15lb Prime Brisket

baychilla · February 2018

In the past I've only been able to get brisket flats (the places that would order a whole brisket were also the places that wanted $9.99/lb and up). This Christmas I was gifted a whole prime brisket from CostCo. It's a little big for my large egg, but I'm hoping that a little cut and doubling up of part of the flap will work.

Image: https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-7QC6pb5/0/496d9600/XL/i-7QC6pb5-XL.jpg

Seasoning was a Texas dalmation (salt and pepper) along with a little bit of Dizzy Pig Venom

Image: https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-nczRcKX/0/d3eb19ad/XL/i-nczRcKX-XL.jpg

Fuel was the dregs of the last of my BGE charcoal and some brand new stuff from some company out of Missouri. I doubt you've heard of them.

Image: https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-zLJRRHM/0/ac705e89/XL/i-zLJRRHM-XL.jpg

For flavor I added some oak and pecan chunks. I setup the guru for a nice balmy and leisurely 225 (a little overshoot).

Image: https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-Z4pBchC/0/f27c3d2c/XL/i-Z4pBchC-XL.jpg

All settled in for a long evenings smoke.

jabam · February 2018

Anxiously awaiting results!

saluki2007 · February 2018

Nice. If you have the roaster rack you can lay the brisket over that or people wrap bricks with AF. This typically allows the longer briskets to fit.

lousubcap · February 2018

Next time you get a brisket too long for your LBGE, just "brick it"-lay it over a foil brick or inverted roast rack til the shrinkage takes over and you can lay it flat. As the saying goes, "the friggin cow drives the cook" and the shape of any brisket is quite a variable. I've had 14+ lbs (post trim) easily fit and 11 lb post trim end up initially too long. Most fun cook you can have with the BGE as you well know.
Don't know how far into the cook but you should consider foil protecting the thin part of the flat for several hours to hopefully avoid that section from getting too dry. FWIW-

baychilla · February 2018

Thanks for the suggestions. I foiled the flat but it's still hell and gone from the point. I'm thinking i'll be performing some surgery on the egg to remove it from the point if this keeps up.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/2y/ni1odwmfd2ez.jpeg

lousubcap · February 2018

As you are aware, the key to the finish-line is the feel in the thick part of the flat "probes like buttah" and you are there.
The point has higher fat content so I run with it to the back as it can take the higher heat and it will ride along just fine til the flat "declares victory".
Brisket information overload is just a "search click" away.

YukonRon · February 2018

Hope yours turns out delicious.....

johnnyp · February 2018

Standing by

Ladeback69 · February 2018

Nice, a brisket cook on a Friday. YAY! Looking forward to the finished results.

Gravytrain84 · February 2018

Considering my first brisket this weekend. When do y’all usually pull it off? When point is at 205? What do you do if the flat gets there way before the point?

Ladeback69 · February 2018

Gravytrain84 said:

Considering my first brisket this weekend. When do y’all usually pull it off? When point is at 205? What do you do if the flat gets there way before the point?

Start probing around 195,but don't pull till the largest part of the flat probes like butter.

lousubcap · February 2018

@Gravytrain84 - give the search function here a look as you will get lots of information on brisket cooks. Short answer, pay no attention to the point...see above.

baychilla · February 2018

The Meater probe caught the stall before it decided to stop connecting. It took 4 hours and dropped from 174 to 162. ~14 hours later Im up to 191 in the flat and 186 in the point.

Probe seems totally dead. Even opening the egg didn't let the phone find it. In the meantime I probed and its almost like soft butter.

Image: https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-NTzD5bR/0/bcea8249/XL/i-NTzD5bR-XL.jpg

JohnInCarolina · February 2018

Oh boy that one’s gonna be good!

GoooDawgs · February 2018

Looks good. Just curious - are you using a drip pan? I'd think it could get little dicey with that much fat dripping into the fire.... not to mention a pain to clean up!

baychilla · February 2018

I pulled it from the egg at either 193 (Guru display) or 195 (Guru web server). It was like buttah. Now its foiled while I get a little rest.

Waiting to be foiled for its nap

Image: https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-R2J4Tdm/0/4d83fe13/XL/i-R2J4Tdm-XL.jpg

A graph of the cook (forgot to screenshot the desktop version which imo looks better)

baychilla · February 2018

No drip pan the plate setters a wee bit of a mess.

Gravytrain84 · February 2018

Man that looks good. Take pics of that baby cut up

lousubcap · February 2018

Great bark right there. Perhaps dodged a bullet with the grease, see below.

Regarding an air-gapped drip pan, I totally endorse and even then I was bitten once. I foil line my air-gapped drip pan for any brisket cook. Cook running along fine until around 7 hours in. Then (with no changes) temperature started to aggressively climb. Use a PSWOO-2 so I pulled everything out and had a grease fire decide to get going. Tossed a good handful of ice cubes to suppress the fire and got everything back under control.
Turns out my foil pattern created a channel outside the drip pan where some renderings made it to the lump load. Once the fire got there, away it went.
Like I said only once and I now pay much more attention to any potential run-off channel. FWIW-

pgprescott · February 2018

baychilla said:

No drip pan the plate setters a wee bit of a mess.

scrape with putty knife. done

baychilla · February 2018

I couldn't wait so I cut into it. The bark was very good (at little thick for my tastes, but that was the end of the flat). The Swamp Venom adds a nice bit of a kick to it. The brisket was pull apart tender, folded the way it was supposed to and was beefy.

The first/end cut after letting it rest @ room temp for 2 hours