Brisket this weekend - couple questions


 

Bruce Mac

New member
Good friend is having a house warming party and is giving me a brisket to smoke overnight Friday for her party on Saturday. It's only weighing in at about 7.5lbs (she bought part of a cow), so I will likely supplement and buy another brisket or smoke up some ribs or chicken.

Here are my questions:

1. My in lid thermometer bit the dust last season and I've been smoking fairly blind this season. Can those be replaced easily? I honestly haven't looked into it, but am just curious. Assuming this happens a lot.

2. I'd like to finally invest in a decent mid-range temp probe, and would prefer wireless if I can do so without breaking the bank. Can you folks recommend a decent one that is proven and I can find on Amazon?

3. If I pickup another brisket and want to smoke it on the lower rack due to space, would I put the heavier cut on the bottom rack or the lighter cut? I'm going to assume that the lower rack is going to cook slightly hotter, but I could be incorrect here given that the water pan is right there so close.

4. Lastly, any recommendations on wood? Was thinking maybe apple, but I'm just not sure.


Thanks for any advice!
 
You can disregard the temperature probe and the in lid thermometer. I just picked up a ThermoPro TP20 and a replacement thermometer off of Amazon. TP20 looked like a solid deal on sale and highly rated.

Let me know what you guys think on the other two questions. I'd greatly appreciate it!
 
3. If you have water in the pan, the top rack will cook more quickly. If no water, the bottom rack will.

4. This one is personal preference, but to me apple is too mild for brisket, or anything else really. I like mesquite best for brisket. My second choice would be red oak.
 
2. Maverick is manys first choice as its pricevise. Its wireless but not wifi. I had one (ET-733) and it worked ok.
3. The buttom rack is the coolest one so id put the heavier on the top.

I like all the wood from treees that carries stone fruits (smoother) Apple, Cherries and so on

But Im a rookie :)
 
Thanks for the replies fellas. Looking forward to a good overnight smoke.

I do have another advice question. So at this point I'm planning on doing this overnight, but the party doesn't start until 5:00 the next day, which means really folks may not end up eating until like 6:00. The brisket is 7.5lbs, so figure about ~12 hours or so to smoke + at least an hour of rest at minimum. I can only foil and cooler the finished product for like 3 or 4 hours. What tips or advice can you give me for not drying it out or falling below safe handling temps? Should I pull early and have her oven finish? If so, what temp should I pull it off at? Can I foil and cooler at a lower unfinished temp and then transfer to her and have her finish it in the oven? Not trying to over complicate, but I also don't want to risk it dropping below safe handling temps and don't want to bugger this gals dinner!

What would you guys do? I don't much feel like getting up at 3:00-4:00am to start my cook. Nor do I want to stay up until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning to start Friday night.
 
Yes, you can finish it in the oven. I foil and it keeps the juices in. To keep the meat moist heat it as one piece and slice just before serving. The foiled juice can be filtered/separated from the dregs, heated/reduced a bit for au jus.

I can't help you with the start times...that's your call.
 
Thermoworks Smoke is a great wireless monitor. They have a lot of other excellent products as well. Really good build quality. Much better than Maverick, and I own both. Their Thermopen is a must have. Brisket on the bottom rack if you have pork above it. The pork will baste the beef with fat drippings. You're gonna lose sleep. Tough being a hero:cool: On the other hand, I did a brisket a few weeks ago and the WSM cruised all night. Some people do briskets hot and fast with good results. No loss of sleep.
 
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I did a brisket & some ribs for our Annual Fourth of July family get together.

The brisket came off at about 1:00, leaving me plenty of times to follow up with the ribs. I put the brisket in a cooler covered with a very thick beach towel. At 6:00, when I took it out to slice, it was still at about 160º IT.





BD
 
1. My in lid thermometer bit the dust last season and I've been smoking fairly blind this season. Can those be replaced easily? I honestly haven't looked into it, but am just curious. Assuming this happens a lot.

A1: actually I've not had it happen in over five years. YMMV. They are very easy to replace. http://virtualweberbullet.com/measuretemp.html

2. I'd like to finally invest in a decent mid-range temp probe, and would prefer wireless if I can do so without breaking the bank. Can you folks recommend a decent one that is proven and I can find on Amazon?

A2: I have a Mav and and iGrill. They both work as advertised. However, I rarely use either anymore. Exact temp is not required. Again, YMMV. See above link for recommendations.

3. If I pickup another brisket and want to smoke it on the lower rack due to space, would I put the heavier cut on the bottom rack or the lighter cut? I'm going to assume that the lower rack is going to cook slightly hotter, but I could be incorrect here given that the water pan is right there so close.

A3: http://virtualweberbullet.com/temptest.html

4. Lastly, any recommendations on wood? Was thinking maybe apple, but I'm just not sure.

A4: I prefer mesquite for beef. It can take the stronger wood IMO. I believe fruit woods are very mild and are great for bacon or poultry.
 

 

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