Weird little mini-brisket

On Saturday, I hit my normal meat counter, and lo and behold, what looked like a brisket point was right there. For me, I love the point far more than the flat of the brisket and here was a small grass-fed brisket from my favorite Humboldt County producer. Purchased! Woke up Sunday morning, fired the pit and took a look at my little brisket point, and was surprised to see, it as a full 4 pound packer, well, a weird, tiny, 4 pound packer with the smallest, thinnest excuse for a flat I have ever seen. By the time I got done trimming off the membrane and such, it was probably around 3 pounds. No matter, I seasoned it up with Ted & Barneys Meat Rub, a product that comes from just over the river from where this apparently tiny steer once sort of fed.

 

Tiny Packer

From here, I decided to roll it, that paper thin flat would never hold up in the cook. So, a little butcher twine and I had a brisket roast. The meat was so soft, it barely held in the butcher tie I used. Onto the smoker which had locked into 250F by then.

 

Brisket Roast, I'll be famous

It sat at the 250F temperature for 2 hours, then I wrapped it in some butcher paper and forgot about it for another 2 hours. The temperature somewhere along the line approached 375F, and the paper got a little crisp. But, after a mere 6 hours, it felt about right, so I probed and it was tender. Pulled, wrapped in new paper and rested for about an hour. I had no idea what to expect.

 

Tiny little slices

Well, I ended up with tiny little slices of brisket, but, where they tender, they sure looked good. A tiny little smoke ring, almost no visible fat, let's check if it bends.

 

Yep, bendy, downright floppy

So, the slices flopped right over, I didn't bother with the slicing knife, just a regular scalloped utility knife, but, cut like a champ, no crumbling and very soft. Yep, I can cook a brisket still, darn fine one actually. Time to build a sandwich.

 

A tiny sandwich, with tiny dill pickle slices

A little horseradish mayo, some dill pickles and a soft white roll, lightly toasted. Who needs a plate, I got a cutting board.

 

Optional Ale shown

While the whole thing was smaller than expected, the flavor was all brisket. First off, the Ted & Barney's Meat Rub was excellent. I am surprised every time I use it, it mostly look like salt and pepper, but, it gets the job done. While the brisket was weirdly shaped and tiny, it cooked up just like a full size packer, and rendered out beautifully. A tender, flavorful brisket in every way.

Cook Detail:
UDS cooker
temps: 250F (2 hours), 250F to 375F (2 hours), 325F (2 hours)
wrapped after 2 hours (butcher paper)
unwrapped after 4 hours
rested 1 hour or so (wrapped in clean butcher paper)