The Texas BBQ Forum

Hi all,

I'm planning to smoke a brisket for Christmas. I have some limited experience smoking other meats (last year I did a turkey), but this is my first time smoking brisket. My smoker is 16" in diameter, with 2 grilling racks and a tray for water on the bottom. Because of the limited grilling size, I'm thinking of separating the point and the flat before putting them in the smoker. From what I've read here and other forums, I'm planning to smoke at about 225 until the internal temp reaches 165, and then wrap in foil and return to smoker until temp is 198 or 200. I'll finish it by wrapping in towels and placing in a dry cooler for an hour or 2.

Any advice from the wisdom of this group would be greatly appreciated. Is separating point and flat a good strategy? Which piece should I put on the top rack? I assume that I calculate the cooking time at 1 to 1.5 hrs per lb based on the weight of each piece?

Thanks in advance!

I would try to leave it whole. maybe have the point facing toward the fire source. Flats tend to dry out sometimes. Put some beef broth in your foil and cook till probe tender. That means poking towards the point with a meat probe, when the probe goes in like butter it time to pull and rest. Good luck on your cook, and Merry Christmas.

What Señor Limey said. The 198-200 internal temp is a good guideline but probe tender is when it is done. I would start probing around 193+/- but realize it may not probe like butter until it’s over 200.

Buena suerte Amigo

As mentioned, I would not separate either. You won’t be gaining any space.
Temperature with brisket and butts are guidelines, probe tender is what you are after.
Good luck!

I just separated the point and the flat on mine. We'll see how it goes tomorrow!

Separating would actually decrease your available space by increasing the surface area of your intended cook. Unless you're planning on cooking one or the other; point or flat, don't separate. (Unless I'm too late with my advice here) lol

Mine were separate and cook time was just under 8 hours yesterday. Final result was excellent. Very moist and tender. The point that was made that this technique will not save grilling surface was absolutely correct. But this does cut down on cook time and makes for a more even cook without drying out the ends. In the end there's always some tradeoff. For me, it was the correct decision. I hope it went well for the OP.

Thanks all!

My smoker is a 16" diameter bullet style smoker, with 2 racks, one above the other. I had to separate because there was no way the whole brisket would have fit on one rack. I ended up putting the flat on the upper rack, and the point on the lower rack (right above the water pan).

I took the point off after about 6 hrs (170 F internal temp), wrapped it in foil and returned to my gas grill at 275'ish until temp was 180. Then I cubed and put into a foil pan with bbq sauce and returned to my grill for another hour for some delicious burnt ends.

The flat remained on the smoker, but was stalled at about 153 F, so after about 7 hrs, I wrapped it in foil and returned it to the smoker. In the next 2 hours the temp rose to 198, and it was probe tender. I removed from the heat, wrapped in towels, and placed in a cooler for an hour or so to rest.

Overall, I'm pleased with the way my first brisket turned out. I think I overcooked my burnt ends a little (the "samples" I took during the cooking process were a little more tender than the ones I ended up serving), but my guests didn't mind. The rest of the brisket was tender and tasty - and my guests are already requesting a repeat for next year!