Packer Prime Beef Brisket Advice

[SconnieQ]

A month late... but I cut the brisket in half. Put the flat fat side up on the top rack. Put the point fat side down on a rack below. I put a temp probe in both pieces, and go for 195 in the flat, and 200-205 in the point. Because of the way they are arranged in the smoker, they both seem to get to their temps at about the same time.

I had always wondered about this when i was doing the research on this stuff..... are you cutting it directly in half or angling it when you cut in half.  My wife has been getting on me and wanting me to do a brisket so this is what im going to have to do it looks like so i want to make sure im on the same page with everything!

Derek, I used to angle cut, trying to separate the point from the flat through the fat. I don't do that anymore for two reasons. 1) you end up creating a lot of thin ends. They can dry out. 2) I like keeping that fat layer intact. It tastes good! So...just cut straight down through down the middle. Your cut ends will be nice and thick, and have a little point and a little flat.

 

[ibanez122]

A month late... but I cut the brisket in half. Put the flat fat side up on the top rack. Put the point fat side down on a rack below. I put a temp probe in both pieces, and go for 195 in the flat, and 200-205 in the point. Because of the way they are arranged in the smoker, they both seem to get to their temps at about the same time.

I had always wondered about this when i was doing the research on this stuff..... are you cutting it directly in half or angling it when you cut in half.  My wife has been getting on me and wanting me to do a brisket so this is what im going to have to do it looks like so i want to make sure im on the same page with everything!

Derek, I used to angle cut, trying to separate the point from the flat through the fat. I don't do that anymore for two reasons. 1) you end up creating a lot of thin ends. They can dry out. 2) I like keeping that fat layer intact. It tastes good! So...just cut straight down through down the middle. Your cut ends will be nice and thick, and have a little point and a little flat.

Thanks Kari!  One of the main reasons I had asked about which way to cut is because I had always read was to cut along the fat line - didn't read about the downsides to that so thanks for the info!  Gotta go buy another temperature prob to do this!

 

[ibanez122]

Hey all.  Ive been absent here for a while.  Got a 14 lb prime from costco a few days ago and am doing the ScoonieQ method of cutting in half.  Both parts are in right now as we speak.  Went in at 7 this morning, but the flat is already sitting at 190.  Only think I can think of is the temp probe isnt right.  The point is sitting at like 130.  I went ahead and wrapped the flat in butcher paper.  Should i just disregard the temp prob at this point on and do the toothpick test here later on.  I know by now that its obviously not done at this point, but its very frustrating.

 

[LarryD]

Hey all.  Ive been absent here for a while.  Got a 14 lb prime from costco a few days ago and am doing the ScoonieQ method of cutting in half.  Both parts are in right now as we speak.  Went in at 7 this morning, but the flat is already sitting at 190.  Only think I can think of is the temp probe isnt right.  The point is sitting at like 130.  I went ahead and wrapped the flat in butcher paper.  Should i just disregard the temp prob at this point on and do the toothpick test here later on.  I know by now that its obviously not done at this point, but its very frustrating.

It's possible the probe is placed in a fat pocket...  did you try moving the probe?  My meter has four probes and this is exactly why I put two probes in each piece.    In my personal experience, the point and the flat get done at almost the exact same time using your chosen method, so I'd just go by the point and the jiggle/poke tests.

 

[SconnieQ]

The SconnieQ method is foolproof! Ok, I'm biased. I think either your probe or probe placement was causing the issue. The meat itself just does not cook that way. So, I would probably adjust the placement of the probe. But... I also have multiple probes, so the more you can put in there the better. There are so many fat pockets and odd spaces in brisket, that multiple probes helps with peace of mind. Go by the lowest temperature that registers on the probes.