Rec's forcooking brisket flat....

[BARDSLJR]

Okay, guys (and ladies) I have cooked LOTS of full brisket, and I think I am just about getting the hang of it. However, I have never done just a flat alone, and today I brought home a nice 6-lb flat (choice) from Costco, because my sister-in-law, our guest,  has requested brisket, and I did not want to have to start it at midnight or 3 AM. Usually, a 15=lb full brisket takes me between 15-18 hours, following Franklin's recipe and approach. So should I assume that a 6-lb flat should take 6-7 hours or so? 8" My guess is this does not scale exactly. 255-265* (F) sound about right?

Tips, suggestions.....? Thanks, y'all,on a beautiful Fall day here in Denver......

[5698k]

Ya might want to think about injecting..


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[tony b]

As always with a brisket, start early, as you need to wrap it and let it rest for at least an hour, if not several, so no harm in it being done earlier than you expect. 

[BARDSLJR]

And here is the brisket flat when I took it off for wrapping. I'd  have preferred a bit thicker bark  (I used Lawry's Seasoning Salt and coarse ground pepper for the rub) but at this point at least it is nicely moist and smells amazing. Stay tuned for the final version within the hour.

[BARDSLJR]

And here's the final results:  I didn’t want to do a whole 15-lb brisket because that would mean me starting it at midnight, going to bed and worrying about monitoring the temperature overnight (because something can ALWAYS go wrong if you are not watching it). With the 6lb flat, it was only the lean portion of the brisket, but I started it about 10AM and took it off at 6:30, rested it for an hour, and then sliced it. (Photos). It actually turned out pretty well: nicely moist, not dried out, and good flavor. I had rubbed it with Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and coarse ground pepper.  The bark did not turn out quite as I had hoped- I think it was the Lawry’s- will experiment next time with just plain old coarse sea salt and pepper. I didn’t have any post oak and since I wanted a stronger smoke, so I used mesquite, and that part turned out quite well. The sliced meat looks a little grayish in this photo, and I attribute that to this particular flat- it was choice grade, as Costco didn’t have any prime out in the cooler. In any case, it was perfectly tender and moist- I took it off to rest it (1 hour, wrapped and tented)  when the temp probe showed 200*, and I think allowing for measurement error, it was just right. We sliced it like a London Broil and ate it with homemade mashed potatoes and vegetables- yum.

[tony b]

Excellent. I 2nd Robert's tip about injecting choice grade meats. It does help. 

[Tyrus]

I was reading from a book called Smoking Meats the other day and came across in the brining section the idea and it's possible application for a cut of meat as this. As you know brining helps to retain moisture during the cooking process and as an addition many different flavor accents could be added to the brine itself to impart flavor. So, it could be an alternative to injecting if your curious enough to try the next time, as an experiment. It does open a few doors of insight as to changing the flavor somewhat or just an approach into  changing the cooking method. I haven't done this yet, but in a way the idea seems better than drowning your meat in lard. Hey, just a thought, that's how most things start.

[BARDSLJR]

Actually,this makes a lot of sense. The flat is a pretty lean cut- and this one was "choice" as Costco doesn't seem to be offering "prime" brisket right now. I was happy with the overall flavor, but it could have been a bit more moist, and I did everything I could do to enhance moisture-butcher paper wrap, watched temperature,etc.

[tony b]

After watching a YouTube vid (Pitmaster X) on making your own injection liquids, I went out and bought a cheap drip coffee maker. You put your spices/herbs/bouillon in the coffee filter basket and "brew" it. Let it cool down and inject away. I've only done it a couple of times now, but it works well. Plus, you know what's going into it and not some random mix of chemicals. 

[KK787]

Inject with rendered beef tallow about every square inch. Works fantastic. Try a rub derived from Arron Franklin: 2 parts pepper, 1 part kosher salt, a sprinkle of Lawerys and course Garlic Powder directly on the meat.  Lawerys is very salty so reduce 2 TBS if going that route.   Also a few shakes of low sodium soy or worchishire (sp) rubbed into the meat makes a great binder while providing an excellent umami effect.  Let sit in the refrigerator overnight uncovered - dry brining. The only other thing I would add is rest your brisket at room temp to 180 then wrap it in tallow soaked butcher paper, place in a foil pan with a 1/2 cup of water, and cover tightly with foil.  Place in a cooler on 2 bricks.  Add 180 degree water to the cooler and rest for 4-6 hours or even up to ten.  Change the water if it gets below 160 by opening up the drain plug then adding more water.  The moist rest is the game changer.  Or wrap in foil place in a Brevelle Toaster Oven for 6-10 hours at 160 (Chuds BBQ) - excellent results.  

Edited January 12, 2023 by KK787

[tony b]

Never heard of a "moist rest" before. Interesting. 

I just wrap in tallow coated pink butcher paper after the stall, then in foil once it's done, wrap everything in a beach towel and into a dry cooler for several hours before serving. Lots of juices when unwrapped, so I'm not sure what this "moist rest" buys you for the extra effort? 

[CaptMorg82]

I have heard that if you can rest it in a warming oven 160 that it really makes a difference and allows for resting longer than an insulated cooler. I think Dennis even recommended that not too long ago. I would like to try it but I don't have anything that maintains a temp that low. I was kind of looking around at commercial food warming catering stuff but I probably won't go that far.

[KK787]

1 hour ago, CaptMorg82 said:

I have heard that if you can rest it in a warming oven 160 that it really makes a difference and allows for resting longer than an insulated cooler. I think Dennis even recommended that not too long ago. I would like to try it but I don't have anything that maintains a temp that low. I was kind of looking around at commercial food warming catering stuff but I probably won't go that far.

Check out Chuds BBQ video on this subject - I think it’s under his foil boat video.  He uses with great success a Breville Toaster Oven for long rests because it has a digital panel and can go as low as 160 degrees - actually lower.. I think he rests for 10 hours.  It’s not outrageously expensive either and can be used for many other things.   I use a wet oven made from an Igloo cooler and a Sous Vide.  Works great.