brisket 1hr/lb and 2+ hr/lb butt

[Guest]

I put a 10lb brisket and 6lb butt on last night at 6:00pm. We wanted it done in time to be able to have lunch at the inlaws. My thinking was the brisket would be done ~10:00am and the butt ~6:00 am. This would let me let it rest a couple hours before pulling/shreading.

I just pulled the brisket off at 6:30am at an internal temp of 188(this was just over an hr per lb!). The point felt like butter when probing and the flat was slightly firmer(I prefer thin slices, I don't like it falling apart). Now it's setting in the cooler all wrapped up. Is this unusual?

The butt is setting at 179 right now(7:00am). It's been on the top grate the entire time and dome temp read from 220-240 and my grate temp read from 195-220. I use a long thermometer just under the top grate for that measurement.

I used the MM method for the fire and use a brinkman water pan with water. I guess I'm just really suprised that the brisket(which was on the bottom grate) can possibly be done this quick and the butt is still probably 2 hours from reaching 195.

Any opinions?
Brad

 

[Susan Z]

That's a speedy brisket you've got there, but as the folks on this site say, sometimes you get a piece of meat that turbos....! Definitely ready for lunchtime, that's for sure.

 

[Guest]

Well it's been 2 hours and the butts are at 185. So much for me figuring on 2 hours to reach 195 lol.
Any thoughts on if it would effect anything to run the dome temp around 200 and throw the brisket back in(still foiled) after the butt is done?

We just got a call and lunch won't be until 1 or 2 o'clock now. I'm not sure if I can hold the brisket in the cooler that long. That would be 6+ hours in the cooler. Seems kinda long to me but I've never tried holding something this long. I'm not sure if I'll risk drying it out if I put it back in the WSM to keep the temp up.

Is it possible once the butt is done(hopefully by 10 or 11 at the latest) to foil it and put it in the cooler with the brisket to help keep the brisket temp up? Then just pull the pork just before lunch. Or is my best bet in the smoker at a low temp.
I finally do the smart thing and give myself extra time so we're not waiting on the food and I end up done so early I've got another problem lol.

Thanks,
Brad

 

[George(moe) Higgins]

Brad,

I hope the butts and lunch turned out ok. When you pulled the brisket, I would have tried to get the temp up higher in the WSM with more coals. At 179 (7am) you were in what I consider a plateau area temp wise. Really hard to judge how long from there. Your 2 hrs was a good guess though.

 

[Kevin Taylor]

Brad....

When trying to time your briskets, you need to pay close attention to the thickness of the meat...especially the flat portion. At 10 lbs., I am willing to bet your brisket was relatively thin. I have had many of them cook in 45 min.-1hr./lb. All of these were pretty thin pieces of meat. I can't really offer any type of estimate for thinness...just takes experience.

Sounds like all worked out OK....which is a pretty good thing!