Smoking a Brisket - Tips/Tricks: UPDATED w pics on page 2

Just cook it the way you wrote it. It all sounds good to me. Like crawfish, People overthink brisket way too much.

This has been my go to method. His philosophy that set temp at 225 and it can't over cook is spot on.
And as others have mentioned. Pay attention at the stall and don't wrap until you get the bark you want.

FYI
If you are new to this, a cheap brisket is okay but once you've done a couple, pony up and get a prime and it is ....................... fantastic


Edited to add
Do not be impatient when you pull it to "rest". Let that chunk of beef goodness rest, and rest, and rest.

Patience. Ignore everything you’ve read/heard about time, it’s all about internal temp and feel (both how the brisket feels in your hands when you pick the whole thing up, and how it feels to a probe). In my experiences, i start checking at 195, but most will need to go to 200-205.

I’m not sure if it’ll fit on my top rack.

I do have the flame tamer add-on that sits above the fire pot to help distribute the heat a little better.

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Edited to add Do not be impatient when you pull it to "rest". Let that chunk of beef goodness rest, and rest, and rest.

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This. Everything you had already said (OP) is fine. But give yourself 4 hours rest in an ice chest. It’s almost important as the cooking part.

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Apply binder, then generously season.

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Put some warm water in a spray bottle and spray your brisket in lieu of binder. Been doing this the last few smokes. Learned trick watching Goldee’s YT videos.

Don’t necessarily cook to temp. Every brisket is different. You want it at 203 at least. Take a intrant read thermometer and if it feels like your sticking butter it’s done.

I also put a small foil pan of water near the firebox. It helps keep the smoke chamber more humid which will help keep temperatures more consistent in the smoke chamber and keep your meat more moist on surface.

The longer the rest the better. I have a bbq blanket I put mine in minimal 4 hrs. You can wrap in foil then an old towel then put in a cooler.


The more corse the pepper the better. It helps with bark. I use mesh #16 black pepper. Don’t get fancy with seasoning salt, pepper and garlic powder is all you need.

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Smoke at 200°F:
• Place brisket fat-side up.
• Smoke until internal temp hits 165°F.

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Unless you're trying to smoke it overnight, there's no reason to start the cook with the temp that low. Absolute lowest would be 225 and I would only do that for the first 2-3 hours then ramp up to 250.

You being a first-timer, it's fine to wrap at 175 internal but the more experience you get the more you will learn how to wrap when you have a good bark built. And then you'll learn that wrapping isn't even necessary.

Time to trim is directly related to your knife and knife skills. Watch Chud's brisket trim video on Chud's BBQ on YouTube for a proper trim.

Binder - anything wet. Water, ACV, mustard, hot sauce, WashYourSister, etc.

Rub - go to Academy and get a bottle of Killer Hogs TX Brisket Rub

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Put some warm water in a spray bottle and pray your brisket online of binder.

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What?

I mentioned I was getting it from Costco. Pretty sure they only have Prime.

Picked it up today.