first brisket smoke... just a few questions

[jimalbert]

Hey guys... Im going to smoke a small brisket this weekend and I have just a few questions..  I read the brisket sticky so i am well informed from that but the main question I have is if I do a small say 4-6 pound brisket, at say 225, with pretty much a constant temp, how long can i assume it is going to be until i throw it in the cooler wrapped?  I will have a remote temp sensor in it but just want to gauge when I should start this thing tomorrow.  I would love to do a little bit bigger brisket but I only have a GOSM and its not the big boy either so i am just a bit confined right now.  I just was offered a nice 5'6" stainless cabinet that is probably 4 feet wide with double doors and heavy duty casters to make a new smoker so that is going to be in the works in the next few months.  Thanks for all the help guys....

Jim

 

[tom37]

I always try to plan at least 1 1/2 hours per pound. The small ones always seem to get done before this but if it stalls bad you don't want to have to eat peanut butter and jelly waiting for the brisket.

Its alot easier to hold it in the cooler until you are ready to eat then it is to not have it cooked yet. The last brisket I did took almost 18 hours and they were packers cut into point and flat, I'm guessing that they were under 9 lbs each. I kept the temps down as close to 220 as I could and the stall didn't matter to much since I was cooking for the next day.

Good Luck and I hope it turns out great.

 

[dick foster]

It all depends on the piece of meat you get and how much collogen it contains.

As a very rough rule of thumb figure about 1.5 hrs./lb for cooking at 225F but again that is a very rough guide. Other factors are how many times you open the smoker to fiddle around with stuff. Being a big beliver in the "when you're a lookin you ain't a cookin" rule, I never open mine till it's time to take it out.

What you're really shooting for is the finish temp. I pull mine out at 190F and let it sit and rest with a tin foil hat for an hour or so before I slice into it. By now, we all know what tin foil hats are good for.  

 

[jimalbert]

now I have qview.  Ok heres how that brisket turned out that I smoked this weekend.





Thanks for the help guys....

Jim

 

[carson627]

Jim,

That looks good.  How'd it taste?

 

[jimalbert]

It was very good considering It was the first brisket I ever smoked.  I have no complaints about taste, or tenderness.  I just used the rub that I normally use on my pork ribs and thought it worked really well with beef.  I smoked it until 170 and then foiled it until 190 and let it rest an hour or so.  I wish I had a little more time to let it rest but It was pretty late by that point. 

Thanks,

Jim