctored up Bad Byron's Butt Rub.

Put it on the grill at about 235 for about 4 hours. Pulled it, wrapped it in butcher paper, put it back on the grill and probed both the point and the flat. At no time during the cook was the point (thick part) any closer than 20 degrees less than the flat (thinner, flat part).

I am having some confusion as to which end is referred to as which. I've seen some people call the thick part the flat and some call it the flat. Vise versa in the thin flat part. Can you guys define this for me ?

Anyway, my internal temp target is 205 degrees. The flat (part) gets there much sooner that the thick (part). I pulled the whole thing and cut/separated the thinner part from the thicker part, re-wrapped the thicker part and it went back on the grill. Took about another hour and a half for the thicker part to get up to 205 degrees. Total cook time was about 11.5 hours. I then pulled it, put the thin part back into the butcher paper, wrapped it in a towel and into the cooler (no ice or refrigeration) it went. When cut/served, it was tender/juicy, just like it should be, so it was a good/successful cook.

Do you guys separate the thick vs thin sections like I did ? If not, what are your target temperatures, if left whole ? What are your criteria ?

Also, it was really fatty. Like so fatty that I'm probably going to focus on other cuts of meat in the near future. Are beef briskets known for being so fatty ?

The fatty part is the point. The flat is the leaner/thinner part of the brisket. On my first full brisket cook I did recently, I didn't separate it, I cooked it whole. I wrapped at 165 measured at the thickest part of the flat and pulled at 203. With the point, I didn't make burnt ends like some do. I pulled it like a pork butt and then chopped it up for sandwiches. It was DELICIOUS! I sliced just enough of the flat for the meal then froze the rest for later. And later comes this weekend!!!

I also made tallow out of all the trimmings. I put the trimmings in an aluminum pan at the same time I put the brisket on. Occasionally poured the rendered juice into a container until I was done with the cook.

 

[Threadcutter]

The fatty part is the point. The flat is the leaner/thinner part of the brisket. On my first full brisket cook I did recently, I didn't separate it, I cooked it whole. I wrapped at 165 measured at the thickest part of the flat and pulled at 203. With the point, I didn't make burnt ends like some do. I pulled it like a pork butt and then chopped it up for sandwiches. It was DELICIOUS! I sliced just enough of the flat for the meal then froze the rest for later. And later comes this weekend!!!

I also made tallow out of all the trimmings. I put the trimmings in an aluminum pan at the same time I put the brisket on. Occasionally poured the rendered juice into a container until I was done with the cook.

Thank you, that’s very, very helpful

 

[Gonefishin]

You didn’t mention how you separated the 2, might be worth checking out a video on it. Traditional way is leaving it as one but for many of us separating turns out best. Mine alway cook differently.

 

[DenStinett]

Looks pritty good there JT
Nice Smoke Ring
But yeah, I'd say you sliced it "WITH" the Grain
Hey, no matter how you slice it, that's OK, it's Bar B Que
If it tastes good, eat the thing

Like others have suggested; try Pink (Peach) Butcher Paper next go-round
Adding Smoked Tallow when wrapping is a good move too

Do you guys separate the thick vs thin sections like I did ? If not, what are your target temperatures, if left whole ? What are your criteria ?

Also, it was really fatty. Like so fatty that I'm probably going to focus on other cuts of meat in the near future. Are beef briskets known for being so fatty ?

Hey Threadcutter:
I'm one of the few Members here that does Trim the Point off of the Flat
My Wife and I really don't care much for the Fat Strip the lies between the two Muscles either
I trim, season and cook the two Roasts the same
Season with Ground Garlic, Onion, Pepper and Salt approx 24 hours before they go on the Smoker
In at 180 for about 8 hours / probes 150 - 160
Wrap with a Smoked Tallow Bath in Pink Butcher Paper and back in the Bull at 270 for another 8 or so hours / probes tender (200 - 205)
Wrap them in a Towel and into the Cooler for a few hours

 

[Jim6820]

@Snorebaby and @DenStinett hit most of the high points and they were spot on. Here are a couple of other thoughts I have for you.

First, briskets come in a lot of meat grades, sizes and shapes; choosing wisely is pretty important IMO. I strongly prefer USDA Prime grade whenever I have a choice; it is generally less fatty and has better marbling. If you have to go with USDA Choice or a lesser grade, try to pick the one with the best marbling and least fat pocket between the point and the flat.

Then, there's size and shape. My preference is to find a whole packer in the 12-16 pound range. And, I look for one with a thicker flat. The closer you get the flat thickness to the point thickness, the easier it is to get them to finish at the same time. On most full packer briskets, you can expect about a 20% weight loss due to trimming. Some use the trimmings to make tallow, I haven't up to now, but may try it on the next cook.

If I wind up with a brisket that has a significant fat pocket between the point and the flat, I will surgically remove as much of it as possible. On briskets where the fat pocket goes most or all of the way through, I separate the point and flat, trim the fat and cook them either stacked or separately.

Finally, I cook brisket by internal temperature (IT) and probe feel rather than by time. I wrap my brisket when the IT hits the stall; usually around 160F. At a 225F cook temp, that usually takes around 6-7 hours on a 12-16 pound trimmed brisket. If I don't get a significant stall, I will either wrap at an IT of 165F or simply not wrap at all until I am ready to pull it. Lots of briskets have been cooked without wrapping.

I start checking for "probe feel" at an IT of about 195F. When the probe slides into the meat smoothly and without significant resistance, the brisket is ready to be pulled.

Hope some of that helps.

 

[Snorebaby]

If you don't want a long cook, Jody at Recteq does a "Hot and Fast" brisket. 325 until IT 200 at the thickest part of the flat (about 5hrs, no wrap). Pull and wrap with foil and towels in a cooler for 2hrs. It is juicy and tender. Gonna do it that way on our next brisket cook.