First Brisket

milehismkr · May 27, 2005, 10:06:59 PM

I'm going to try my first brisket this weekend. Bought an 11.25lb. packer trimmed piece. Naturally I will have to cut it into 2 pieces.Should I cut it directly in half or seperate the point from the flat? Also what can I expect the total time to be for the 2 pieces?

Oldman · May 28, 2005, 12:15:07 AM

Crap I don't do briskets. However, this is your 1st posting and it is a holiday weekend. Most members are going to be gone, so at least I will reply.

Wish I could answer your question. Anyway welcome to the forums. Hope to see you posting again.
Good Luck!

Olds

Habanero Smoker · May 28, 2005, 01:40:12 AM

I'm still here. I will be leaving in the morning. For the last two hours I've been battling a severe thunderstorm trying to protect my turkey and beef pastrami that is in the smoker. The turkey was pulled out 30 minutes ago, and the brisket (point) is now at 154 and need to get to 165 for pastrami.

I have never had to do this, because I've never got a brisket that large. Your best bet would be to separate the point from the flat. Just cut following the vain of fat. You may have to monitor both pieces separately, because each piece may reach the desired internal temperature at different rates.

If you don't think that it will still fit if you separate it that way, then your next bet would be to cut it in half. I have cut points in half this way prior to smoking, and obtained good results.

milehismkr · May 28, 2005, 01:00:18 PM

I guess my real question is how long will the whole brisket cut in half take compared one large piece. I've seen topics posted that say about 10 -12 hours for the whole brisket and was wondering if I should be looking at more like 6 -8 hours for the smaller pieces.

PAsmoker · May 28, 2005, 03:41:42 PM

hi, milehi. I don't usually cut my briskets in half, even one that large. It will take about 1 1/2hr or a little more per pound to cook. If you must seperate, cut the point from the flat instead of just cutting in half. Low & slow, take your time, & have a cold one and enjoy. I like to do a long smoke like this overnight. I'll start late evening, go to bed, & get up to a great brisket.

SMOKEHOUSE ROB · May 28, 2005, 04:49:37 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by milehismkr
 I guess my real question is how long will the whole brisket cut in half take compared one large piece. I've seen topics posted that say about 10 -12 hours for the whole brisket and was wondering if I should be looking at more like 6 -8 hours for the smaller pieces.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
welcome to the forum, i would cut the point off the flat. then you have 2 ways to cook it. you can put the point on the top shelf and the flat on the shelf below it or place the point on top of the flat and place it on the second shelf from the top. it will take 10 hours + to cook it. time wise kinda of goes by pounds of meat, even if you cut it in half still is 11 pounds of meat, your flat will be done before your point, by maybe an hour, since this is your first brisket start early and the FTC it so you wont run out of time. ftc will keep it hot for 6 hours if you pre heat your ice chest with hot water first. when you check your meat temp check it in a few spots, also dont be fooled with the meat temp as your are cooking . you might be 8 hours into your smoking and your meat is all most to temp then it will drop in temp and hang there for a few hours . dont panic , it means your are doing it right, then it will start to come up. just for that reason brisket are best for night smoking, depending when you want to eat it, i would start it about 8 pm 3 to 4 hours of smoke check the water bowl before you go to sleep, then when you wake up . dont sleep in !! it will be done around 9 to 10 am then ftc it . untill its time to eat. sorry for the long post to much coffee this am. good luck and dont worry you will be fine,

milehismkr · May 28, 2005, 09:46:38 PM

Thanks for the tips. Baby back ribs today and brisket tomorrow. Don't get much better than that. Will let you know how the brisket turned out.

JJC · May 30, 2005, 06:56:07 AM

Welcome, MileHI--even on a holiday weekedn you can find enough folks around to provide good advice! Don't be afraid to use the search feature of the Forum, either, especally if you need a really fast answer. Forum members are always happy to answer questions directly, but if you need help in a hurry (or when most of us are away), questionslike yours have usually been discussed before and you can probably find the info you need using the search function. Measnwhile, keep us posted on your results!

John
Newton MA