First Time Brisket Cook

slick_rick · November 2020

So finally taking a stab at Brisket. I found a 10 pound Brisket that will fit on my Medium egg. I know it's tough to say but trying to get a gauge on how long it should take. Rough plan is to run it at 250 and wrap in butcher paper around 165/170. Any ideas on how many hours this should take? Trying to decide if I should start at midnight or wait a little if i want to eat around 4 pm.

Another question I had was how long do people typically rest their Briskets? If it finishes early is there a cap? I don't have a big enough cooler, but figured stashing in my oven turned off should do. Any other general tips/tricks would be greatly appreciated. I will be sure to be back and post some progress pics!

lousubcap · November 2020

Just sent you a PM that will answer your above questions and provide some additional info.
Have fun with the cook.

dmchicago · November 2020

lousubcap said:

Just sent you a PM that will answer your above questions and provide some additional info.
Have fun with the cook.

This guy briskets.

slick_rick · November 2020

lousubcap said:

Just sent you a PM that will answer your above questions and provide some additional info.
Have fun with the cook.

Awesome thanks!

Photo Egg · November 2020

Yes, follow above advice.
As far a fitting in a cooler...after is shrinks up, a 10# will fit in in any cooler larger than a 12 pack cooler and will hold easily for 4-5 hours if needed.
You must have a buddy with a cooler you can borrow.

brentm · November 2020

Lou has a good game plan.

I generally allow for about 2 hours per pound at 200 degrees. If it finishes early, I let it rest longer in the cooler. It hasn't been an issue generally unless it finishes 6+ hours early.

I try to smoke at lower temperatures than 250 because I do not like smoke from the fat. If you don't trim it well, or you have a real fatty brisket. You'll get a fair amount of oil in your drip pan that will begin to smoke as it breaks down. So I stand my pan off the plate setter with a CG spider. But you could use a few large bolts to create an air gap. Lard smokes at 374 degrees.

As you approach your dinner time, check the brisket temperature. In my estimation, I've been able to "push" a maximum of+10 degree changes on a per hour basis by raising the egg temperature and tightly wrapping in aluminum foil.

That 10 degree per hour benchmark is what I work backwards from to roughly arrive at 200 degrees about 30 minutes before dinner (it's gotta rest a lil).

Above all, pull it when it's probe tender. Start checking for tenderness at ~185 or 190.

I hope this is helpful and not too contrarian to any other advice you've received so far.

Also, if you use your oven instead of a cooler. Wrap it in a towel first to help retain the heat. And don't go right from the cooker to the UNHEATED oven (using it as a cooler) without letting it steam/vent for about 7 or so minutes to stop it from cooking.

Mark_B_Good · November 2020

At 225F dome (try and keep the dome at 225F ... it's better to go slow with this cook, if you nail it, it'll be one of the best things you've tasted), I'd say around 8 hours or so to reach 160F internal on a 10 lb brisket ... but you have to watch where the temperature stalls ... you'll see it won't move much for a while (check every 15 minutes), could be at 150F, could be at 165F ... point is, when you hit the stall then wrap it, and that will push through the stall ... probably another 3 hours to hit 200F. I take mine off at 195F to be honest, and it keeps cooking through when towel wrapped and slow cool ... so it hits 200F. Others have told me to push to 205F ... I just don't have the guts to change an outcome I really enjoy (I like juicy brisket).

You can let it rest for up to around 4h (I've actually done even longer ... but). I think if you can be eating it between 1h and 2h resting that's probably a good window.

Don't want to say much more because lousubcap has WAY more experience than I do. WAY MORE!

lousubcap · November 2020

Regarding brisket (or any other cook), whatever works for you is all that counts. All good inputs above.

slick_rick · November 2020

Thanks All - I appreciate all the input. I have already been peppering Lousubcap with some questions in the DMs.

Sounds like probing in the thickets part of the flat is key.

My buddy has a YETI backpack that I think should work for the cooler. Living in Manhattan theres less buddies with coolers than you'd exepct.

CMH88 · November 2020

@lousubcap can you PM me your brisket info? TIA

lousubcap · November 2020

CMH88 said:

@lousubcap can you PM me your brisket info? TIA

Done.

Mark_B_Good · November 2020

slick_rick said:

Thanks All - I appreciate all the input. I have already been peppering Lousubcap with some questions in the DMs.

Sounds like probing in the thickets part of the flat is key.

My buddy has a YETI backpack that I think should work for the cooler. Living in Manhattan theres less buddies with coolers than you'd exepct.

There's some tricks I'm sure Lousubcap likely mentioned. On the flat, I like to keep a thicker layer of fat on, and I trim a lot of fat off the tip. The fat protects the thinner flat from overcooking, while you are waiting for that thicker tip to reach a good temp.

slick_rick · November 2020

Mark_B_Good said:

slick_rick said:

Thanks All - I appreciate all the input. I have already been peppering Lousubcap with some questions in the DMs.

Sounds like probing in the thickets part of the flat is key.

My buddy has a YETI backpack that I think should work for the cooler. Living in Manhattan theres less buddies with coolers than you'd exepct.

There's some tricks I'm sure Lousubcap likely mentioned. On the flat, I like to keep a thicker layer of fat on, and I trim a lot of fat off the tip. The fat protects the thinner flat from overcooking, while you are waiting for that thicker tip to reach a good temp.

That makes a lot of sense. Will keep that in mind when I go to trim. Thanks!

nolaegghead · November 2020

Good luck!

Mark_B_Good · November 2020

slick_rick said:

Mark_B_Good said:

slick_rick said:

Thanks All - I appreciate all the input. I have already been peppering Lousubcap with some questions in the DMs.

Sounds like probing in the thickets part of the flat is key.

My buddy has a YETI backpack that I think should work for the cooler. Living in Manhattan theres less buddies with coolers than you'd exepct.

There's some tricks I'm sure Lousubcap likely mentioned. On the flat, I like to keep a thicker layer of fat on, and I trim a lot of fat off the tip. The fat protects the thinner flat from overcooking, while you are waiting for that thicker tip to reach a good temp.

That makes a lot of sense. Will keep that in mind when I go to trim. Thanks!

There's other tricks too, I have to go back to confirm, but I think you cook fat down, then wrap and cook fat up, then when you cool, it's fat down again ... protects from overcooking, and then after that, it protects the bark ... someone correct me if I'm wrong.

There was that amazing video someone posted about cooking a brisket on a kettle bbq ... with coals. It explained everything.

DainW · November 2020

Mark_B_Good said:

slick_rick said:

Mark_B_Good said:

slick_rick said:

Thanks All - I appreciate all the input. I have already been peppering Lousubcap with some questions in the DMs.

Sounds like probing in the thickets part of the flat is key.

My buddy has a YETI backpack that I think should work for the cooler. Living in Manhattan theres less buddies with coolers than you'd exepct.

There's some tricks I'm sure Lousubcap likely mentioned. On the flat, I like to keep a thicker layer of fat on, and I trim a lot of fat off the tip. The fat protects the thinner flat from overcooking, while you are waiting for that thicker tip to reach a good temp.

That makes a lot of sense. Will keep that in mind when I go to trim. Thanks!

There's other tricks too, I have to go back to confirm, but I think you cook fat down, then wrap and cook fat up, then when you cool, it's fat down again ... protects from overcooking, and then after that, it protects the bark ... someone correct me if I'm wrong.

There was that amazing video someone posted about cooking a brisket on a kettle bbq ... with coals. It explained everything.

For me, fat cap up or down would depend on the cooker and where the heat source is coming from. On the egg, I go fat side down because the heat is coming from below and the radiant heat from the plate setter can get really hot. The fat cap protects the brisket in a sense. Once you’ve wrapped, I don’t really think it matters how you orient the brisket in the cooker.

I wouldn’t necessarily plan on wrapping at a certain temperature. If I wrap, I go by the color and bark formation. Once a brisket goes into a wrap, you aren’t going to improve the bark. You may not get the bark you like until you reach 175 or 180 even so planning on wrapping at say 165 would mean you might ultimately not be satisfied with bark formation.

For what it’s worth, I really don’t ever “plan” on wrapping at all. I prefer the bark I get when I run the whole cook without wrapping in fact. I’ll generally only wrap when I feel that the brisket is maybe too dry or when the stall is lasting too long and I need to push through the cook.

Mark_B_Good · November 2020

DainW said:

Mark_B_Good said:

slick_rick said:

Mark_B_Good said:

slick_rick said:

Thanks All - I appreciate all the input. I have already been peppering Lousubcap with some questions in the DMs.

Sounds like probing in the thickets part of the flat is key.

My buddy has a YETI backpack that I think should work for the cooler. Living in Manhattan theres less buddies with coolers than you'd exepct.

There's some tricks I'm sure Lousubcap likely mentioned. On the flat, I like to keep a thicker layer of fat on, and I trim a lot of fat off the tip. The fat protects the thinner flat from overcooking, while you are waiting for that thicker tip to reach a good temp.

That makes a lot of sense. Will keep that in mind when I go to trim. Thanks!

There's other tricks too, I have to go back to confirm, but I think you cook fat down, then wrap and cook fat up, then when you cool, it's fat down again ... protects from overcooking, and then after that, it protects the bark ... someone correct me if I'm wrong.

There was that amazing video someone posted about cooking a brisket on a kettle bbq ... with coals. It explained everything.

For me, fat cap up or down would depend on the cooker and where the heat source is coming from. On the egg, I go fat side down because the heat is coming from below and the radiant heat from the plate setter can get really hot. The fat cap protects the brisket in a sense. Once you’ve wrapped, I don’t really think it matters how you orient the brisket in the cooker.

I wouldn’t necessarily plan on wrapping at a certain temperature. If I wrap, I go by the color and bark formation. Once a brisket goes into a wrap, you aren’t going to improve the bark. You may not get the bark you like until you reach 175 or 180 even so planning on wrapping at say 165 would mean you might ultimately not be satisfied with bark formation.

For what it’s worth, I really don’t ever “plan” on wrapping at all. I prefer the bark I get when I run the whole cook without wrapping in fact. I’ll generally only wrap when I feel that the brisket is maybe too dry or when the stall is lasting too long and I need to push through the cook.

That video I watched ... I wish I could find it, said fat up to protect the bark during the wrap phase, and then fat down to protect it again on the cool down?? It was all about protecting the formed bark.

By the way, I know I might get shot by this ... but what is the big deal about the bark ... is it just for looks, or flavor ... I mean I've had the most amazing brisket (taste wise) and I don't think it had that almost black bark everyone is looking for... so what is the big deal if the bark isn't as intense?

DainW · November 2020

I think a big part of the bark craziness is probably aesthetics. It looks good in pictures basically. I like the taste of a good crispy bark, but sometimes you can sacrifice moisture in searching for that perfect bark.

Send me the video if you find it, curious to see what it says. Like I said I always go fat down on the egg to protect from the radiant heat coming up from underneath. I don’t think it matters once you wrap or when you’re cooling down bc the wrap itself will protect from the heat. That being said, the side that is up will always get better bark formation than the side that’s down, so I always try to stay consistent with how I am orienting it. If I cook fat side down to start, then that’s the presentation side and I’m going to keep that side down the whole time being mindful that setting the brisket down could ruin bark on the side it’s sat down on if that makes sense.

Mark_B_Good · November 2020

OK I found it ... it's actually an awesome video if you are a beginner (or want to refine something, or if you forgot something like me) ... so 17 min mark is where they start to wrap ... I got it wrong ... so when they wrap they keep fat side down .... but when they towel wrap and cool ... fat side is UP! This protects the bark ... prevents it from washing out as steam condenses.

https://youtu.be/azwKFQKAqxs

slick_rick · November 2020

One more question - what type of wood chunks does everyone usually use? I was planning on going with some hickory.

lousubcap · November 2020

Hickory works well as do any of the heavier hardwoods like oak or post oak (which is a challenge to find outside of the south). Pecan also works for me.
I don't go with the fruit woods with brisket but those who do enjoy the outcome. FWIW-

DainW · November 2020

Mark_B_Good said:

OK I found it ... it's actually an awesome video if you are a beginner (or want to refine something, or if you forgot something like me) ... so 17 min mark is where they start to wrap ... I got it wrong ... so when they wrap they keep fat side down .... but when they towel wrap and cool ... fat side is UP! This protects the bark ... prevents it from washing out as steam condenses.

https://youtu.be/azwKFQKAqxs

That’s actually an interesting theory he has about how to orient the brisket in the cooler during the rest. I’ve never had a brisket bark “wash out” on me during the wrap or the rest phase. What I have had happen is my temps get a little too high during the wrap phase and bark sticks to the paper.

One thing I noticed about the video is that he went directly from grill to cooler with the wrapped brisket and didn’t cool it down first. I think most people here would tell you to let the brisket cool down on a wire rack for 20 min or so before wrapping back up so as to stop the cooking process before going into the rest phase. The brisket shouldn’t be releasing juices during the rest phase, at least not enough to wash out bark. If he’s having this problem it’s because his brisket isn’t resting in the cooler, it’s cooking in the cooler. When the meat cooks it tightens up and releases juices. The idea behind the rest is to allow the meat to relax and absorb some of the juices back. If you take a brisket tightly wrapped in foil off a hot grill and throw it into a Yeti it’s going to gain another 10-15 degrees in carryover cooking.

All that being said, his end product looked good. At the end of the day, I think it’s about having a plan that you’re confident in and executing it.

ThrasherIII · November 2020

lousubcap said:

CMH88 said:

@lousubcap can you PM me your brisket info? TIA

Done.

Would it br possible to get those instructions?
i anm also doing my first packer brisket as i guess it’s called. Costco $3.49 a # for Prime.
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

lousubcap · November 2020

ThrasherIII said:

lousubcap said:

CMH88 said:

@lousubcap can you PM me your brisket info? TIA

Done.

Would it br possible to get those instructions?
i anm also doing my first packer brisket as i guess it’s called. Costco $3.49 a # for Prime.
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Done.

ThrasherIII · November 2020

lousubcap said:

ThrasherIII said:

lousubcap said:

CMH88 said:

@lousubcap can you PM me your brisket info? TIA

Done.

Would it br possible to get those instructions?
i anm also doing my first packer brisket as i guess it’s called. Costco $3.49 a # for Prime.
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Done.

Thank you very much, I followed a lot of those Franklin videos. I may have trimmed off a little too much fat. Hey it’s the first one and is something i will try again. Thank you again

slick_rick · November 2020

Hi all - reporting back and it went pretty well yesterday! Got the brisket trimmed up and on the egg at 345 am. Hit the stall early in the morning and I could not believe that it was just sitting at 173 for 2 straight hours, but per everyone's advice here I did not panic. I wrapped slightly after that once the bark was looking good and then it hit 203 right around 1230. So right around 9 hours which lines up with around an hour per pound. I will say the temp on my egg fluctuated more than it ever has on long cook like this. Over the course of the first few hours the temp was slightly different every time I came out to check.

Once I took it off the egg I let it sit for a round 25 minutes before I FTC'd for 3 hours and then sliced. The bark held up nicely and had a really nice smokey flavor. The point had a ton of flavor and for the most part wasn't too fatty. The flat kinda dried out on my though. Not sure if the the long rest caused it to dry out or overcook? Overall though for my first time I would call it a success. All of my friends were raving about. I have less leftovers than anticipated, but I need to figure out a plan for those.

Thanks so much to all for you advice here, especially lousubcap! I only took a few videos as I was cooking, but I think some of my friends have some pics from slicing so will try to get those up later.

ThrasherIII · November 2020

After 12 hours at 240 wrapped at 147 IT in butcher paper. Internal temp 158, dome temp raised to 300. People are starting to get impatient. Any suggestions this is a 8# brisket.

saluki2007 · November 2020

Your audible sounds right. Ones it gets to 190 your window will come fast and will be short so make sure you are checking every 20 mins or so.

ThrasherIII · November 2020

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/cz/hxrikygnngu5.jpeg

This was 5:35 am ran about 235-240 F

ThrasherIII · November 2020

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/ab/p7nv1n5uritc.jpeg

This was at 9:00 pm had to cut the front half of flat off to feed the guests no complaints. Had to up the temp to 300 the last hour. Will make adjustments but this was a journey worth the time. A very grateful thanks to lousubcap.

lousubcap · November 2020

Looks great to me. I would crush that. Congrats on staying the course.
Every cook is a learning experience. Right back on that horse.

First Time Brisket Cook

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