New member from so cal

[cobra1713]

DHello,

As I mentioned above, I am from Southern California, although not the Hollywood 76* all year part more the middle of nowhere 110*+ summer area :)

I am using a masterbuilt propane smoker. So far I have smoked two thing, first was a tri tip that was great but definitely over smoked. Second a whole chicken that after reading a bunch of threads here turned out to be the best I've ever had.

I finally decided to joining because after the nagging of a friend I decided to go for smoking a brisket. It is a 14.61 lb full packer usda choice. I had to cut about three pounds off the end today make sure it would fit lol. But it is in the fridge with a rub I found from the forums here and ready to go one Saturday early morning.

I would start a new thread normally but since it is just a couple question maybe I can sneak it in this one. I am planning on pulling it out of the fridge at 0100 and letting it get to room temperature then put it on the smoker around 0300 at 220*-230*. Figure I will watch it and add wood as needed till 0430-0500. Then grab a couple hours sleep any get back up around 0700. Then plan on putting it in a foil pan and covering it with foil. My question is at what temp should I put it in the foil? Then plan on cooking till IT of 190 and wrapping it up in some foil then towels and in a cooler for one to two hours. Does it sound like a solid plan or something I should change? I also what would your best guess at an eta be?

Thanks everyone and this seems to be a great forum so far.

 

[scarbelly]

Hello Cobra and 

to SMF - glad you joined us 

Please do us a favor and update your profile with your location 

We have a SoCal Smokers Group and would love to have you join us 

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/groups/show/23/so-cal-smokers

 

[s2k9k]

to SMF!!! We're happy you found us! You've come to the right place, we have over 40,000 members and over 800,000 posts so you should be able to find almost anything you want to know. Remember the search bar at the top can be your best friend for finding answers fast!

You might want to check out Jeff's Free 5 day E-course it will teach you all the basics and a whole lot more!

Sounds like a good plan on your brisket! I wouldn't let it sit out of the fridge for 2 hours though, I always take meat out and straight to the smoker, it's not going to cook sitting on the counter and you are taking a chance of bacteria to start growing on it.

If I was going to foil it I would do it at an IT of about 150*. You can look at about 2 hours per pound and give yourself an extra 2 hours as a cushion, if it gets done early it will stay hot in the cooler for hours!

The rest sounds like you have really done your homework! Let us know how it goes and remember there is always someone here if you need any help!

 

[meatinc]

Welcome Cobra!

Similar to S2K says - you should (theoretically) achieve a better smoke ring going directly from the fridge to the smoker.  It's also safer (food handling).

I'd also wrap / foil at about 160F but I think that is a personal preference.  150 is fine too.

As for the timing - on a big cut of meat, you can always foil, wrap in a towel and rest in a clean dry cooler for hours so it's always better to start earlier and hold when it's done.

If I cook the brisket at 225 (which is my preference) I usually foil after about 6 hours and the IT is usually around 160.  I'll then continue until about 198 - 202 - the thermometer probe should go in like a hot knife through butter.  I rarely look at the actual temp - more of a guideline for when to start probing.  This is usually another 3 - 4 hours depending on the environmental conditions.  When that probe goes in easy, I remove from the cooker and open up the foil and let it vent heat for about 20 minutes so it won't continue to cook while I rest the meat in the cooler.

After it vents, wrap it back up and into the cooler for resting until your ready to slice.

 

[cobra1713]

I'll update my profile for sure,

Thanks for the advise, I assumed you would have to let it get to room temperature like a steak but that's what I get for assuming and not reading lol.

Well I will make sure to take some pictures and get them posted where they belong ASAP

 

[smokinhusker]

Hello Cobra and welcome to SMF! Good luck with the brisket...hope it turns out well.