Packer brisket on Weber kettle advice


 

DavidDiQuattro

New member
Hi all,

I’m going to cook my first Packer brisket on my 22” Weber Kettle this weekend. I got the smallest packer available at Costco - 11+ lbs. I’m looking for some advice on positioning and cook method


-I’m thinking of going fat side down. Since the brisket will take up a lot of grill space, I’m thinking fat side down will help absorb some of the conduction, since the meat and coals will be in pretty close proximity.

-I’d be inclined to use the snake method but would be open to other techniques that will keep lit coals as far away from the meat as possible.

-The two questions are related -I’m open to any and all suggestions about where to position the brisket and heat method (snake, minion variations, split coal beds etc.)

I’d really appreciate any input!

Cheers,
David
 
I have never done one that way but, your reasoning seems sound to me!
I have a buddy that has done them that way and says his results were excellent...I have not been privy to the feast but, I have no reason to doubt his word.
Honestly, until I got my WSM I’d don’t everything on my 22” so, I say “Sally forth and share your results!”

You might consider foiling the ends loosely to lessen some drying, the mid section will be safe enough but the “starting end” might be helped by a little insulation.
Good for you sir!
 
Thanks for the feedback, and the suggestion to foil the ends. I’m actually doing the cook Monday, and I’ll try to get results up here!
 
I have never cooked a Packer on a grill. But I guess if I did I would use bricks to build a wall up to the grate height just to the left of where my hinged grate opens, put foil down on the charcoal grate on the left side of the wall to direct air to the right side, and build my fire on the right side of that wall. Then, I’d put an additional brick or two end to end on the narrow edge on the grate to create a hot zone to the right and a larger indirect cooking zone to the left under the vent. I’d prop open the cooking grate hinge on the bricks on top of the grate so I could feed the fire by simply dumping in more coal and smoke wood. I’d maintain the heat on the cool side at 350*F, cook the brisket for 2.5 hours, wrap it in two layers of foil and finish it for 2.5 hours.
 
Hi all,

I’m going to cook my first Packer brisket on my 22” Weber Kettle this weekend. I got the smallest packer available at Costco - 11+ lbs. I’m looking for some advice on positioning and cook method


-I’m thinking of going fat side down. Since the brisket will take up a lot of grill space, I’m thinking fat side down will help absorb some of the conduction, since the meat and coals will be in pretty close proximity.

-I’d be inclined to use the snake method but would be open to other techniques that will keep lit coals as far away from the meat as possible.

-The two questions are related -I’m open to any and all suggestions about where to position the brisket and heat method (snake, minion variations, split coal beds etc.)

I’d really appreciate any input!

Cheers,
David

I've never done a brisket on my kettle, but recently saw a video where the pitmaster used the snake method (double row) and it seemed to come out fine. I'm guessing snake would be the way to go.
But, I might try a brisket with my Slow n' Sear some day.
 
Didn't see this until now, so sorry I'm late. I have not smoked a full packer, but have done brisket flats, pork butt, and pork shoulder on the Master Touch using the snake method. I have been very pleased with the process and end product.

What did you end up doing and how did it turn out?
 
America's Test Kitchen

Hi all,

I’m going to cook my first Packer brisket on my 22” Weber Kettle this weekend. I got the smallest packer available at Costco - 11+ lbs. I’m looking for some advice on positioning and cook method


-I’m thinking of going fat side down. Since the brisket will take up a lot of grill space, I’m thinking fat side down will help absorb some of the conduction, since the meat and coals will be in pretty close proximity.

-I’d be inclined to use the snake method but would be open to other techniques that will keep lit coals as far away from the meat as possible.

-The two questions are related -I’m open to any and all suggestions about where to position the brisket and heat method (snake, minion variations, split coal beds etc.)

I’d really appreciate any input!

Cheers,
David

Dave, apologies for just seeing this and, I know, that by now you've finished your brisket. Hope it was all you expected. In case you want to try it again, "America's Test Kitchen" did a segment this past weekend where they cooked a full brisket on a Weber Kettle. It looked fantastic when finished. Good bark, smoke ring and very juicy. Edit: Forgot to mention, their recipes are online at AmericasTestKitchen.com
 
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I did my first brisket on the 22 Kettel before to purchase the wsm.
I used snake method (i did cook low&slow at 250F), waterpan in the center, and I placed on top of an oven tray to shield it from the heat of the hot end of the snake (and to be able to move it faster for the foil).
Using that methond I was able to spread wood chips on the snake to have smoke for the first 3hours without intervention.
It was good, but it was the first one, so maybe I'm overrating it ;)
 
I've done up to 14lb packers. I use 2 fire bricks to keep the coals to one side. Foil under the brisket to catch the drippings. Place lump and 3-4 chunks of mesquite or red oak in the barricaded area and light at one end with a torch. L&s you need to almost close your bottom vents completely and the top vent about 3/4s of the way. Hh brisket works well on the kettle too.
 
I smoked ribs , pork butts, turkey, chicken on the 22" kettle several times. One thing to note about temp control is closing down the top vent down about 50% along with the bottom about 75% to keep the temps down...start with 1/4 full chimney of lit, put about 3/4 unlit banked on side...probably wouldn't hurt to put a water pan in there as well...shoot for 275-300 range...and wrap brisket in foil about 170 and put back on grill to finish it off( may also need to add more charcoal at this point)

the kettle likes to run hotter than a wsm, if you try to keep the temp below say 275 you will have to keep a close eye on it and probably tweak the vents a lot...275 is good but I wouldnt freak out if it varies up to 300-325 just don't let it go higher than that
 
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Thanks for the input, everyone! The cook went pretty well. The comments here about vent placement for temp control are especially helpful as I experiment with more low and slow cooks on my Weber. I went unwrapped for the whole cook - 8 hours. I maintained a temp of 250 most of the way, but got a temp spike when I added fresh unlit coal around hour 5 (I only monitor kettle temp with an oven thermometer inside the kettle). The meat was pretty juicy and very tender - more fall apart than I was going for, but good. Bark was tasty but pretty thick and hard, so I'll ponder ways to fix that.

I'm still trying to figure out posting photos, and when I do I will try to get some up.
 
Thanks for the input, everyone! The cook went pretty well. The comments here about vent placement for temp control are especially helpful as I experiment with more low and slow cooks on my Weber. I went unwrapped for the whole cook - 8 hours. I maintained a temp of 250 most of the way, but got a temp spike when I added fresh unlit coal around hour 5 (I only monitor kettle temp with an oven thermometer inside the kettle). The meat was pretty juicy and very tender - more fall apart than I was going for, but good. Bark was tasty but pretty thick and hard, so I'll ponder ways to fix that.

I'm still trying to figure out posting photos, and when I do I will try to get some up.

wrapping the brisket will help soften the bark some and help push the temp up quicker without drying it out ...after wrapping i would push the temp up to 300-325 to get it done faster
 
I've smoked Costco prime briskets of all sizes (even up to 18lbs) on my 22" kettle. Just trim the excess ends to make your brisket fit, close the vents to slow cook at around 200 degrees, and keep a water pan underneath. Foil the smaller ends/corners when you see them getting darker. Spritz with apple cider vinegar every hour. When the pile of charcoal dies out (around the 5-6 hour mark), it's time to wrap the meat in butcher paper and reload charcoal. Then cook until the fire dies down. This method has worked for me like a charm.
 
I've smoked Costco prime briskets of all sizes (even up to 18lbs) on my 22" kettle. Just trim the excess ends to make your brisket fit, close the vents to slow cook at around 200 degrees, and keep a water pan underneath. Foil the smaller ends/corners when you see them getting darker. Spritz with apple cider vinegar every hour. When the pile of charcoal dies out (around the 5-6 hour mark), it's time to wrap the meat in butcher paper and reload charcoal. Then cook until the fire dies down. This method has worked for me like a charm.

This is an intriguing way to go about it, and I expect I'll give something like this a try.
 
Dave, apologies for just seeing this and, I know, that by now you've finished your brisket. Hope it was all you expected. In case you want to try it again, "America's Test Kitchen" did a segment this past weekend where they cooked a full brisket on a Weber Kettle. It looked fantastic when finished. Good bark, smoke ring and very juicy. Edit: Forgot to mention, their recipes are online at AmericasTestKitchen.com

Thanks, I’ll definitely check this out!
 

 

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