Small brisket

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mr mac

Master of the Pit
Original poster
SMF Premier Member
Oct 19, 2009
1,314
494
Doniphan MO
So, for Thanksgiving I was asked to smoke a brisket. I received a rather small one (3.3#) from a member and, like so many here, the brisket has always given me fits!

My question is, how do I get this little thing ( a brisqutte) all nice and tender and falling apart like my father-in-law does with those bigguns he buys? I have a choice between my small Brinkmann gasser or the RO electric.

Thoughts?
 
ok so I have to say this. "size doesnt matter" lol I would use the electric personally, and go low and slow until you get the internal temp you want. 190 would be my target. Rub well, and spritz well. end product should be great! Is this a 3.5 pound flat or is it the tip? My guess would be 4 to 6 hours at 225
 
Don't get me to lying!


And what about smoking it at the 225 mark until the meat hits around 160* and then foiling to the 205* mark? Again, the brisket has always been the thorn in my side so thanks for your patience.

Mac
 
Wrapping at 160 and bringing to 205 would be perfectly fine as well.
Again, only 205 if you are pulling. What issues have you had with briskets before?
 
Mac, you've got a good plan there. Go with the smoker you feel most comfortable with using and will give you steady temps.

Rub it with something nice and go for it.
 
Pulling is what I'm aiming for!

When I tried before I did it with charcoal in the Brinkmann 3-in-1 before I knew anything about the Minion method or the way my father-in-law does his. No, I tossed in a full pan of briquettes all kinds of jet engine hot and kept tossing more on top. Dry as the Sahara on a hot summer day!

The next round was with the same Brinkmann only this time I used propane and that stupid Warm-Ideal-Hot thing! I later checked and found out that ideal was somewhere around 265*! Keeping a small brisket in that temp for 1.5 hours per pound also gives you a nice, dry, grey lump of dead cow.

This time it I think it will be the RO electric (I've learned to control that temp pretty well provided the water tray stays filled) and I'm leaning strongly towards the double foil method with an apple cider/bourbon liquid and continue at the 225* until she reaches the 205* and then wrap and blanket for a minimum of one hour.

Mac
 
So that is a piece of a flat. personally I dont foil my Briskets until it's time to rest, but it's one of those personal preference things, and I always slice instead of pull. I use chuckies for pullin. If you keep your temps low, mop or spritz, and take it off when the internal temp is correct there should be no problems. Just listen to these guys when they say dont panic when it goes through it's plateau.
 
I promise I won't freak out and play with adjustments when that plateau hits me!

My usual rub recipe I think will be fine!

brown sugar
cumin
chili powder
onion powder
garlic powder
mustard
cracked black pepper
salt
smoked paprika

I will also rub the brisket with some Gulden's brown mustard for that little horseradish kick and then smoke over mesquite.
 
I think you should be good to go this time.
If you feel comfortable holding steady temps and you plan on wrapping at 165ish and bringing to 205 with a bit of liquid and pulling I don't see any problems with the plan.
On the tasty upside you will have liquid in the foil that you can ude to drizzle over top of the meat and it should be good enough to drink in the morning instead of a cup of coffee!
 
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