I have a small, lean brisket flat. I bet a water pan below and layer of bacon on top will work.

winojeff

I am on a 'diet', so my wife brought home a small, lean, pretty thin brisket flat. I bet a secret layer of bacon on top and a water pan below -- on the plate setter, but not touching the meat, will do the trick. Maybe 275, and not opening the Egg very often, should work...with foil and liquid for the last hour??

henapple

Damn I hate to say this but search for the Travis method. ..

winojeff

Thanks.

lousubcap

@winojeff‌ -your plan should work especially with the braise finish. Worth a shot...
BTW-welcome aboard and enjoy the journey!

Little Steven

I don't think it will. Sorry but go for the travis boil it recipe.

buzd504

Still, though, something about "secret layer of bacon"..  I want a secret layer of bacon all the time.

lousubcap

@L_S-gotta wean from the "how I do it" sometime...

Skiddymarker

Little Steven said:

I don't think it will. Sorry but go for the travis boil it recipe.

I agree, except you boil eggs, you braise beef, even if it is boiled in some onions and Texas bock beer….

The Travis Method, ideal for those briskets that need a little help - some bacon the top, not enough to cover the top, would be nice. 

winojeff

Thanks, everyone. I pride my self as a pretty good cook. So, following your very helpful advice, and that of dozens of other Green Egg suggestions, I'm planning to modify the Travis method, while making some tasty gravy, as follows:

But because the brisket is far too lean, and because I'm trying not to let it get tough, I'll trim the silver skin and soak the brisket overnight in the refrigerator in a slightly salty/Worschestershire/water and spices soak. Then in the early morning I'll rinse and pat it dry, inject it with beef broth mixed with fresh garlic and onion juice, season it on the outside with a tasty rub, and refrigerate it while the Egg heats up.
Then put a water pan onto the plate setter, under the grill, put the meat on the grill, over the water pan, with the lean side up (and covered with bacon), then smoked in a 275-degree Egg for two or three hours, then remove (and eat?) the bacon -- washed down with a side of beer).

Then get the Travis method going by putting the still uncovered brisket into an inch or more of beer, diced onions, sliced mushrooms, carrots, garlic cloves and celery, all in a foil pan, and continue it smoking at least a couple more hours, until the meat thermometer hits about 185-190 degrees.

Then remove the Travis gravy pan, season(?) and wrap the brisket in foil with some of Travis's liquid and veggies, then stick it back in the Green Egg until the interior meat temperature is 200 degrees, before pulling it and resting it for half an hour or more prior to slicing and serving it, likely with some of the au juice I'll make during the cook, but with a bit of the smoky Travis gravy added to the gravy that cooks on the stove top all day long, to taste.

*Just in case, I am also cooking a fatty brisket the normal method, at the same time....so I can serve it instead of the too-lean (wife-purchased, 'better-for-me) brisket.

I'm betting that the fatty one will be naturally sweeter and more tender, but that the lean one will be pretty good. And, the bacon will be terrific!!
If someone wants a report, I will post my comment, afterwards.

Thanks for your help.

It should be an 'educational' experiment.

Little Steven

You are going to have trouble getting to 275* with a lot of liquid in there. Anything that simmers off will cool the egg. Bacon on top will make for some good bacon but the fat will run off the brisket. You aren't really providing a moist cooking environment as you would in a braise. Better to have the brisket in the liquid after the smoke time.

lousubcap

I like the adventuresome approach to the cook-sounds like too much work for the gain with the lean brisket but with all the marinade, injection and braise it's gotta have flavor.  Based on the above comment from @winojeff-he has read the "how I do it" thread so "enjoy the journey" and I would appreciate your post-cook assessment.  FWIW-

henapple

Damn..I'll have to read that sober...see ya Tuesday

SGH

winojeff
On such a small flat I would recommend injecting. I know this is a touchy subject but most flats that small just dont have enuff fat and marbling in my opinion and turn out much better if injected. I also cook small flats with a water pan. I run 225-250 at the grate. I wrap in foil when the internal temp hits 150. Cook until tender and enjoy.

winojeff

Thanks for your helpful comments, everyone. I'll let you know how the lean brisket vs the fattier one I also plan to cook, a more traditional way, turn out. My bet is that the fattier one will be juicier and more enjoyable. My wife and daughter will disagree, of course. So, they will have their own hunk of meat to enjoy.

winojeff

Here's my review of the too-lean flat cut of brisket vs. another, more fatty and larger one: I indirectly smoked both at 225, with a large water bath (including beer) below the grate.  I wrapped the small lean one (adding beef stock and veggies) at 150 degrees and the other one ( with beef stock and veggies, plus a bit of BBQ sauce) at 180, and I pulled them both at 200, but the smaller one was pulled before I wrapped the larger one.

But, I cheated a bit, to see what the 'ladies' would prefer. I trimmed a couple of thin corners from the fattier brisket, cooked them along side both briskets, and when I wrapped the smaller one, I threw those 4-ounce fatty pieces in the packages, and they cooked with the lean one.)

After a couple of hours, wrapped under layers of towels to keep hot, I unwrapped the lean one and we tasted the fatty pieces before I sliced and served the brisket, itsely. The ladies loved the juiciness if those fatty morsels, but they did not recognize that they were not very lean.

The lean one, itself, was moist-but-not-juicy at all. We smothered it in the savory/smoky liquids from the foil package (that I did not nead to skim -- there was so little fat in the gravy that it needed no skimming). It was terrific.

But, to be honest, I look forward to reheating and enjoying the fattier one for dinner tonight.

I'm sure it will be nice and juicy.

All that said, those of us on diets could easily get used to enjoying the less-juicy (less fatty) flat cuts of brisket. They are terrific, although somewhat 'dry' from the sense, not of being overcooked, but from having almost no juiciness from the melted fat. 

I'd definitely enjoy very lean brisket more often (to be able to eat meat), say, than my more usual ongoing diet of poultry and fish.  Now, if my doc and my wife agreed....

Winojeff

lousubcap

Thanks for the write-up.  Glad it all worked out.  Enjoy the next one.