Need some brisket help, new smoker, biggest brisket I have cooked

[kilohertz]

Merry Christmas everyone,

I am trying to decide when to start my Christmas brisket, this is the biggest brisket I have cooked and with a smoker I haven't used for brisket before. The meat is a nice 3.5" thick even point from an 17 lb brisket I cut in 2 and cooked the flat this summer, it weighs 8 lbs. The smoker I have used lots this summer but this is unfamiliar territory for me. It's my hot rodded MES30 (the insulated Sportsman Edition) with PID and optional exhaust fan, stack on top, mailbox mod etc.

My plan was to put it on late this evening at 220* and load a SNPS tray with pellets in the mailbox, should go most of the night. Now that I am thinking about it though, that may be too early. We want to eat about 7pm, I want to let it rest 2 hours so it needs to be 205* by 5pm. I'd also like to sleep in a little Christmas morning, maybe 7am. So by the time I get coffee and the smoker up to temp it will be 8am, that's 9 hours.

Some guidance from those of you who have done this dozens of times would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

 

[chilerelleno]

Can that new smoker hold 375°-400° temps?
Do you have unwaxed butcher paper or foil?
Ever done an Extreme Hot-n-Fast Brisket cook?
You can have a 18lb brisket smokey, moist and tender in 7-8 hrs.
Start it at 9am, have it resting by 4pm or 5pm and slicing it at 7pm.
Proven cooking science.
I've several such cooks documented in my recipe collection.
Here's one,

Prime Packer Brisket, Extreme Hot-n-Fast

Found a decent 22.3lb prime packer brisket at Costco. Y'all know where I'm going with this don't ya, yep, another Extreme Hot-n-Fast brisket cook. 2.5 hours of mixed Hickory and Mesquite smoke at 275°-300°. Then kicking the temp up to 375°-400°. Once the IT hits 165° it'll be wrapped in paper...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[kilohertz]

Can that new smoker hold 375°-400° temps?

No, 275* is about highest steady state.

Do you have unwaxed butcher paper or foil?

Both

Ever done an Extreme Hot-n-Fast Brisket cook?

No

You can have a 18lb brisket smokey, moist and tender in 7-8 hrs.
Start it at 9am, have it resting by 4pm or 5pm and slicing it at 7pm.
Proven cooking science.
I've several such cooks documented in my recipe collection.
Here's one,

Prime Packer Brisket, Extreme Hot-n-Fast

Found a decent 22.3lb prime packer brisket at Costco. Y'all know where I'm going with this don't ya, yep, another Extreme Hot-n-Fast brisket cook. 2.5 hours of mixed Hickory and Mesquite smoke at 275°-300°. Then kicking the temp up to 375°-400°. Once the IT hits 165° it'll be wrapped in paper...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Cool.

I suppose I could run the smoker at 275* and do it a little faster but I wanted to try a true low slow cook this time.

Cheers

 

[uncle eddie]

I have held pulled pork - resting in a cooler - for 5 hours. It was still about 165F when I finally pulled it and it was steaming. This was only a 10 lbs (pre-cooked) chunks of meat.

While I don't do brisket often, I am sure a longer rest in a well insulated cooler would be OK. Be sure to warm the cooler up first.

 

[spohnat]

I urge you to cook it beforehand and hold the temperature in a cooler. Each brisket is unique in a cook, and the brisket could even go for 18+ hours.

i would cook as low as possible and reload your pellet tray before bed. Then increase the heat in the AM (like 225-245) when you can monitor. When it finishes (probe goes in like butter, can be between 198 to 203 generally), pull and wrap in butcher paper. In your cooler, put towels, brisket, towels to trap the heat. You want to fill the cooler to help retain the warmth. If using an older cooler, I would pour boiling/hot water into prior to preheat the cooler. If a fancy cooler (yeti), i dont preheat. Slice when ready to serve. you ideally want an hour or two rest before slicing

 

[912smoker]

You have the perfect holding cabinet kilo!
Once the brisket is probe tender, turn the temp down to 140°and let it sit for a warm rest. I like wrap in Saran wrap for the rest.

Keith

 

[cptnding]

You have the perfect holding cabinet kilo!
Once the brisket is probe tender, turn the temp down to 140°and let it sit for a warm rest. I like wrap in Saran wrap for the rest.

Keith

With the PID that's exactly what I was thinking.
Why saran wrap? Don't think I've ever seen that. Interesting idea.

 

[912smoker]

With the PID that's exactly what I was thinking.
Why saran wrap? Don't think I've ever seen that. Interesting idea.

Seals tight and holds all of the moisture and juices in . It's a competition cook secret

Keith

 

[kilohertz]

Well thanks all,

I have a plan in place, start tonight, 220* overnight then depending on IT, continue thru present opening and wife saver casserole and adjust temps accordingly. I usually finish my roasts/butts etc. in the kitchen microwave/convection oven in winter time, once I wrap it, might as well have the heat in the house as it's -7 tonight, wood stove going half throttle.

I'll post pics in the usual manner if anyone wants to follow along. Thank you for all the help.

Merry Christmas

 

[cptnding]

Well thanks all,

I have a plan in place, start tonight, 220* overnight then depending on IT, continue thru present opening and wife saver casserole and adjust temps accordingly. I usually finish my roasts/butts etc. in the kitchen microwave/convection oven in winter time, once I wrap it, might as well have the heat in the house as it's -7 tonight, wood stove going half throttle.

I'll post pics in the usual manner if anyone wants to follow along. Thank you for all the help.

Merry Christmas

View attachment 684254

-7 wow! That MES is gonna have to work a little harder tonight.

 

[kilohertz]

-7 wow! That MES is gonna have to work a little harder tonight.

And here we go, I have my temp monitor online, I can see it anywhere in the world there is internet.

Paul's smoker monitor

It's slowly coming up to temp, the meat probe is just laying in the smoker for now until the meat goes in.

Cheers

 

[kilohertz]

Well it was a cold start...frost on the smoker and PID.

 

[JLeonard]

Ok I am digging The online monitor. Hows The cook going?

Jim

 

[kilohertz]

Ok I am digging The online monitor. Hows The cook going?

Jim

Well, I slept in, I just got up, although I woke up at 4:30am and went out to check. At that time it was in for 7 hours and was at 161* and smoker was at 243* so I knocked the smoker down to 220* (indicated on temp monitor) and when I got up at 8am smoker was 220* and brisket at 177*. I repositioned the roast and recentered the temp probe, still 177* so I'll just watch it. It's already tender, probe just slid in.

Maybe we could have it for lunch.

Merry Christmas

PS it used a full tray of pellets, was still going strong at 4:30am, wondering if I should reload the tray and add more smoke or just leave it, no experience with a cook this long. thanks

 

[JLeonard]

Sorry just saw this! Looking good.

Jim

 

[912smoker]

Looks like it's developing a muggy good bark and color !

Keith

 

[kilohertz]

I pulled it out of the smoker at 190*, wrapped in foil and in the oven to continue to 200-205*. It seems to be stuck back at 188 for the last hour...hopefully will pull up soon.

 

[kilohertz]

We had a great dinner, the brisket was the best one I have cooked to date, super moist, juicy and great flavour, I was happy with the cook, it came out at 5pm just as I wanted at 201*.

Thanks for all the help.

Cheers

 

[uncle eddie]

Heck ya!
Glad it worked out for you.
It would be helpful to others if you wrote a quick summary of what you did.

 

[Nefarious]

You have the perfect holding cabinet kilo!
Once the brisket is probe tender, turn the temp down to 140°and let it sit for a warm rest. I like wrap in Saran wrap for the rest.

Keith

Do you wrap in saran wrap after the temp comes down to 140°?