Hey everyone! I am starting this post with a BIG thank you to everyone who has posted brisket cooking pics, topics, and advice. I have been reading all I can find on brisket and decided to give it a shot today. I picked up a small flat at Costco last weekend. It was 6.7 lbs. Steps I took (based on what I have been reading) are as follows - feel free to chime in with any thoughts on any of this
I am being honest saying I was nervous about trying a brisket (To me this is the Holy Grail of smoking - it takes me back to memories of trips to Texas with my family as a kid where I first tried brisket - I have been hooked since then)
After trimming some fat and sort of shaping it up and removing the silverskin I injected with low-sodium beef broth mixed with my rub. I injected with the grain of the meat at an angle as I have read that if you inject across grain or straight in it can cause staining.
I wrapped in saran following injection and put back in fridge overnight. I took the brisket out this morning and rubbed it down.
I ran it on the pellet smoker at 170 degrees for 1 & 1/2 hours then cranked it up to 250. I was figuring about an hour per pound at 250. When the IT hit 170 degrees I pulled it and wrapped it in foil and put it back on until the IT hit 198 degrees. I got busy on a project so I actually did not get it off the grill until the IT hit 204. I wrapped it in towels and placed in a cooler for two hours before slicing to serve. Total cooking time was about 8 hours 20 mins followed by a two hour rest.
Rub ingredients (Courtesy Steven Raichlin - How to Grill)
Rubbed
On at 170 degrees
After a two hour nap in the cooler wrapped in towels
Time to Slice and enjoy
The flavor was outstanding and it still had moisture. Very tender - I can't wait to try again and work on improving but overall I was pleased with the results on the first try.
Again thanks to everyone for insights on brisket cooking.
