Is Brisket really that hard to cook?

The two best things you need for brisket are patience and beer, LOL. It helps to start with 'choice' grade meat or better. I prefer flats, not much of a point guy!

If you bought a packer, point and flat, use your XL. If you can, get the grid elevated into the dome. Use fire bricks or similar to hold the grid. This will give you better stability with temps. Make sure the themometer doesn't hit the meat. You want an indirect cook with the indirect piece protecting all the brisket. Cooking temp is 235ish grid with pecan, oak, hickory chunks. Maybe a little apple or cherry.



Trim the fat from the meat side, leave about 1/8"+ of fat along the sides and bottom fat cap. You can rub the night before or just before egging. I've had some luck with deeper smoke rings putting the brisket on cold.

The brisket goes on the grid fat cap down with no flipping during the cook. You can foil it once the brisket pulls out of the plateau stage or let it go unfoiled to 195-200 internal in the flat, thin section. The flat will get done first. The bark formation will set during the back end of the cook.

When the flat is done, 195-200 internal separate it from the point. The point will need more time to cook. Most folks will cut the point up into small pieces and make burnt ends. Others can help here as I'm not a point guy. Foil the flat and put in cooler for at least one hour to mellow. When ready to serve, slice against the grain. Remember brisket dries out fast, so the closer you can slice to serving the better. If you like add a little foil juice to your bbq sauce.

Oh ya, if it the flat comes out somewhat tough, chop and mix with bbq sauce. Tell the wife, you had a craving for chopped....LOL.

The arizona bbq associaton website had at one time a good narrative on packer trimming, not sure if it is still around. Might google brisket packer flat trimming or something similar.

Man, I need one of those beers now. Good luck.

Yes, but real lightly.

Mike

Just make sure you cut off a majority of the fat and only leave a little on the bottom. Maybe 1/8". Don't separate the point and the flat until you take it off when it hits 200. It will cut right off very easily. You can put the point back on the egg for a few hours more.

You are too kind, sir. About the only thing I "always" do with brisket is drink a beer, either when cooking or chowing down.

I guess I'm just lucky because I have never had a problem cooking a brisket. I do like most folks indirect and with a raised grid. I also go fat side down with most of the fat trimmed of. Now, the one think I have been doing is injecting it with Dr. BBQ's beef injection (found in his first book). I do this just before putting on the grid. I like the flavor and I think it helps keep things moist. My guess is after cooking this one you will have a new favorite cook.
Larry

I've had only great luck on brisket, and here's what I do. I have a medium Egg, so I separate the flat from the point, rub both with honey, and rub with Dizzy Pig Cowlick several hours before the cook. Set up a 225-250 cook with platesetter, flat on grid, and point on raised grid, and away we go until the flat hits 190-195 and passes the fork test, and the flat goes into the foil-towel-cooler routine while the point stays on the Egg until it passes the fork test. Not as easy as a pork butt, but darn good eats!