Need advice- Smoking Brisket (Q-View)

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laziebun

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Mar 27, 2015
77
35
Central Illinois
I was giving the task of smoking a brisket for Easter dinner around 5.

I am using my trusty WSM and plan to smoke it around 250 degree. I am also using hickory wood soaked in water for a few hours. And monitor temps with the Maverick ET-733

I plan to drop the brisket in around 12am and hopefully reach a tenderness around 2pm, IT of 195'ish. Weather conditions around 37 with light wind overnight, so I should be okay.

Question for you experts on here;
1. Should I trim the fat?
2. Do I need to separate the point from the flat or just leave it as a whole brisket?

Any comments or recommendation are welcome.
 
Keep it whole I trim the hard fat then leave a 1/4 inch or so. I wouldn't soak the wood it will create steam not smoke that your looking for. What time are you serving? Usally you want to rest the brisket 1 1/2-2 hours wrapped in foil packed in a dry cooler with towels to rest. Use the search feature and read up on some members smokes for more info. Good luck and remember it's done when it's done not by IT probe or toothpick test it should slide in like a hot knife in butter.
 
Dinner is around 5pm. I plan to put it on the smoker around 12am and hopefully toothpick ready around 2-3 o'clock. Then rest in cooler until ready to serve!
 
I had that on chicken wasn't a big fan,but you may like it! I like my brisket with worchestshire and SPOG(salt pepper onion garlic) then I put a little turbinado sugar about 1 tablespoon per side. Have you tried the rub on anything?
 
It's been 2 hours and the IT is already 144..that's a lot faster than I expected. Can that be right? The smoker been holding steady around 230-245'ish. According to my Mav ET-733
 
It's been 2 hours and the IT is already 144..that's a lot faster than I expected. Can that be right? The smoker been holding steady around 230-245'ish. According to my Mav ET-733
Yeah, that could be right.  The rate of temp change will decrease as the temp goes up and with 230-245'ish chamber temps, you'll probably hit a nice little stall in a bit.
 
I plan to use this...
I have not used it before however looking up the ingredients it would appear to be OK. It is not predominantly salt - which a lot of commercial "rubs" can be. I don't think it will be a problem.
Question for you experts on here;
1. Should I trim the fat?
2. Do I need to separate the point from the flat or just leave it as a whole brisket?
 
There are almost as many ways of cooking brisket as here are members here. Personally I leave it whole and do trim off all the fat - including the fat under the flap. This also gives a larger surface area for the rub. I usually then smoke open for the first 3 hours before wrapping in foil for the remainder of the time.

As b-one mentioned you do need to wrap it in some form of insulation and let it rest for at least an hour and a half before carving.
 
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Just took the hood off for some spray with root beer and mop with some Baby Ray BBQ.

There was a lot of moisture in the crevices, is that normal?
 
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I think I started to early...currently the IT is 187 and I think I need to pull it off the smoker. I want to be able to slice it, and dinner isn't until 5 pm. What should I do YIKES!
 
Wow it cooked pretty fast it happens. Try getting the smoker temp down is your best bet IMO. I use the water pan with briskets and brak is always fine I do not sauce or spray but you should still have a tasty hunk of meat. If you can get the smoker to around 200-225 your IT will slow as the temp difference wont be enough to really raise your IT. When it's probe tender let it cool about 10 min then wrap in foil and towels into the cooler any extra space in the cooler try to fill with towels I would put your therm in the meat to watch your temp if your worried how long your holding it you want to stay above 140*F.
 
Thanks B-One for the input.

That's excaclty what I did, shut all the bottom vent and left the top open. I actually drained the water pan, maybe I should put some water back in to lower the smoker temp (?). It's currently sitting at 189 waiting for the IT to hit 195 and then pull, 10 min rest, then wrap into cooler.
 
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