Brisket cut

Puggles

Puggles

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I got a smoker and I want to smoke a bunch of stuff, including brisket, but I don't know what the piece of meat is called that brisket is made from. I don't use a corned beef brisket, do I? That's the correct piece of meat but it's been corned and I don't want to that for smoked brisket, right?

~confused and hungry
 
A brisket is a brisket is a brisket. There are 2 cuts that a brisket can be divided into, the point or deckle and the flat. The point/deckle is the fattier part of the brisket. A whole brisket is also called a packer.

The flat is the best for corned beef. Corned beef has been corned, i.e. soaked in a salt water solution with spices. You do not want to use that for a smoked brisket.

You can smoke a whole brisket or either of the cuts. The last time we smoked a brisket, Craig used the Cook's Country snake method using a whole brisket and it came out fantastic.


20210801_171916.jpg
 
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Corned beef is usually the "flat" of a brisket. Don't buy that if you want to smoke a brisket. Buy a raw brisket. If your supermarket doesn't sell brisket, ask the butcher where you can get some, or order online.

Brisket is comprised of two sections in one large slab of meat: the Flat, and the Point. The flat is lean and, as the name suggests, flat shaped. The flat leads into the point which has a fat cap and has more connective tissue and fat in it. The point is typically the moister side of the brisket btw.

I know caseydog will chime in here soon, hopefully I did a decent job explaining.
 
Keep in mind, that if you are new to smoking meats, smoking a brisket is like jumping into the deep end of the pool when you are just learning to swim.

Start with a pork shoulder/butt. Very forgiving -- almost impossible to mess up. Then some pork ribs. Baby steps. :okay:

CD
 
caseydog said:
Keep in mind, that if you are new to smoking meats, smoking a brisket is like jumping into the deep end of the pool when you are just learning to swim.

Start with a pork shoulder/butt. Very forgiving -- almost impossible to mess up. Then some pork ribs. Baby steps. :okay:

CD
Click to expand...
I have smoked before, but I haven't for about 15 years. I've smoked ribs, pork butt, turkey, chicken, salmon, etc. I just didn't get a smoker since then up until now, but now I've decided to get one again. I gotta "ride the bike" again.
 
Are the woodchips supposed to be black at any point during the smoking process?
 
Another question, I'm having the same annoyance as I did when I used to smoke a long time ago. The temp is kind of difficult to regulate. I have it set to 235 and for a while, it's spot on, but then it gets hotter by 15-30 degrees, even with water in the pan and I'm using my good Bluetooth meat probe to keep an eye on the temp remotely for more accurate results. I didn't soak my chips because I've heard from a lot of people that it doesn't actually produce more smoke, it just makes the process take much longer because the smoker has to evaporate the moisture out of the wood before it can begin smoking the chips. Is there a trick to maintaining temp more accurately?
 
Puggles said:
Another question, I'm having the same annoyance as I did when I used to smoke a long time ago. The temp is kind of difficult to regulate. I have it set to 235 and for a while, it's spot on, but then it gets hotter by 15-30 degrees, even with water in the pan and I'm using my good Bluetooth meat probe to keep an eye on the temp remotely for more accurate results. I didn't soak my chips because I've heard from a lot of people that it doesn't actually produce more smoke, it just makes the process take much longer because the smoker has to evaporate the moisture out of the wood before it can begin smoking the chips. Is there a trick to maintaining temp more accurately?
Click to expand...

There are electronic devices that have fans in them. You cover the intake vent and the fan will come on and off as needed to supply more of less air to the fire. I used to have this one.

https://www.amazon.com/PitmasterIQ-Temperature-Regulator-Standard-Mountain/dp/B00A7F1B60

It worked fairly well, but it wasn't perfect.

CD
 
Puggles said:
This looks really cool, but how does the metal part attach to your unit? Glue? Suction cup?
Click to expand...

It uses a toggle bolt that you insert through an intake vent. I never tried it on my Weber Kettles, because I have the kettles with the big ash catcher. That gets in the way.

Screen Shot 2023-03-18 at 5.37.42 PM.jpg


I used mine on a Weber Smokey Mountain smoker. You can sort of see it on the far right of this picture of my Weber "family" (I sold the WSM, and right now I only have the three kettles on the left side, and a Weber Genesis gas grill not shown).

WeberFamilyJune2012.jpg


CD
 
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