First WSM - another beginner question

[Guest]

The brisket selection page here says "Whole, untrimmed briskets weigh 8-16 pounds. Something in the 10-12 pound range is your best bet and will fit comfortably on either WSM cooking grate. Large brisket flats with the fat cap intact weigh about 6 pounds."

A good market near here has brisket flats with the fat intact, and they do weigh about 6 pounds. They also measure, diagonally across the far corners, about 14". How would a large one that approaches 16 pounds fit the 17 1/2" grate?

Also, how much edible meat would I get from a 6 pound flat like that?

Thanks,

Mick Ruthven

 

[Chris Allingham]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mick R:
[qb]How would a large one that approaches 16 pounds fit the 17 1/2" grate?
[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>A 16 pound brisket would have to be "shoehorned" between the handles on the top grate. After several hours of cooking, it will shrink down to a smaller size.

If doing one that size on the bottom grate, you would need to try to fold part of the flat end under to make it fit, then fold it back out after some shrinkage takes place.

This is why a 10-12 pound brisket is the better choice for the WSM.

As mentioned in the brisket selection article, brisket yield is said to be about 50%, but ranges from 40-60%. So a 6 lb. flat would be expected to render about 3 lbs. of edible meat, maybe more since there's less waste than with a whole brisket.

Regards,
Chris