Possible to smoke a brisket flat only?

[Sip94]

Are there any techniques that will allow you to smoke a flat only with good results? Wrap in bacon? Cook under a pork shoulder? Or are there ways to make the point less fatty. For example after smoking and cutting off the flat, put the point back on for more hours to render the fat and make burnt ends.

My problem is that a whole brisket is a ton to eat (others in my family don't share my love of BBQ to the same extent) and I'm not crazy about the fatty point portion of the brisket.

Challenge is the flats are usually trimmed of much of their fat so I suppose they'd be pretty dry.

Probably not possible to get similar results with a flat only. Thanks.

 

[Reborn_Horn]

I'd love to hear some opinions on this as well. Cooked a 9lb brisket that had been 'trimmed'. Still had quite a bit of fat on it but cooked for 12 hours and it was the driest, most worthless piece of meat ever. For what it's worth, I wasn't home to monitor the last few hours so that's what I get.

 

[Basketball Jones]

The point helps keep the flat moist. Just smoke the whole thing. I can't imagine someone won't eat the point -- take it to a neighbor

 

[NickDanger]

It is often the case that you pay more for a trimmed brisket than for an untrimmed one that would trim down to the same weight.

 

[Sip94]

I guess I'll do the whole thing. I saw a guy on the food network once that put the point back on the smoker for another 6 hours or so (after the brisket has already been fully cooked). Should get plenty of bark, burnt ends which I like. So maybe that's what I'll try. watching the smoker for 18+ hours doesn't sound like much fun however.

Reborn,
did you do the thing where you pull it off a bit early and foil it and later put it wrapped in a cooler? That's how I've done mine and even as a novice they weren't dry, but then again they were whole untrimmed briskets.

 

[Reborn_Horn]

In reply to:

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[DallasCowpoke]

I'd do this.
Inject it liberally w/ equal parts boxed beef stock/broth and apple juice. I also dissolve a handful of the rub I'm using on the outside in this.

Smoke with heavy smoke 5-6 hours @ no higher than 225.

Pull and wrap in foil. I add about 1/3 to 1/2 can of Coke to the foil packet, and a little more rub to the top of the meat.

Put the wrapped flat in an oven set at 175-200 and leave overnight or at least 10 hours.

I promise you, it will not be dry.

I do my whole briskets where I start them at 8-9 the 1st morning. Pull at 8-9 that night. Wrap and leave in the oven set on "warm", which happens to be 175, and just let 'em go 'till the next morning.

 

[Mobyhorn]

This process works well. Have been using rubs from a Wichita, KS supplier.