smoking a piece of meat considerably larger than the smoker can accommodate

[BigDave11]

I have some family coming over in several weeks. I have a big brisket in my freezer id like to cook for us all one day. All i have is a large big green egg. i do have a second elevated rack. would i be better off just trimming super aggressively, cutting it to fit or cutting it in half and smoke one half on top of the other. i do have a meat grinder so no trimming will go to waste.

 

[normanaj]

Separate the point from the flat and cook using both racks or if the separated pieces fit on one rack then go that route.

How to Trim and Separate a Brisket - Learn to Smoke Meat with Jeff Phillips

My friend Pete (@Pit 4 Brains) from Smoking Meat Forums shared his technique for trimming and separating a brisket and he gave me permission to share it with

www.Smoking-Meat.com

 

[voyager 663rd]

Don't cut it/BEND IT.

Although a heat resistant (like fire brick) is preferred,

1)wrap a brick in aluminum foil
2)place it standing UP on the grill and
3)put the brisket on top of the brick so it's an inverted U .

 

[BigW.]

If a whole packer is close to fitting, some folks will wrap a brick in tin foil and "bend" the meat over the brick. That will get you a little extra clearance.

 

[Astralogics]

Yep, if it is close to fitting, bend it at first. It'll shrink considerably, then you can lay it flat again. Separating it does work, though it'll be a bit tougher to manage the flat.

 

[tallbm]

I have some family coming over in several weeks. I have a big brisket in my freezer id like to cook for us all one day. All i have is a large big green egg. i do have a second elevated rack. would i be better off just trimming super aggressively, cutting it to fit or cutting it in half and smoke one half on top of the other. i do have a meat grinder so no trimming will go to waste.

Hi there and welcome!

If keeping it whole there is also this very wise approach to trimming the brisket which involves removing the thin portion of the Flat muscle and repurposing it because leaving it on the brisket will just burn it up and you will have to throw it out anyhow:

That green portion gets removed so that what is left of the Flat muscle is about uniform in thickness and cooks at the same rate as the rest of the flat. The Point will always be ok and tender because it's so fatty (mmmmm and so good).

Take that trimmed good meat (green portion) and use for stews, grind, braised beef, etc.

This is a great practice to apply that may help get your brisket to fit in your smoker on top of other things suggested here :D

 

[BigDave11]

Don't cut it/BEND IT.

Although a heat resistant (like fire brick) is preferred,

1)wrap a brick in aluminum foil
2)place it standing UP on the grill and
3)put the brisket on top of the brick so it's an inverted U .

View attachment 718260

I have this weber rib rack. It seems like that may be a good thing to place the brisket atop of, allowing it to bend. What do you think? I'd like to keep it as one piece ideally.

https://a.co/d/iLkli9B

 

[schlotz]

If it bends the brisket enough so it will fit, I don't see why that wouldn't work.

 

[normanaj]

Apparently I'm in the minority here.

Properly separating the point from the flat and doing both separately allows for better control over how each piece finishes in a confined environment. Bending and making it fit is a no-go for me.

 

[voyager 663rd]

If the rib rack allows you to get it high enough so it doesn't make contact with the lid, sure. Maybe even place a brick under the rack to lift it higher is possible as well.

 

[JLinza]

If space was an issue for me. I'd separate the point and the flat. Just like normanaj said... it will give you more control of temp too