First Brisket

[Shurley88]

I bought a 10 pound brisket yesterday and this will be my first brisket ever to smoke. I'm excited but looking for any tips. I read to put the bigger end towards the heat source which makes sense but I'm using a small electic smoker that is the size of a mini fridge, maybe a little bigger and the heat source is at the bottom. So would I still lay the brisket on the grates normal or would I need to stand it up in the smoker? Thanks.

 

[BKING!]

I bought a 10 pound brisket yesterday and this will be my first brisket ever to smoke. I'm excited but looking for any tips. I read to put the bigger end towards the heat source which makes sense but I'm using a small electic smoker that is the size of a mini fridge, maybe a little bigger and the heat source is at the bottom. So would I still lay the brisket on the grates normal or would I need to stand it up in the smoker? Thanks.

Just lay it in like normal. If I had to give one tip it would be to cook to tenderness and not internal temp. Maybe start checking for tenderness around 195-200 deg in the thickest part of the flat. The flat is the last to get tender which is why I say use that as a guideline. If it doesn’t feel like you are probing warm butter when you check the flat with your thermometer, then give it another 30 minutes in the smoker. Keep checking for tenderness every 30 minutes until it probes like warm butter.

 

[BaxtersBBQ]

I agree with bking. Just lay it in normal. Make sure you update this with some pics! Can’t wait to see how it turns out!

 

[Blues1]

Agree with tenderness test...and start before you think you should. Always seems to take longer than you expect.

 

[tallbm]

I bought a 10 pound brisket yesterday and this will be my first brisket ever to smoke. I'm excited but looking for any tips. I read to put the bigger end towards the heat source which makes sense but I'm using a small electic smoker that is the size of a mini fridge, maybe a little bigger and the heat source is at the bottom. So would I still lay the brisket on the grates normal or would I need to stand it up in the smoker? Thanks.

Hi there and welcome!

BKING and the others have provided some great info and I agree with em!

Briskets and pork butts are done when they are tender not by time or temp alone.

If your smoker runs at 275F you can estimate a little over 1hr a pound on that brisket. AGAIN the brisket is done when it is tender all over not based on the time estimate I provided at that smoker temp.

Confused yet hahahha?
I gave the time estimate so that if you want to eat at noon you will put that brisket in the night before.
With a brisket and a pork butt ALWAYS estimate how long it is generally gonna take (at 275F a little over an hours pound) then add 4 hours for safety. BTW briskets don't care what temp you cook them at so I always go 275F to save some time and nail my time estimates.

So if u want to eat at noon you will want the brisket to be done around 8am and give a 4 hour rest/"oh crap" buffer of time. If the brisket comes out done 4-5 hours early then that is perfect. You simply double wrap tightly in foil, wrap tightly in 3 bath towels and set it on the table/counter until just before noon (4 hrs later) where you will unwrap it and slice it while it is STILL piping hot! Trust me it will be piping hot 4 hours later if done this way and the rest time will do the meat wonders!

If the brisket doesnt finish 4 hours early well you have 4 hours of time for it to still finish.

Finally I always recommend people trim their brisket where they cut away the thin portion of the flat to where what is left behind of the flat is roughly the same thickness all over. The really thin portion will just burn up and be useless so repurposing that good meat is a way better alternative.
I always show this diagram to help visualize what I am saying:


You can see my trimming post here that shows burnt up thin portions of brisket flat and a good trimmed brisket flat.


The lack of poor estimation is probably the #1 reason why people have failures on their briskets... especially with first attempts so please head the warnings with this info!

Estimate properly according to your smoker temp. Trim it well. Put a thermometer in the center most thickest part of the flat and when it is around 200F start checking for tenderness and pull when it is tender (I stab all over with a bamboo kabob skewer to check).
Do these things and you should have a pretty good 1st brisket attempt that you can learn from and improve from. After a few attempts you will nail it im sure! :)

 

[Shurley88]

Hi there and welcome!

BKING and the others have provided some great info and I agree with em!

Briskets and pork butts are done when they are tender not by time or temp alone.

If your smoker runs at 275F you can estimate a little over 1hr a pound on that brisket. AGAIN the brisket is done when it is tender all over not based on the time estimate I provided at that smoker temp.

Confused yet hahahha?
I gave the time estimate so that if you want to eat at noon you will put that brisket in the night before.
With a brisket and a pork butt ALWAYS estimate how long it is generally gonna take (at 275F a little over an hours pound) then add 4 hours for safety. BTW briskets don't care what temp you cook them at so I always go 275F to save some time and nail my time estimates.

So if u want to eat at noon you will want the brisket to be done around 8am and give a 4 hour rest/"oh crap" buffer of time. If the brisket comes out done 4-5 hours early then that is perfect. You simply double wrap tightly in foil, wrap tightly in 3 bath towels and set it on the table/counter until just before noon (4 hrs later) where you will unwrap it and slice it while it is STILL piping hot! Trust me it will be piping hot 4 hours later if done this way and the rest time will do the meat wonders!

If the brisket doesnt finish 4 hours early well you have 4 hours of time for it to still finish.

Finally I always recommend people trim their brisket where they cut away the thin portion of the flat to where what is left behind of the flat is roughly the same thickness all over. The really thin portion will just burn up and be useless so repurposing that good meat is a way better alternative.
I always show this diagram to help visualize what I am saying:
View attachment 440405

You can see my trimming post here that shows burnt up thin portions of brisket flat and a good trimmed brisket flat.


The lack of poor estimation is probably the #1 reason why people have failures on their briskets... especially with first attempts so please head the warnings with this info!

Estimate properly according to your smoker temp. Trim it well. Put a thermometer in the center most thickest part of the flat and when it is around 200F start checking for tenderness and pull when it is tender (I stab all over with a bamboo kabob skewer to check).
Do these things and you should have a pretty good 1st brisket attempt that you can learn from and improve from. After a few attempts you will nail it im sure! :)

 

[Shurley88]

Thanks for the advice. If it's a tight fit with the brisket and smoker is it ok for me to cut it in half to make it fit?

 

[schlotz]

I wouldn't. Find a brick, wrap it in foil and lay the brisket over it.

 

[SmokinAl]

Boy you sure got a lot of good advice from the group!
I wouldn’t cut it in half I would trim it enough so it will fit, then grind the trimmings & use them for burgers.
Al

 

[Shurley88]

Boy you sure got a lot of good advice from the group!
I wouldn’t cut it in half I would trim it enough so it will fit, then grind the trimmings & use them for burgers.
Al

So basicly just cut off what needs to be cut off to get it to fit in the smoker? Also my electric smoker just has a little tray for wood chips. Any advice on keeping the smoke rolling out of it? I've smoked a few things so I'm sure the answer is just keep filling it up once it burns out lol. And just use water in the liquid tray or should I use something else? Thanks guys I really appreciate it.

 

[tallbm]

So basicly just cut off what needs to be cut off to get it to fit in the smoker? Also my electric smoker just has a little tray for wood chips. Any advice on keeping the smoke rolling out of it? I've smoked a few things so I'm sure the answer is just keep filling it up once it burns out lol. And just use water in the liquid tray or should I use something else? Thanks guys I really appreciate it.

I'm with the guys on trimming it to where it fits. It can be a tight fit as the brisket will shrink by at lat least 1/3 of the size it was when u put it in so if its a little bit of a tight trim and fit it won't be when it is done lol.

As for the smoke I think you are right, u just gotta do what that smoker wants.
Now in the future check out the A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker tray (AMNPS) and check out the Mailbox Mods.
In short the tray holds pellets or wood dust (not chips) and burns like a snake for up to 12 hours and puts out perfect no hassle smoke!
The mailbox mod is a modification where guy stake a mailbox, a 3 inch elbow joint, and an alluminum duct and rig it up as a contraption that hooks to the lower side area of an electric smoker. They use the use the AMNPS and put it in the mailbox part of the contraption and the smoke flows up and through the ducting into the smoker. The smoke generation is independent of the smoker eating up and u never have to open the smoker to mess with the smoke!

Here is my setup, but there are many different varations. If you can use the AMNPS and pellets life will be so much better, thats what almost all of us electric smoker guys use :)



I hope this info helps! :)

 

[Shurley88]

I'm with the guys on trimming it to where it fits. It can be a tight fit as the brisket will shrink by at lat least 1/3 of the size it was when u put it in so if its a little bit of a tight trim and fit it won't be when it is done lol.

As for the smoke I think you are right, u just gotta do what that smoker wants.
Now in the future check out the A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker tray (AMNPS) and check out the Mailbox Mods.
In short the tray holds pellets or wood dust (not chips) and burns like a snake for up to 12 hours and puts out perfect no hassle smoke!
The mailbox mod is a modification where guy stake a mailbox, a 3 inch elbow joint, and an alluminum duct and rig it up as a contraption that hooks to the lower side area of an electric smoker. They use the use the AMNPS and put it in the mailbox part of the contraption and the smoke flows up and through the ducting into the smoker. The smoke generation is independent of the smoker eating up and u never have to open the smoker to mess with the smoke!

Here is my setup, but there are many different varations. If you can use the AMNPS and pellets life will be so much better, thats what almost all of us electric smoker guys use :)
View attachment 440567
View attachment 440568

I hope this info helps! :)

I might just give that a shot and rig that up and try the pellets. Do they last/burn longer than wood chips to where I wouldn't have to tend to it as much?

 

[tallbm]

I might just give that a shot and rig that up and try the pellets. Do they last/burn longer than wood chips to where I wouldn't have to tend to it as much?

If you use the AMNPS yeah they last a lot longer than chips. It will burn pellets for 12 hours no hassle once you get it going properly. It puts out perfect smoke.
With my setup I put a brisket or a porkbutt to smoke over not and once I know the pellets are going well for a couple of hours (start at like 9p or 10pm) I just go to bed and let my digital thermometer alarms wake me up or tell me the next morning when to check for tenderness haha. Truly set and forget and amazing bbq! :)

 

[smokinfam]

I'm with the guys on trimming it to where it fits. It can be a tight fit as the brisket will shrink by at lat least 1/3 of the size it was when u put it in so if its a little bit of a tight trim and fit it won't be when it is done lol.

As for the smoke I think you are right, u just gotta do what that smoker wants.
Now in the future check out the A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker tray (AMNPS) and check out the Mailbox Mods.
In short the tray holds pellets or wood dust (not chips) and burns like a snake for up to 12 hours and puts out perfect no hassle smoke!
The mailbox mod is a modification where guy stake a mailbox, a 3 inch elbow joint, and an alluminum duct and rig it up as a contraption that hooks to the lower side area of an electric smoker. They use the use the AMNPS and put it in the mailbox part of the contraption and the smoke flows up and through the ducting into the smoker. The smoke generation is independent of the smoker eating up and u never have to open the smoker to mess with the smoke!

Here is my setup, but there are many different varations. If you can use the AMNPS and pellets life will be so much better, thats what almost all of us electric smoker guys use :)
View attachment 440567
View attachment 440568

I hope this info helps! :)

Hi, I would like to try out this "mailbox" setup. Do you have any instructions? Thanks

 

[tallbm]

Hi, I would like to try out this "mailbox" setup. Do you have any instructions? Thanks

I do not have any instructions I have personally created. I have taken a much different route trying to be as compact, mobile, and efficient with my setup as possible which is NOT necessary for most.

Here is a thread that talks about building them and u can see a few other designs:
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/mailbox-mod.290070/

In short:

• Get a mailbox
• Get an 3 inch aluminum adjustable duct elbow joint to attach to the mailbox
• Get 3 inch aluminum ducting as long as you desire
• Get any other 3 inch solid duct to attach to the longer ducting to the MES ( u can just buy a 2nd adustable 3inch aluminum elboduct and adjust it to be straight lol)
• Get or have tools to cut through the mailbox (I have a dremel with metal cutting wheels)
• Cut the hole in the mailbox and fasten everything together

How u do the above can vary in many different ways but that is the gist of it. Let us know how u plan to go about it and if you have any questions, plenty here can help ya with your mailbox mod :)