Small brisket and wood type

Mike, its going to be hard to smoke if its been trimmed down a lot, unless it still has a nice size fat cap on it. I would recomend covering it in some thick, fatty bacon to compensate for the loss of fat. If this is a grocery store type brisket I have been in your shoes and it will smoke but it will probably be a little rougher than you will like. Also I use the smokette for your reference.

As far as wood goes I would use Pecan, Hickory, or Oak, but thats just my preference. I also like to mix in some apple or grape with the hickory. Mesquite is a real popular wood for red meat but I don't really like mesquite. Tell us how it turns out.

You might throw a little mop on it every hour,and you can always foil it at about 160�-165� and bring it up to temp.

Good luck.

Both good comments.

Problem with those little ones is the outer edges will dry out very fast. Once the meat hits the temp like Tom said, I'd wrap it, so that you get a result you want.

Flats are just plain hard to do. I've been successful with them, but you have to watch them throughout the smoke.

Smokin'

I'll stick my neck out and show how much I know about smoking, what's a mop?

Some folks like to baste occasionally ,when they cook.

The old open pits in the ground used to use long handled,1 lb. cotton string mops to mop a bunch on at a time.

You can now buy tiny versions of that at many bbq stores.

It is meant to wet down the meat,with what you want.

You don't want to brush the bark off that flat,so just sorta aim some at it.

What would you recommend?

Mike: As for mops, look em up. Cool stuff.

A lot of people use a mild thing. Just apple juice with goodies. Elsewhere, you might find vinegar-based mop. Some of these dudes use beer! Beer! With stuff in it.

Then, there is a school of thought that says do not mop.

What do you make of that? Get the Jamison and Jamison book. Good start.

And, as the others have said, those dinky briskets just don't do right. Try a 10 pound packers cut, with gobs of fat. That puppy will do right. (Really. It has to do with self-basting, and the like.)

Yea fat is the thing in BQing no fat no good unless you cook it little on the rare side which I wouldn't do with a brisket. My first was one of those halfs and was so dry the dog wouldn't eat it. Went to WalMart and got a whole flat smoke it for a long time and there wasn't any left for the dog.

Mops, Bastes, Sprays, ... all different methods of adding moisture while it cooks.

For those small ones, without the LARGE amount of fat from a Packer Trim, they WILL dry out. So people have developed techniques to keep that from happening.

My recommendation. Smoke it until it hits about 160. Take it out, wrap it in foil and add the mop inside the foil. Stick a remote probe into it and pull it out when it hits 195 internal temp. Let it sit for about 30 min. Take out and slice.

One example, in the recipe archive:

Mop example

Smokin'

I agree with Smokin' about addin' a LITTLE mop in your foil.Ya don't want a pot roast,maybe 1/2 cup of something like beef stock,coffee,applejuice and a couple pats of butter.

Well boys, I bought a 10 pounder and threw it on the smoker a 7:00 pm sat. nite. Took it off at 10:30 sunday morning, turned out great. Only question. I used a total of 7-8 oz. of wood and half way though I put more in. It smoked almost to the very end. How do you guys do it. Mike.

Sounds like ya got it figgered out.Just depends on how much smoke ya like.

Them briskets can take up a bunch,if ya don't watch 'em.

You need to make shure the wood thats in there is done.I have notice the smoke will play games on you smoke comes and goes with the cycle of the heating element so I have found that the wood last longer than you think and it doesn't have to look like its on fire to be smoking.I load the smoke box a little heavier at the start with heavier meats pork or beef and it seems to last.Just remmeber when you open that door the air can cause the wood to catch fire it has happen to me and the smoke has a differant taste.
I seem to not be able to spell this morning.

7 - 8 ozs is too much for a 10 lb brisket in a Smokette. And then you added more? It this 7 or 8 pieces? It's hard to know unless you weigh it, which most don't.

You said it turned out great, so that's the best judge regardless of what we think or do.

I would think it would come out bitter from that much smoke. I've seen that comment often and it's usually with that much wood.

I'd do it with half that. But that's my opinion. If after 4 hours it's stopped smoking and you want to add fresh smoke, that can work. But like Tom says, brisket absorbs it pretty well.

Smokin'

I took the wood to my kitchen scale and weighed the wood. My total amount was around 8-9 ozs. Tasted good. To much? Mike.

Smoke flavor is a "subjective" thing. I wouldn't normally recommend that much, but if it taste like you like it to taste, that's a good thing.

BBQ is more an ART than a Science.

I would suggest, like I do, that you keep good logs each time you smoke.

Smokin'

quote:

keep good logs each time you smoke

Smokin, Mike is putting his good logs in the smoker. Why keep em when you can smoke em?

Hi Mike,

Just thought I'd throw my two bits into this Brisket conversation. I cook flats most of the time and they turn out just fine. I buy them at the local Sam's Club because they are NOT trimmed. Lots of fat cap. I've purchased them at the Sam's on Manchester and Barrett Station Road and more recently at the new Sam's on Big Bend Road and I44 because that's just a hop from where we live in Webster Groves. I usually purchase the ones that weigh from 5 to 6 pounds. I don't mess much with those little ones.

As to wood, I use oak and hickory. Mainly because my brother in law owns a farm just outside of Perryville. Those two woods are native to that area and he graciously supplies me with what I need.

I cook them to an internal of 185, remove from smoker, wrap in foil, then in a large Turkish towel , then let them rest in a cooler (sans the ice of course) for about an hour or until it's chow time.

Other that that I can't help you much because I'm still cooking on an offset and have had no experience with a CS. I still keep looking and thinking about one but just haven't taken the plunge yet. Maybe you can kick start me in the right direction. LOL

EZ

Thanks to everyone for the help. EZ DUZZIT, maybe we can get together some time and you can take a look at my smoker. I live in south county. Mike

Mike,
Sounds lilke a plan. Lets shoot for sometime after the Holidays. Kind of busy right now. Mom's in the hospital and I'm running my keester off.

Thanks for the offer,

EZ