First shot at Brisket

[smokincraig]

I am a little nervous about this one to start off but I am sure I can get it figured out. I have a 6.5 pounder and got it all rubbed up with brown sugar and a rub that did not contain brown sugar. I did fresh ground pepper and some salt as well.

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• smokincraig
• Mar 16, 2017

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• smokincraig
• Mar 16, 2017

Into the fridge for the night.

Any tips or help with the time on a 6.5 lber? Temp and time ideas.

I was thinking 225 for about 8-12 wait til 180-190 and foil till the toothpick goes in with ease. Than pull off and into a towel lined cooler for an hour or 2? Let me know how that sounds. If I need to start earlier and go longer I can definitely do that as well. Kind of a bit intimidated to be honest.

 

[nascott]

Looks like a great start!

I did a 7# corned and a 9.5# traditional brisket today (See St. Patrick's thread)... The 7# corned was a bit more dense and took about the same time as the 9.5# traditional.  They both took about 6.5 hours to get to just over 150 at which point I sealed it in a pan with a juice mixture (about 9 ounces total... mostly apple juice, some BBQ sauce and honey) and sealed it up.  After another 3 hours on the smoker at about 230/240, it hit 200 and I took it off, let it sit in the warming drawer for a half hour and carved away.

Can't go wrong with Salt, Pepper, and Brown Sugar! 

I hope it turns out well!

 

[SmokinAl]

Looks like a great start!

Sounds like you have a solid plan!

Al

 

[olerockytop]

I'm also about to take my first shot at a brisket this weekend and had a few questions. 

Before foiling, should I be spraying the brisket with some kind of mixture on a regular basis?

Any suggestions on what to use for a mop sauce for when I do foil it?

I did a pork shoulder last week following the sticky and it turned out great but the brisket sticky doesn't seem to have as much info in it. I'm just looking for a fairly basic brisket method for a starter. 

 

[smokincraig]

I am not going to mop or spray mine but from everything I have read and kind of understood is it is not necessary. Supposedly once you foil it keeps the moisture in for the emulsification process. But I am new to smoking so I don't know for sure. I will let you know how it turns out. Maybe someone on here can chime in make sure we don't need to if we choose not to. But as I go I am not going to mop or spray and just foil once it gets in the temp range I am looking for.

 

[gr0uch0]

I am not going to mop or spray mine but from everything I have read and kind of understood is it is not necessary. Supposedly once you foil it keeps the moisture in for the emulsification process. But I am new to smoking so I don't know for sure. I will let you know how it turns out. Maybe someone on here can chime in make sure we don't need to if we choose not to. But as I go I am not going to mop or spray and just foil once it gets in the temp range I am looking for.

You're on the right track, no need to add liquids.  Use parchment or pink paper to wrap, as it will help retain your bark vs. foil which traps the steam in and softens it.

 

[smokincraig]

You're on the right track, no need to add liquids.  Use parchment or pink paper to wrap, as it will help retain your bark vs. foil which traps the steam in and softens it.

Perfect I was thinking about butcher paper but if parchment will work I will use that instead. Maybe they are the same I don't know but I couldnt find butcher paper at the local stores so I decided foil.

 

[gr0uch0]

Perfect I was thinking about butcher paper but if parchment will work I will use that instead. Maybe they are the same I don't know but I couldnt find butcher paper at the local stores so I decided foil.

Regular "butcher paper" has wax (or something of the sort) on one side, and you don't want that melting and distributing onto your brisket.  Search "pink/peach butcher paper", as there's numerous sources online:  that's what should be used, but parchment will work in a pinch.  Just don't use the waxy stuff.

 

[crankybuzzard]

Sounds like you have a good set of advice and ideas to work with!

I'm in for the finish!

 

[smokincraig]

Thanks for all the pointers guys. We shall see how it goes.

 

[smokincraig]

Well a little update for you guys. Went in the smoker this morning at 6 am. It is now in the cooler! It seemed to max out temp wise around 203. I did use foil at about 185 and took it up to 203 in the foil. I tested at 5 degree intervals from 190 up. At 203 I did the poke test with a toothpick and it went in with ease so I pulled it out and in to the cooler.

I did have a small stall at about 165 for about an hour and than it took off and climbed steady. The bark looks good to me. I will have some Qview for you once it is out of the cooler and ready to be chopped.

 

[smokincraig]

Well it is done and it was so amazing! I am super happy with how it turned out. My wife who used to work at one of the big BBQ places her even said it was fantastic. So a score for me.

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• smokincraig
• Mar 18, 2017

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• smokincraig
• Mar 18, 2017

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• smokincraig
• Mar 18, 2017

 

[gr0uch0]

Good work, Craig. Point for a job well done: especially if your missus approves!

 

[whistech]

Good looking brisket, now you are hooked.

 

[smokincraig]

Thanks guys. Now it is on to snack sticks in the morning. lol can't stop smokin'