Just read something about brisket that blew my mind

I was watching a video from a pitmaster in Austin. He said a full packer brisket can lose over 40% of its weight during a long smoke. That's almost half the meat gone. I checked my notes from my last cook. My 16-pound brisket finished at just under 10 pounds. It's all that moisture and fat rendering out. Makes you think about the real cost per serving. Anyone else tracked their brisket weight loss before and after?

3 comments

3 Comments

alex8094mo ago

Ever think about how much fuel you're burning just to cook off all that water weight? That's a lot of time and wood for way less meat than you started with.

rosew374mo ago

Wait, you're cooking meat with wood?

angelaellis4mo ago

Actually, @alex809, that's the whole point of smoking it.