4 briskets, 60 people, new to BBQing


 
D

Dimitri

New member
Yes, yes. I know I'm foolhardy, and ridiculously over-ambitious.

Still, I'm confident I'll be able to pull it off.

I just have one question: should I pore the liquid smoke directly on the meat, or over the coals?

Just kidding. My question is about lump charcoal. This site's recipes call for briquettes. If I substitute lump charcoal, are there any special considerations? Can I swap by volume? Weight? Some other ratio?

My understanding is that lump charcoal burns hotter. Does that mean it'll require more frequent replenishing compared to briquettes? (I presume yes.)

For a first-time attempt, which is easiest?

I'd rather use lump charcoal, if it's not more difficult to maintain the right temperature range.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Last rites?
 
I have to appreciate your ambition and bravery. For something like brisket I would definitely stay away from lump especially if you are new to bbq. Lump definitely burns hotter and quicker than briquettes and can be hard to keep at a constant low temp. For things like butts and brisket I use Stubbs briquettes. They have a nice consistent burn and they are all natural with none of the chemical additives that you see in Kingsfors and others.
 
I would use the Briquettes. I have luck with them also. I use kingsford original. How big are your briskets?? I did 2 packers for a large party and it was just fine. I also cooked 2 boneless turkeys and had plenty of food. But I prefer the low and slow route, 225-235. I usually can do it with the Weber. Good Luck!!
 
Excellent. Then briquettes it shall be.

The size of the brisket will likely be in the 10-12 lb range; I'll see what's available at the Restaurant Depot this Saturday afternoon.

I'll do a test-fire this Saturday (one week before the main event), using just one packer brisket.

For the main event, I'll be "packing" 4 packer briskets into the 22.5" WSM... 2 per grate.

Any tips or gotchas?

I'm planning on fat-side down.
WITH water in the pan, for this weekend's single brisket.
WITHOUT water in the pan, for next weekend's 4 briskets.

Should I rotate the briskets, between the top and bottom grate, halfway through the cook?

I'll have a cooler ready for whichever brisket cooks first, and keep it wrapped in foil and blankets.

Prior to cooking, I'll slather them with mustard, and liberally apply my rub.
I'll be basting with apple juice, in a squirt bottle.
I'll be checking for doneness, every 30 minutes, after the meat reaches 170 degrees, using the wait-until-the-point-easily-separates-from-the-flat method.

Anything else I should consider?
 
I'd be careful about running without water. It can be tricky to control the temp. w/o water. With water in the pan the wsm is much more set it and forget it which means more sleep for you.
 
Then hot water it shall be, in both cases.

I just figured that 4 briskets would act as their own heat sink, especially in the first half of the cook.

Could I substitute sand or bricks? Or is it better to stick with water, since I'm new to all this?
 
Thanks for all the great advice. Very helpful.

In terms of temperature control, I'll try to keep the temperature in the 220-250 range as much as possible. I imagine there'll be some dips and spikes along the way; I'll be sure not to overreact.

I'll make sure the water level is between 50% to 75% full, and only make small, incremental changes to the bottom vents, and then wait 20-30 minutes for such changes to take affect, prior to determining if further adjustments are needed.

I'll use the Minion method, with Kingsford original briquettes, and follow the advice on this page:
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/fireup2.html

Thanks again!
 
Originally posted by Adam Coleman:
For something like brisket I would definitely stay away from lump especially if you are new to bbq. Lump definitely burns hotter and quicker than briquettes and can be hard to keep at a constant low temp.

I always get a smile on my face when I see a comment like this.
Any fuel will burn quick and hot if you let it go.. Lump will burn at the rate that you started it with.
And it will also do a very nice low and slow.
How you control it is up to you.
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Tim
Click to expand...
 
Hi Tim:
So, would you say that, as a complete beginner, I could use lump charcoal just as easily as briquettes?

They wouldn't burn hotter?

Using the Minion method, would I be able to maintain the temperature of lump charcoal, for as long as the Kingsford briquettes? (Or would I need to stay up all night, minding the temperature?)

I realize these are total newbie questions, so any insight is appreciated.

Dimitri
 
Timothy is 110% dead on! I use Lump and the clay method and can stay low and slow for 10-12+ hrs.

However if you don't know your WSM and it's quirks be careful. Water and briqs are a safe bet.

Your trail run that you are talking about is soooo diff from your real Q that your not gonna be able to compare the 2. IMO

If you keep your temps 225-250 and have 30+ lbs of brisket your looking at 15+ hrs of q time and alot of temp/prob feeling to be as good as possible.

However it will be better than 95% of the briskets you can eat at q joints most anywhere.


Good luck sir
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You can probably skip the water in the pan. 40 lbs of meat should be enough of a heat sink. Sorry I can't make it to the party...
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I agree that you CAN do low and slow with lump -- I do it myself -- but it's slightly more work than briquettes.

Given that this is Dmitri's first big cook and there's guests involved, I say take as many variables out of the equation as possible. For a low and slow brisket cook, briquettes are just about idiot-proof, especially if you take the couple extra minutes to really pack that ring solid.

You can totally do this with lump, but using briquettes gives you one less thing to worry about.

Another less thing to worry about: I've never seen any real point to basting when it comes to brisket. I wouldn't even bother.
 
OK, so my trial run is done.

My 11 lb brisket took about 11 hours to cook. I even managed to squeeze in a few hours' sleep.

Here are the meats of my labor:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ds...tAttemptAtBBQBrisket

Based on how the brisket came out, I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll be able to pull off 4 briskets at once, next weekend.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.

Dimitri
 
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