Quick Brisket Question

I separate the point from the flat after the flat comes to temp and put the point back in and continue cooking. They are easy to separate at this time as the fat between the two slices like butter; you won't lose juices as you're not cutting the meat.

Go about halfway throught this video to see one technique for separating point from flat (you can ignore the first part of the video).

Once again,a brisket is an independant rascal.

If you are not making burnt ends,there is no rule about splitting point from flat.

Even then,it may depend on the packer and how it cooked.

In brisket country,they may sell wet,or dry brisket.[point,or flat]

They may make one slice thru both pieces,or chop the point for sandwiches.

The flat may get sliced for dinner plates.

They would offend the guest,if they removed the fat-which has the flavor.

Hope this helps a little.

Thanks for the info Tom. I'm at 188 internal with two therms in the flat. Just went through 18 hours of cook which is about 1.5 hrs per lb. The temps have stalled at 188 for over three hours. Looking at Smokin's brisket log I do believe the AmeriQue cooks substantially slower than other models. What do the pros think? Check this thing now or wait for 190-192? Sure is smelling good out there.......

Edit: Just opened to check with Thermapen. Interesting results. The point and thicker portion of the flat are 192 and very tender. The skinny side of the flat was only 174 and didn't probe extremely easy. Not what I would have expected. Guess I assumed the skinny side of the flat would be warmer, or perhaps the right side of my smoker runs cool due to the 30mph winds we've had. Any suggestions? My gut says to pull it.....

Winds should not effect the internal temp. Last week I did a 12.85# full packer in my AmeriQue and it took 20 hours for the temp to get right! If your thick portion is 192 and the Thermapen slides in like warm butter, pull it!!

Well, not a complete waste, but a waste of a nice flat. Safe to say it was overcooked. Pulled at 191 internal and FTCed for 3 hours. Flat was dry as a shoe and crumbled apart. Point was stringy, but at least still moist. Gonna be eating chopped beef sandwiches for 2 weeks. Next time will go back to foil.......I don't get it--thought I followed instructions to a T but didn't get remotely close to the result I was looking for. 19.5 hours at 225 is simply way too long .......the journey continues!!

Remember, it's done when it's done. Cook to temperature not time for best results.

Are you smoking a choice cut brisket or select cut? Select is going to give you drier results than choice cut.

Reference your therms,and temps.

I assume you have checked the accuracy of each therm-including the Thermopen?

I assume you have recorded the actual cooking temps,at the actual cooking surface?

I haven't had the pleasure of cooking on an AQ yet,but assume once you verify your temps,you should find a spot where it" likes" to cook.

My Smokette seemed to "like" 235º for big meats.

On the smaller traditional Cookshacks,I used to find that a three hr stall around 188º/189º ,on big meats,meant something might come done,earlier than I had predicted.

Good notes,tend to help there,to gain experience.

I'd find ,after enough impatience,that meats could be falling apart/overdone around 192º/193º.

On big meats,and ribs,not all bites will be great.

Like pags says,pull it when the main product feels right.

...and,like we say,sometimes the quality of the beast will control the end product.

At comps,we often cooked three large packers,all prepped the same,pulled when they felt right to us.

There would usually be significant differences among them.

Hope this helps a little.

Thanks for the info! I'll see what I can address here: Hi Pags. I did smoke to temp, not time, I referenced the time just as information. Call me crazy, but if the brisket was at 191 and overcooked I don't see how more time would help. The meat crumbled, which is a sign of overcooking in my opinion. It was a whole choice packer that went in untrimmed. Tom, I have checked therm accuracy, and all is good. I have noticed that while the AQ shows 225 internal, my polder shows about 213-215 on the upper-middle rack. I'm glad you mentioned the stall at 188/189 because I believe that may be where I went wrong. I will attach my cook log for your review, but it took me 4 hours to get from 187 to 191. Thanks again for all of your input, I'm actually excited to try again--just don't want to ruin a bunch of packers!! Have a good one!!

All temps are Polder/AQ.

Time Cooker Meat


1925 63/64 51/53
2030 210/225 96/101
2125 215/225 124/136
2300 213/225 146/154
0500 212/225 157/159
0700 214/225 159/169
0800 214/225 165/174
0900 214/224 175/179
1000 214/225 183/182
1100 214/225 187/184
1220 214/225 187/185
1300 213/224 187/186
1400 213/224 188/189
1500 213/225 191/190

Door opened first time at 1400. Thickest part of flat was 192. Skinny side of flat varied between 174 and 190.
Pulled at 1500 and FTCed for 3 hours to dinner.

Let me know if anything stands out to you guys. I am VERY impressed with the cookshack's ability to maintain stable temps!!!

quote:

Originally posted by ImHungry:
Looking at Smokin's brisket log I do believe the AmeriQue cooks substantially slower than other models.....

....The point and thicker portion of the flat are 192 and very tender. The skinny side of the flat was only 174 and didn't probe extremely easy. Not what I would have expected. Guess I assumed the skinny side of the flat would be warmer, or perhaps the right side of my smoker runs cool due to the 30mph winds we've had.

Not sure which models you are talking about by my AQ doesn't seem to take any longer than my Smokette 009.

Do you smoke fat side up or down? You might try fat down next time if you don't do that already.

Try to pick a brisket that is most even in thickness from end to end. A skinny tip on a brisket will dry out. Also try to find one that has a fat cap that extends as far as possible to the smaller end.

I have never cooked a brisket at 250, although I know that some people do. Maybe this makes a difference. I have only done them at 225. If It's stuck in the 180's and it's getting close to dinner time I crank the temp up to 250 to finish it off faster.