Small Brisket on Kettle

[Dan NY]

I have never smoked a brisket before so this will be my first try. It weighs a little over 2 lbs. and is a piece that the butcher cut off of a larger flat. I am hoping to get some advice before I start tomorrow.

I am planning to use the Snake method and I currently only have kbb charcoal. Should I grab some better stuff in the morning or will the kbb work fine?

Approx. how long will it take to cook a brisket this small? I'm planning to foil it and put it in a cooler at the end. I just need to figure out what time to start smoking.

Should I soak my chunks of wood in water prior to adding them? I have cherry wood that is well seasoned and dry.

What else should I be thinking about before I start to avoid an oops?

Thank you for your help.

[JDann24]

1 1/2 hours is a starting point, but a piece that small might cook even quicker. Cook till it reaches 203 degrees. No need to soak your wood and kbb will work just fine.

[TheDude]

1 1/2 hours is a starting point, but a piece that small might cook even quicker. Cook till it reaches 203 degrees. No need to soak your wood and kbb will work just fine.

You think it will go that quick? I did a corned beef about that size. Took a bit over 3 hours, and could have used longer.

[JDann24]

Whoops. Meant 1 1/2 hours per pound.

[Dan NY]

I assume the 1 1/2 hours per pound is the time in the grill and then another hour or two wrapped in towels in a cooler? Is that correct?  I was actually thinking that it would take longer than that.  Are there any other tricks you use or things I should try?  I am using a rub made up of salt, pepper and sugar. I picked that up from one of the promo videos for the new Summit Cahrcoal Grill.

Thanks for the help.

[Jon]

Dan, the answers above will likely put you in the ballpark for time, but for things like brisket, getting it great isn't all about total cooking time. There are as many variables as there are cooks. The collagen in tough cuts starts to break down at 160 and should be gelatin by 180. And that's what makes it the good stuff. But it's a race between getting the collagen broken down and the meat drying out. You really have to develop a process to cook, and then practice by cooking more food.

Cook it, wrap it and cook some more, probe for tender. Easy, right?

[addicted-to-smoke]

Yes, meat is done when it's done, not based on time. A faux cambro, whether it's a cooler or just a microwave oven, can keep the meat warm for quite a while when wrapped in a towel. The ice cooler works better of course, but putting wrapped, cooked food into the microwave to store is still better than letting it sit on the counter wrapped up, since the microwave is an enclosed box.

With one that small I'd have everything going just after lunch, even if dinner's not until 6 because brisket can take awhile and because faux cambro.

You really have to develop a process to cook, and then practice by cooking more food.

I never cook anything often enough to get to that point, and my logs aren't adequate guideposts. I have some intuition, and Dominoes number keep handy.

[swamprb]

Just smoke it indirect low in a pan until the internal reaches 156* wrap it in foil with some au-jus and stick it in the oven at 275-300*. check it every 30 minutes and go by feel -if your probe slides in like butter (might wanna practice this on a stick of butter) its done. Rest in cooler and slice across the grain and enjoy your day.

So, this 2lb chunk of brisket flat-is there any fatcap on it or is it a trimmed flat?

[Dan NY]

There is a nice layer of fat on one side.  I scored a cross-hatch in it with a knife and put the salt pepper sugar rub on it. Should I put that side up or down?  I'm getting ready to put it on shortly.

[Dan NY]

The meat is on the grill. It is running right at 250 and seems to be going nicely. There is not much smoke coming out of the vent, just a few wisps. Is this ok or should I have added more wood chunks? I'll post photos of the setup.

[Dan NY]

I had to use an old drip pan because I'm out of new ones. I put warm water in it prior to putting the meat on.

[swamprb]

I would have banked the coals to one side, lit them Minion and placed 2 or 3 chunks on top. Place the 2lb brisket in a pan off the opposite side of the coals. No need for a drip pan. Let that beef soak in its fat. When it hits 156* internal strain the juices and reserve the jus to mix with some sauce to glaze when slicing. Wrap tightly in foil with some beef broth or au jus along with a little of the reserved beef juice and either put it in the oven or back on the grill. keep temp @275-300* check every 30 minutes until done.

[Dan NY]

I just took my first peak. So far it has used about 1/4 of the snake and has been running 230 deg. I am getting just whisps of blue smoke so I think things are going well. I have lots of time, so I'm going to just let it ride.

[TheDude]

Snake was the way to go IMO. Hate having to constantly feed a minion. Thin blue smoke is what you're looking for. Thick white billowing smoke is no buenó.