October 1st, 2014, 7:05 am
#1
* Kingman ** Kingman *
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Just curious what folks do when cooking a full packer brisket for eating w/ friends and family--not for comps. I normally cook the full packer intact, but have been thinking of trying my next brisket with the point and flat separated and cooking them apart. I haven't had the best luck in the past cooking flats by themselves as they've come out a bit dry for my taste (even after a good rest) and cooking them with the point and about a 1/4" fat cap has worked great for me thus far. Just interested in other people's experiences, particularly if you split the muscles prior to cooking. I was thinking of letting the flat go to about 195-200F and the point to closer to 205-210F. Love any thoughts, experience or guidance, particularly on the flat. The point has so much marbling, it's kinda hard to mess up!

Thanks!

October 1st, 2014, 10:34 am
#2
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I never cook to a specific temp when cooking brisket. I cook to a specific temp which triggers me to start probing for tenderness. Probing for tenderness is the only way to know for sure if the meat is done to your liking.

Yoder_Herb
October 1st, 2014, 1:47 pm
#3
* Wichita ** Wichita *
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I'm in the same boat as Herb, just need more practice. I think your temps are close to good targets to start probing for tenderness - I try to start around 195. If I have access to the full packer, I cook it whole until the flat is tender. I then separate mid cook, re-season the point and let it go for a couple more hours for making burnt ends, etc. The extra cook time on the point gives you time to let the flat rest. Critical for the tenderness I'm learning.

Durango 24
October 1st, 2014, 2:38 pm
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I normally separate, as it's all about the bark for the carnivores I feed. Unlike most, I also trim off as much fat as possible, and don't normally inject. I do foil though, and add a little liquid de jour to the foil. The point always gets turned into burnt ends, and when they come off the cooker, I normally have to do a hockey puck drop to the table and get out of the way.

Pretty much exactly what I do as well, except I foil when I'm in the mood for it, don't foil if I'm not.

Yoder_Herb
October 1st, 2014, 3:45 pm
#5
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Yoder_Herb wrote:I normally separate, as it's all about the bark for the carnivores I feed. Unlike most, I also trim off as much fat as possible, and don't normally inject. I do foil though, and add a little liquid de jour to the foil. The point always gets turned into burnt ends, and when they come off the cooker, I normally have to do a hockey puck drop to the table and get out of the way.



Love the hockey puck drop...very funny. Ditto in my house; points are all about burnt ends for us too. (Actually, briskets are mostly about the burnt ends in my house, for that matter...) That's what's behind my question really and why I'm thinking about starting to separate the muscles, so I can get more flavor and bark on all sides of the point w/ whatever rub/seasoning I use. I'm not a strict temp guy either--I just threw those out there as basic guidelines so the replies wouldn't be all about target temps. The question I'm really interested in is how most folks keep the flat from drying out, which seems to be what I get a lot when I do a flat without the point attached.

How do you decide when to foil on the flats when you separate the muscles? I find, at least in my own personal experience, if I foil and finish in the oven (and then a good rest too), I'm likely to get a moister flat than if I finish it straight on the smoker or without foil (which makes sense to me from the sheer additional dehydration). I usually start at 180 for about 6-8 hours and then foil, if I'm going to, and finish in the oven at about 240-250 and it's done when I like the feel, which I find ranges between usually 195 and 205 +/-. Occasionally, I've also tried to cook them straight at about 220. I haven't honestly cooked enough flats separately to know what'll work best to keep 'em moist, but I'd sure love to figure it out without wasting a ton of flats to get there!

Thanks again!

October 1st, 2014, 4:14 pm
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I foil my brisket when the bark is set (you can't scratch the rub/bark loose with a fingernail), and when the color is right. I like a darker color on brisket. Remember I'm eating not competing. I normally cook at 225-275 the whole way, depending on what else I'm cooking at the same time or if I am behind schedule. When cooking on a Yoder, cooking at a lower temperature in an attempt to get more smoke, just adds time to the cook, nothing else. That idea came about because of the brand xx cookers that use a PID or hard set controller, which are unable to adapt and actively manage things like the Yoder controller can.

I might suggest that you spend time choosing your briskets when purchasing, if possible. This is the first step in getting the results you want. As a rule, I find that little flats can turn out drier, so I tend to go for the bigger ones (if I have to buy a flat).

I wouldn't worry about "wasting" flats. Its all good. Make beans, chili, sammies, send them to me, give them to your church, etc.

Yoder_Herb
October 3rd, 2014, 8:28 am
#7
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Yoder_Herb wrote:I might suggest that you spend time choosing your briskets when purchasing, if possible. This is the first step in getting the results you want. As a rule, I find that little flats can turn out drier, so I tend to go for the bigger ones (if I have to buy a flat).

I wouldn't worry about "wasting" flats. Its all good. Make beans, chili, sammies, send them to me, give them to your church, etc.


Thanks Herb. I only buy full packer briskets, but I think one thing I'll start doing is looking for briskets that have a thicker flat. I usually buy pretty large briskets in the 14-16 lb range, though occasionally, if they don't look good, I may go down to 12. I have been focused on trying to find ones where the flat portion is relatively uniform in thickness, as best I can. I'll add thicker over thinner, when possible. Briskets at Restaurant Depot can really vary a lot from visit to visit where I am.

Looking forward to experimenting some more, and you're right...there are too many ways to use a flat before it hits the dog's bowl. Thanks for the snap back to reality! :)

October 26th, 2014, 2:01 pm
#8
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I cook mine basically exactly like Herb said. Here is a cook from my YS1500.

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Cubed point in the foreground, sliced flat in the back ground. Hockey puck drop is the best analogy I've heard...awesome. I usually turn around and they are gone. I had to ask once if someone dropped the plate because they were gone so fast. :lol:

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Yoder Smokers YS1500, Yoder Smokers 24" Firepot, Yoder Smokers YS640 CompCart(sold)
January 6th, 2015, 3:20 pm
#9
* Abilene ** Abilene *
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Never thought about separating the point and flat before cooking. I always separate afterward, cube the point, re-rub, put in a pan and smoke for another 2 hours. But then the top of your point doesn't have bark. I may have to try this. the only downside I can see is you can't put as many briskets on the smoker.

Craig Brandon
Cookin' With Grace Ministries
YS1500, Traeger BBQ124

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