Tips for 4.8 lb. Brisket ?

[Judge]

I live in the middle of nowhere in Ohio. My county is 425 square miles and only has one grocery store. Sam's Club is 60 miles. So my grocery rarely has any brisket but had them on sale today. My "plan" is to brine 24 hours with DM's brine. Mustard and rub then let that sit overnight, Smoke at 215 to 225 til 165 then wrap and continue to smoke til 195. Estimating about 5 hours to 165 then 2,5 more in foil? This my first attempt at brisket so any input or tips anyone has will be appreciated. The pic is a big red I took i Hilton Head this year

 

[DivotMaker]

Hi Judge!

I certainly understand your inability to get better cuts than your grocery store offers.  As an option, there are online sellers that will ship really good meat to you.

Your plan is good, except the foil.  No reason for that in an SI...just make sure you have a water pan in place on the floor of the smoker, next to the smoke box.  Now, keep in mind that small cuts really have a mind of their own!  They can take much longer, per pound, than ones 3x as big!  I once smoked a 4 lb corned beef brisket that took 12 hours!  3 hours per pound!  That's when I learned about small cuts.  This is pretty much limited to any type of cut that will go through a "stall" (where the temp stops climbing as the internal fat renders in the meat).  So, pork butts and briskets that are really small will be unpredictable on time, so be prepared! 

Smoke it at 225 until it hits 190.  If it's a flat, it will definitely benefit from the brine!  Since you are brining, don't let the rub sit on it overnight...it will be too salty.  Rinse thoroughly out of the brine, pat dry, mustard and rub an into the smoker!

 

[SconnieQ]

I agree with all of that advice, except wrapping. In the case of a small brisket cut of that size, it most likely is a flat. And probably the thin end. Don't trim any fat off of it. I am all in favor of wrapping at around 160 or so in foil in this circumstance. But only for small flats, of questionable quality.

 

[DivotMaker]

I agree, Kari... good point about the thin flat!

 

[Judge]

Thanks
by the time i got a chance to read these it was already rubbed and left wrapped at the camp overnight. will pop it in in the morning and see what happens.

 

[DivotMaker]

No worries!  Since you're smoking in the morning, you might want to rinse it well and not rub it again until it goes in the smoker.  This will remove the salt on the surface.  Might just keep it from being too salty, which you can't recover from once it's smoked!

 

[Judge]

will do
thanks again

 

[Judge]

In smoker at 8:30 am
got to 165 at 3 pm
wrapped in 3 layers foil and popped in a cooler
brought it home and into 225 oven at 3:30
temp read 154
It is now 6:45 and the temp is 180 and rising

 

[Judge]

reached 190 at 7:45
45 minute rest and unwrapped and sliced at 8:30
12 hours start to finish for a 4.8 lb. flat
unfortunately I did not follow DM's advice about rinsing and rerubbing  and the flat was a little too salty. But very tender and juicy not at all dry. First brisket I have ever eaten. I was impressed so was my wife. Her first brisket too.

 

[SuperDave]

If you have some leftovers, try warming in a pan of low sodium beef broth for French Dip sandwiches and see if that removes some of the salty taste. 

 

[DivotMaker]

Sounds about right on time!  Crazy how the small cuts take SO long!  Next time, try and find a 11-12 lb packer (whole) brisket...you'll be glad you did!

 

[es1025]

I smoke brisket at 250. The smaller briskets should be about 1/lb. i only smoke flat, thats whats available in my area.