Brisket Help

Schlaffer

I want to do my first brisket. Should I go for the flat or the point? I've also had a hard time keeping the temp. below 300. The lower vent is open only about 1/8". Do you keep the upper vent completely open to let the heat out? Any tips are greatly appreciated as from what I understand brisket done right is the king of flavor and tenderness.  What are some of the favorite rubs for a brisket?  Thank you all for your help.  

stevethegreat

Do a full packer with both point and flat, gives some more fat but can be a lot to trim. "Letting the heat out" seems like it makes sense but actually allows more airflown in and creates a hotter fire. Be sure not to overshoot your target temp while heating up the egg.

Boileregger

If you're having trouble keeping temp down_ I would recommend trying a pork butt first. A lot more forgiving of temp fluctuations and not to mention a lot less expensive in case it doesn't go well. But usually you get a pretty good result with a butt. A brisket is a lot harder to get right and takes a lot of practice. Just my opinion. Good luck!

R3K

I just did my first over-nighter and coincidentally got my first awesome brisket cook under my belt.  For venting set up, I recommend reading this thread (http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1168253/my-first-overnight-cook-tonight-questions-and-progress/p1) as there is some great info there.  One of the guru's posted pics of both the bottom vent and daisy wheel when he sets his Egg up for a slow & low cook and by following his example, I set the vents before I even lit the Egg and once I did, I never touched them again and hit my target temp (250 degrees) first try, put the meat on, and went to bed without a worry. Next morning, it was exactly on the same temp as when I went to bed.  16 hours total cook time and I had an awesome brisket!  One note of advice, also echoed in the linked thread, don't play around with the vent settings too frequently.  Allow time for the Egg to adjust to what you've done and see how it works out. Good luck and please post up results, good or bad so that those of us still new to briskets can learn from your success or failure.

loveTheEgg

Schlaffer said:

I want to do my first brisket. Should I go for the flat or the point? I've also had a hard time keeping the temp. below 300. The lower vent is open only about 1/8". Do you keep the upper vent completely open to let the heat out? Any tips are greatly appreciated as from what I understand brisket done right is the king of flavor and tenderness.  What are some of the favorite rubs for a brisket?  Thank you all for your help.  

 

What are some of the favorite rubs for a brisket? Salt and Pepper!