Brisket and Pork at the same time

[Omertron]

Hi,

I am looking to cook both a brisket and pork shoulder at the same time. I am aiming to have them ready to server around 5pm and won't have a lot of time then to be dealing with them as I will be hosting and BBQing burgers and sausages as well.

Each cut of meat is 2-2.5Kg (4-5lbs) and wonder if an overnight smoke would be better than trying to "rush" them during the day.

I am slightly concerned about leaving the smoker going overnight (I have a remote thermometer, so able to keep an eye on it if necessary), but more concerned that I overcook the meat and it end up dry.

All the articles I read are dealing with meat cuts that are 2-3 times the size I have and really would appreciate some ideas on what might be best to do.

 

[oldsmokerdude]

I did this exact thing last weekend: a full packer and a pork butt needing to be ready to eat around 5:00. I put them both in the smoker around 2:00 AM and checked on the temps about every hour or so. Pork finished around noon and the brisket around 3:00 or so.

I do like my sleep, and getting up every hour to an hour and a half wasn't as much fun as I would have liked. Regardless, I was able to hang with the rest of the grownups that day without needing a nap.

My pellet smoker maintains temps very well and all night I didn't need to make any adjustments. Depending on your smoker, you may be able to check it less frequently.

I'm sure other more experienced folks have their ways of doing it. If doing it again, I would probably do the same things.

 

[Omertron]

Yeah, I don't think I will survive the day after a night without sleep! :-/

 

[jbellard]

Omerton,
Is the brisket the point or the flat? Sounds like the point since it’s 4-5lbs.
I would put them on at the same time and when they are done (which should/might) be around the same time, just put them either in a cooler or in the oven at 170 to keep them warm until you need them.
Should be good to go like that.
Keep the thermometer in both pieces of meat and they are both done around 200-205.
Personally I would just put them on around 7:30am and forget the overnight business. Since they are roughly half of what the normal cuts of meat are, they will take a lot less time.
Cooking at 275, I usually can finish an 8-10lb butt in about 8-10hrs and a 12-15lb brisket in about 10-12hrs.
If you start at 7:30am, you’ll have plenty of time for those two cuts to get done and be resting and then cook your burgers and hotdogs.

 

[Omertron]

Hi JB,
Sounds like an idea just to get up early and get them in. I read the "thickness vs weight" articles for both brisket & pork and still didn't really get a feel for the time involved.
I'm happy if they're done early and have time to rest, so if I get them started about 7am + 6/7 hours should give them both an easy 2-3 hours resting time.
thanks
Stuart

 

[jbellard]

Sounds like a plan Stuart! Let us know how it turns out.

Jeffrey

 

[gmc2003]

If you haven't done an overnighter on your smoker before then I would suggest not trying it this time. Especially if your cooking for guests(to many variables that can go wrong). If you can do it the day before that would be ideal, if not then getting up early and smoking at a higher temp would probably be your best bet. A thinner/longer cut of meat will cook faster then a shorter/thicker cut will. Even if they weigh the same(in my experience). Try an overnighter when it's just for your enjoyment. That way you'll know what to expect from your smoker. Good luck and keep us up to date.

Chris

 

[Omertron]

Thanks for the advice Chris, that was my thoughts too. I'll be getting up about 6am tomorrow to get it started for 7am.
I'll get it all prepped tonight (trimmed and rubbed) so I should just stumble out of bed and get it lit.

 

[Omertron]

Well, I was up by 0600 and had the smoker (WSM) lit and up to about 110C, well off the 130C (275F) I was aiming for by 0730, but decided to go with it anyway.

I had 3 probes measure in the temp, one in the brisket, one in the pork and one I call "grate" temp which is on the same level as the meat so I know what the "real" temp is and not what the lid thermo says.

I added a few more coals, which was probably not a great idea as they burnt the smoker wood a lot faster, so less smoke. You live and learn. However, by 1000 both were progressing nicely with the brisket at about 70C and the pork at 50C. I had forgotten to get them out the fridge and so they'd both started at about 5C.

Brisket didn't really plateau that I could tell, it had a steady rise to 89C (192F) by about 1100 when I started testing for tenderness. Wasn't quite there until 1145 when I removed it, wrapped it and placed it in a coldish oven.

Pork stayed on until about 1330, when it reached 90C too, I tried to wiggle the bone (difficult to do over a hot smoker!) but seemed tender enough, so that came off, wrapped and placed in the same oven.

All served up about 1700 as planned with smoked baby potatoes (just in trays with butter & salt, covered with foil), Boston beans and home made bbq sauce.

Testimony to how good it was is there is literally nothing left. I was relying on leftovers for lunches for the week :D

Next time, more meat! Thanks for the help and advice.

Ready to go


Pork (forgot a picture of the cooked brisket):

Boston beans

 

[gmc2003]

Nice job Omer, It's always a good sign when there aren't any leftovers and you expected some. It's also a bummer.

Point for sure.

Chris

 

[Smkryng]

Looks real good, sounds like everything went great!