So after great fun and success this last year-and-a-half with the WSM, I am ready for the challenge of the mighty brisket. So once again I need your advice...Generally speaking, what is the ideal portion (uncooked) per person? At 225* - 250*, how long to cook per pound? What is internal temperature when done? And what is best smoke wood to use? Lots of questions, but that's why I'm here...
Brisket Pointers?
- Thread starter PJ Polke
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Jim Minion
TVWBB Emerald Member
If you were to buy a 12 to 13 pound brisket, with good a fat cap, would be the place to start.
You will end up with aprox 6 to 7 pounds of finished product.
Figure 1 1/2 hours per pound but tenderness is the real gauge not time. If you can slide a probe from a Polder or a something similar into the flat and if feels like it is going thru butter it's done.
Oak is very good on beef and fruit woods would work well.
Jim
You will end up with aprox 6 to 7 pounds of finished product.
Figure 1 1/2 hours per pound but tenderness is the real gauge not time. If you can slide a probe from a Polder or a something similar into the flat and if feels like it is going thru butter it's done.
Oak is very good on beef and fruit woods would work well.
Jim
Dennis Solin
TVWBB Super Fan
Cooked four of them Friday night for a party on Saturday. Put on 10:00pm, used Kingsford with mesquite chunks. Two vents barely cracked one vent about 1/3 open. Checked at 5:30am, one WSM only had three inches of water left, lid temp approx 240, the other one had 1/2 pan of water, 200 lid temp. Internals were approx 160 at 5:30 am.
Filled water pans,threw on more charcoal, sprayed with Aj/OO mixture, stuck in Polders and went back to bed. Ended up pulling all briskets at about 10:00 am at an average of 188 degrees. One shot on me at was about 197. Wrapped and put in hot bags for two hours.
Took to Ryans and he trimmed points off, wrapped in foil and put in frig until partytime. At party we warmed the briskets and servers sliced.
They all turned out wonderful.
Cooked four briskets at 1 hour per pound. These were prime quality so maybe they cook faster than the choice or select.
Have you cooked the primes Ryan gave you yet Jim?
Filled water pans,threw on more charcoal, sprayed with Aj/OO mixture, stuck in Polders and went back to bed. Ended up pulling all briskets at about 10:00 am at an average of 188 degrees. One shot on me at was about 197. Wrapped and put in hot bags for two hours.
Took to Ryans and he trimmed points off, wrapped in foil and put in frig until partytime. At party we warmed the briskets and servers sliced.
They all turned out wonderful.
Cooked four briskets at 1 hour per pound. These were prime quality so maybe they cook faster than the choice or select.
Have you cooked the primes Ryan gave you yet Jim?
G
Guest
Guest
I've been thinking about trying brisket, too. Jim, since you're saying 12 lbs at 1.5 hours/lb, hmm, my math skills are kicking in . . .
take the hypotenuse divided by the square root of the . . . apply the quadratic equation . . . let x = brisket . . . minus the cosecant of charcoal over time . . . therefore . . .
/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif 18 hours?!
(Sorry for being so dramatic.)
So, what's the easiest method for a beginner to get it right the first time? Never done an overnighter, but I'm willing. I also read that foiling for a portion of the cook gives good results, at the risk of offending the purists. (Then again, cooking on a water smoker might offend some purists anyway.) I would also consider doing a pork butt over the brisket. Time to buy that Foodsaver . . . . I also read somewhere about raising the temps part-way through the cook. Not sure what that does.
So what method has the least chance of failure for a beginner like me?
By the way, the only whole briskets I've seen were more in the 9-11 lb range. Anything wrong with a smaller cut? It looked like the fat was trimmed, but not all the way, so probably about 1/8 - 1/4 inch left. Maybe that's why they weighed less?
--Mick
take the hypotenuse divided by the square root of the . . . apply the quadratic equation . . . let x = brisket . . . minus the cosecant of charcoal over time . . . therefore . . .
/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif 18 hours?!
(Sorry for being so dramatic.)
So, what's the easiest method for a beginner to get it right the first time? Never done an overnighter, but I'm willing. I also read that foiling for a portion of the cook gives good results, at the risk of offending the purists. (Then again, cooking on a water smoker might offend some purists anyway.) I would also consider doing a pork butt over the brisket. Time to buy that Foodsaver . . . . I also read somewhere about raising the temps part-way through the cook. Not sure what that does.
So what method has the least chance of failure for a beginner like me?
By the way, the only whole briskets I've seen were more in the 9-11 lb range. Anything wrong with a smaller cut? It looked like the fat was trimmed, but not all the way, so probably about 1/8 - 1/4 inch left. Maybe that's why they weighed less?
--Mick
Jim Minion
TVWBB Emerald Member
Duck and Ryan
I cooked the briskets starting at 10pm Sat night, they were done in 12 hours (they do cook quicker)
the flavor was great. Would have liked more fat cap but they were pretty, would love to cook more of them.
Mick
The avgerage cook on a 12 to 13 pound brisket will take 16 to 18 hours normally. Most of full brisket I find are 11 to 13 pound so that what I base the answers on, but you can adjust from there.
Jim
I cooked the briskets starting at 10pm Sat night, they were done in 12 hours (they do cook quicker)
the flavor was great. Would have liked more fat cap but they were pretty, would love to cook more of them.
Mick
The avgerage cook on a 12 to 13 pound brisket will take 16 to 18 hours normally. Most of full brisket I find are 11 to 13 pound so that what I base the answers on, but you can adjust from there.
Jim
G
Guest
Guest
I wouldn't go below 9 lb on a packer trimmed. Make sure there is good marbleing in the meat.
I like to baste toward the end of the cook. Keep temps in the 230 degree area. Don't drink too much at the beginning of the cook until you get good enough to take a nap during the long cook. I like to grill some too. Eat during the cook makes it a good time and you are not hurried.
You can cook a pork but above the Brisket for some self basting action. I don't foil till it's done.
I like to baste toward the end of the cook. Keep temps in the 230 degree area. Don't drink too much at the beginning of the cook until you get good enough to take a nap during the long cook. I like to grill some too. Eat during the cook makes it a good time and you are not hurried.
You can cook a pork but above the Brisket for some self basting action. I don't foil till it's done.
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