First brisket this coming weekend, got some questions.


 
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Dan Wicker

TVWBB Fan
I'm trying to draw up a quick schedule for the coming weekend, and I need a little input on cooking times and how much meat to buy.

I'm feeding 12 people, but I historically overbuy so everyone (including us) can have lots of leftovers. Right now, I'm planning on an 8 lb pork butt and a 11 lb packer-cut brisket (weight before trimming) on the bottom rack. Is this overdoing it?

And man, do I hate planning the time schedule. You have to work backwards from the target time, and that's too confusing for my sometimes dyslexic brain.
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We're planning on eating Saturday around 6. I figure I should pull the meat off no later than 5 so it can have plenty of rest. My pork butts always seem to take around 12 hours max, so I figure I'll have the meat on the smoker by 3 AM to be safe (which will leave even more resting time if the meat is done earlier than expected).

But will the brisket and butt cook for about the same amount of time, assuming I keep lid temps at a steady 250?
 
Personally, I'd throw a second butt on the top shelf. But, that is because it fits easily, and that is the favorite of the crowd I usually cook for. I usually cook around 240 lid, and my butts go around 18 hours, and my briskets 12-13 hours. I also try to have the brisket done at least 2 hours before serving. The butts are usually resting a minimal amount of time - sometimes it hard to keep the little fingers out of them.

Good luck.

Rick
 
Will you be foiling your brisket at 165? I find when foiling my briskets they're done at around 1 hour per pound. If your butts consistently take 12 hours for an 8 lb. butt then I'd say your butt and brisket should be close to being done at the same time (if put on at the same time).

Additionally, I'm with Rick, I'd throw another butt on there, you've got the room and will have tons of great leftovers for your guests.

Good luck with your cook!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dan Wicker:
I'm trying to draw up a quick schedule for the coming weekend, and I need a little input on cooking times and how much meat to buy.

But will the brisket and butt cook for about the same amount of time, assuming I keep lid temps at a steady 250? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
As Rick said might as well put 2 butts on top, why not?
As far the brisket, this is based on my cook times over the years. I always figure on 1 hr 15 min per lb for briskets. Never had one take longer than that so that's what I figure my brisket cook time on. I had a few cook at 1 hr per lb but only a few. That said, the base cook times are 1 - 1.5 hrs per lb for brisket so if your butts are in the 12 hr range always, then the brisket is prob going to take a tad longer than the butts. I'd put all the meat on at the same time and they should finish pretty close to one another. Butts will prob finish first but they hold really well and longer than brisket. HTH
EDIT: Larry snuck in there when I was posting. So what Rick and Larry said about adding another Butt.
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I doubt I'll do two butts since I'm already at 20ish pounds of meat for 12 people. I don't want to be wasteful if I don't need to be.

Thanks for the replies, fellas. I'll be up early on Saturday morning (or late on Friday night?) getting the cooker up to stable temp. I hope the weather holds out. Some forecasts saying strong T-storms, others say 30% chance. Blech for bad weather...
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I don't want to be wasteful if I don't need to be. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
It freezes well; no need to waste. Up to you though of course.
 
Originally posted by Dan Wicker:
I doubt I'll do two butts since I'm already at 20ish pounds of meat for 12 people. I don't want to be wasteful if I don't need to be.
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You may be starting with about 20# of meat, but you won't end up with that. You'll see some serious shrinkage. That might put you in a position of not having enough. Better to have a bit too much. Won't go to waste. I'd go with the above suggestions and do another butt. JMO and $.02
Dave
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Ok, ok, two pork butts. Yeesh. Wink </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

LOL, that was some pretty overwhelming feedback huh? Guess you never expected that. Look at it this way, you can send doggie bags home with guests, give some to a neighbor or just freeze it and pull it out on a day when you wish you had a little pulled pork but don't have the time to do a smoke.

If I wasn't in CA, I'd come over and take a bag full off your hands
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Well, thinking worst-case scenario, we have 20 pounds of meat. With a 40% yield after trimming and rendering, we're down to only 8 pounds for 12 people. I can probably consume over a pound for myself.
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So yeah, maybe 26-28 pounds of cold meat will be a bit more reasonable when factoring in leftovers.

I'm just hoping things will be done in decent time. I have one medium-sized hard-sided cooler that I've used to hold meat before, but not this much. I have a good-sized soft-sided cooler - do those work alright for holding meat?
 
In my experience, soft coolers don't work as well as hard coolers. You can always pick up one or more of those cheap styrofoam coolers at a grocers or convenience store. They don't last long but they work well. In a pinch as Kevin replied in a previous post a microwave oven is a decent cooler.

Mike
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dan Wicker:
Ok, ok, two pork butts. Yeesh.
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</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ya know, Dan... You can easily fit three butts on the top rack if you build a little pork teepee out of them.
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BTW, most guys who cater figure 1/4 lb per person for each meat, so if you assume 50% yield for the butt(s) (shrinkage plus the bone) you'll have 4 lbs of pulled pork, or 16 servings. The yield will more likely be in the 65 to 70% range but that math is too hard to do with my toes. Brisket yield should be higher (70 - 80%) since there is normally less fat and no bone.
 
Alright, just got back from Sam's not too long ago. I came home with an 8.2 lb butt, an 8.5 lb butt, and a 11 lb brisket.

I LOVE the Mr. Brown rub for the pork, but I'm thinking hard about what rub to use for the brisket. I was thinking about going really simple - salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, cayenne. Hmmm.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dan Wicker:
but I'm thinking hard about what rub to use for the brisket. I was thinking about going really simple - salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, cayenne. Hmmm. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Dan, I'm doing this one on my next brisket. Brisket rub
 
Dan, I'm a big fan of WILD WILLY'S from Smoke and Spice. I like it so much I put it on my wheaties
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By the way, are you going to foil? Fat down or fat up?
 
Bryan, that looks like a great, simple recipe. I may try that. I also have an unused bottle of Lotta Bull "Red Dirt" rub that I may try as well, but I hear it's a little on the salty side.. hmm.

Larry, I think I will be foiling at around 165, fat side down.
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It's now a little after 7:30. I put all the meat on at around 4:30 this morning. My cooks seem to take a bit less time than others posted for some reason.

The lid temps are steady at 250ish. Internal on the pork is already 135. Brisket is already at 153! Wow, I'm not supposed to be seeing any guests for another 9 hours! So I think I'm gonna keep spraying with Simply Apple (the BEST AJ out there!) and try to keep the temps down a little. Maybe 215-220.
 
Ugh.. I hope I averted a minor disaster..

I noticed the (foiled) water pan was already looking a little low, so I decided to put some more in. After doing that, I notice a good bit of steam coming out of the cooker. Open the access door again, and there's a nice stream of water leaking down right onto the center of the coals. Terrific!

So I took the cooker apart and dumped the pan. Water had gotten between the layers of foil on the pan and was running down to the bottom. I normally don't foil the pan, and I decided to for easy cleanup on this cook. I don't think I'll make that mistake again.
 
Dan, I was looking at your 7:30 a.m. post where your brisket is at 153 and I went back and checked my last brisket graph (stokerlog) and from 153 to 195 took 7 1/2 hours. CAB brisket weighing 10 lbs. at 225 grate. No two cuts of meat cook the same but I think you're going to be fine.

Sorry to hear about your water issue, what a pain, that's one of the reason I used clay saucer prior to getting my stoker.

Good luck on the rest of the cook!
 
Right now it's still going strong. 225 lid temp. Butts are at 174, brisket at 167. I flipped and foiled about an hour ago at 165.

I did notice an immediate slowdown in temps when I hit the 160's. I still have over 6 hours before I plan on serving, so I'm sure it'll keep chuggin away.
 
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