Brisket advice

Personally.... salt and fresh coarse ground black pepper for the rub (also like hardcore carnivore Black if you can find it). 1:1 ratio, with a good coating.

For 12.5lbs I’d cook for a minimum of 13-14hrs maybe even 15 at 225-250. The internal temp Is what I go off of. When the temp gets to 202-205 I pull. Put it in an ice chest wrapped for 45min of rest then serve.

After about 5-8 hrs of smoke I wrap with pink butcher paper for the rest of the cook. I leave that on when I transfer to the ice chest.

I use Texas post oak. And when you serve cut against the grain.

S+P only and finish it in the oven to be safe. Hell of a time to play around with your first one. Watch videos on how to trim it. Post a pic here after but these rarely go well.

I'm not familiar with the Primo but do it allow cooking for a long period of time with no tending? I thought it was a charcoal/wood burner. Is it not? If it is, who is going to refill the fuel source?

My advice would be to smoke it to a temp of about 195 and shoot for that to happen around time to leave for mass. Wrap it and put it in a good ice chest until you get back. Should be good to go then.

Since no one else seems to be helping, I am going to give you a somewhat different way to cook your brisket.

You brisket is similar to this one.



Trim it well, or not - your preference.



Rub completely with yellow mustard.



If you have a rub you like, cover it completely with rub. If not dust with garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper.



Smoke it at an open air temp of around 225 on your smoker (with oak chunks) for 2-3 hours. It should look like this after 2-3 hours.



After 3 hours, the brisket should be wrapped in foil and finished in the oven at 225. You can add some BBQ sauce to he top if you like. I thought I had a photo of a foil wrapped brisket, but I can't find one. Put the foil wrapped brisket in a pan so if it leaks, it won't mess up your oven. Finish it there for maybe 3-4 hours. When it finishes you will have this much liquid.



You notice, there is very little fat to contend with, because you trimmed most of it away. This liquid is good stuff. If reduced and a little BBQ sauce added, it makes an excellent topping for your brisket.

If finished at 225, the brisket will hit a good internal temp after 3 hours. If your oven is programmable, have it turn off at 3 hours and leave the brisket there until you are ready to serve it. You can check it if your like, but it will be OK.



The next two photos have less fat trimmed away and you can see a strip of fat across the top of the brisket.





Slice across the grain

This brisket will not have a bark, but it will be tender. It will have plenty of smoked flavor and it will be tender.

Most of all, you can leave it in the oven without any attention while you go and enjoy your daughter's first communion.


If this is not clear, I can answer questions this afternoon.

Melvin, not bad at all for only your second attempt at brisket. Brisket is the hardest bbq meat to get perfect everytime, and is the measuring stick for most bbq guys. Keep smoking them, and never stop trying to perfect it. You'll get better with each one, and you'll learn a little something different every time you cook one. Good job man, I'm sure your family will enjoy it.
Now to the technicalities. One person in here had the best answer on doneness IMO. It really is all about feel. The brisket is done when it's done, and not by a set internal temperature. Each grade cooks differently, and each brisket is different from each other. As far as pit temp, that's really up to you and your equipment. Every smoker has it's sweet spot, and people have different schedules for cooking. You can cook a brisket low and slow, or hot and fast and they come out great either way. When it comes to wrapping, and when to do it.....again, personal choice. I like paper, and wrapped when the bark and color get to where I want it. Some guys use foil or pans, and some even add stuff to their wrap.