Smoking just the point

njl

With two completely successful whole packers under my belt, I'm wondering now about doing just points.  I'll sometimes see these at Costco...apparently "something will happen" to the cryopak on a full packer, and they end up separating the point from the flat, trimming the flat, and sell them separately, but at the whole packer price per lb.  Since I prefer point meat, I'm thinking "if I can get prime brisket point for just over $3/lb., why bother buying the full packer?"  The only advantage to the full one is, in the sealed package, I can let it sit in the fridge for weeks until I feel like cooking it, whereas a point on styrofoam store packaging, I'm guessing I have only days to cook or freeze.

So, what are the differences when doing just a point...with no flat to stick the temperature probe in?  Measured in the point, where does the stall generally happen, and what final temp would you look for assuming you're going to eat it sliced?

GregW

I don't see any real problem other than it will spend less time in the egg. Less time will result in less smoke flavor.

I've learned this cooking pork butts. Cooking a 4-5 # butt doesn't turm out nearly as well as a 9-10 # one.

This may not be relevant to a brisket point. I really prefer the point also.

smokingal

When I cooked a point, I stuck the probe in the thickest part.  I noticed a brief stall that last about an hour or so between the temps of 165-175, IIRC.  I cooked mine until it probed like butter, around 203, and I was able to slice it cleanly.  It took just shy of 9 hours to hit that temp and level of tenderness.  Obviously every cut of meat is different, so YMMV.

bgebrent

smokingal said:

When I cooked a point, I stuck the probe in the thickest part.  I noticed a brief stall that last about an hour or so between the temps of 165-175, IIRC.  I cooked mine until it probed like butter, around 203, and I was able to slice it cleanly.  Obviously every cut of meat is different, so YMMV.

I agree about going past 200.  You always have the Pastrami option.

Jeremiah

If you’re smoking just the point, are you technically, legally, smoking? 

bgebrent

Jeremiah said:

If you’re smoking just the point, are you technically, legally, smoking? 

Only if you inhale.

unoriginalusername

Smoking just the point is like teeing off from the ladies tees. Just because it’s easier and you look better, doesn’t make it right 


lol jk .... or am I? 

tjv

I never buy styro packed meat that is also in the meat case as vacuum sealed.  Just to many questions around it.....I always flash back to food lion......

t

jtcBoynton

So, what are the differences when doing just a point...with no flat to stick the temperature probe in?  

Only significant difference is that you end up with an overall better end product!

njl

Guess what I'm doing tomorrow.


I was surprised I only trimmed about 3/4lb of hard fat off it.

njl

This thing shrank an unbelievable amount.  I started it just before 8am, and just FTC'd it at 3pm.  I foiled it in the mid 160s and it produced 2 cups of liquid in the foil.  I poured 1c into the new foil and have the second cup cooling in the fridge.

Also, this was, I think, the 4th time I've used my Carbon Lite, and by far the most frustrating.  It lost contact with my phone several times, crashed once, was basically just not reliable :(  The most frustrating bit is, if you know you've lost contact with it, and it doesn't self-cure when you get right next to it, there doesn't seem to be a way to make it reconnect and start showing probe data other than killing and restarting the app, and with no display on the Carbon Lite itself, you're blind until you do that.

njl

What's going on with this foil? This is part of what it was wrapped with for the FTC. What's blackening the foil?

Skiddymarker

I like points, smoked usually a little longer than just a flat, lots of beefy fat in that point, specially the Costco prime ones. I usually use it for chili or burnt ends, @lousubcap is the guy to ask, he has given me some pointers over the past few years. 

njl

njl

I've given up rotating these...either the board software or onedrive distorts the crap out of them.

njl

lousubcap

Too far into this cook for any suggestions.  Next time, just realize the hearty fat content of the point means that if it were attached to the flat the flat would declare victory at around 203-205 *F (probe like buttah).  At that time the point would likely be in the 208-215*F temp range.  The key to the point's goodness is the fat content that enables the higher temp finish and the true brisket flavor profile. 

BTW- you are far better off to ignore any thought of sacrificing the point to burnt ends.  FWIW-

njl

Just ate some for dinner. I guess with a hunk of meat as thick as this point, I should have gone heavier with the rub. Parts of it actually seem kind of bland. Or maybe I'm suffering BBQ burn-out after the pork belly burnt ends last night and for lunch today.

njl

One thing I think I finally got right:  The little bit of flat on this (at least I assume the V shaped bit of meat in the rub and finished pics is flat) I was able to properly separate from the point by following the fat with my carving knife.