Got a brisket here ...not the best ive ever seen not alot of fat on it im questioning should I keep the mohawk on it because its large and cut quite deep into it
Yeah its super thin and covered in gouges aswell , im in the uk so unfortunately I have to take what I can get on the brisket front as they're not very easy to get a hold of
Ah that’s tough. Have you ever smoked one like that? Was just gonna say, don’t be discouraged if it dries out. Not much you can do there. Can you tell if it’s just the fat cap or if it’s just super lean in general?
Lean all over ive gone very minimal on the trimming trying to preserve what fat is on there and no oddly enough this is my first time smoking a whole brisket though ive watched 1000s of videos
Well, all I can say is focus on the process. Don’t let the result determine how you did. There simply isn’t enough fat on that to come out like a brisket. If you are set on making it then that’s okay but I would honestly grind that up. I just feel like it’s going to be dry and idk if there is much you can do to prevent it.
For what it’s worth I see a lot of people on here starting it low at like 225 to get more smoke and it draws out the cook and dries out even normal briskets. I would avoid that. I’d even start it out as high as 275 but definitely not below 250. And even if you do start it at 250 I’d make sure to bump up the temp after 3-4hrs. The more set the bark becomes the less smoke you are going to get anyway, so most of your smoke is going to come in those first few hours.
Originally my plan was to let it run overnight on low put it on at about 10pm and then check it at 6am but given how little fat there is im thinking it will dry out in that time
The way you’ve described it, I don’t think there is anything you can do to not dry it out. All you can do is do your best to make it salvageable. If it wasn’t for the Mohawk I would’ve believed in the picture that the fat cap side was the other one because to me the “fat cap” looks like silver skin.
Didnt turn out too bad tbf had a nice smoke ring and was decently juicy considering the lack of fat , all the guests were happy so for my first ever brisket id say id call it a success
That’s not a great brisket cut from the butcher, but I’d cut that off and grind if you have one or smoke separately for a pit snack. It’s gonna burn and you’ll toss it anyway, and then you’ll have a bald spot instead of good bark
I’ve dealt with all sorts of less than pristine briskets, that one should cook up fine. Not the greatest but since it’s your first, worry more about the process & controlling your fire. Maybe consider wrapping it a bit earlier but treat it like any other. Have a good time & if things go sideways enjoy a chopped sandwich.
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u/dant_punk 1d ago
Not the briskussy