Gonna Be Attempting Brisket Soon


 
ChristopherC

ChristopherC

TVWBB Super Fan
Gonna be attempting my first brisket soon. It is a whole brisket 15.8lbs in the WSM 18.

What should I expect from cook time? Is it really gonna take 16-24 hours?

What about rest time?

I have watched lots of videos so I kinda know the process...rub/smoke minion with wood chunks/spritz/foil/finish/rest. Just curious about times to expect and any tips for the weight of this specific brisket.

Plan to use water pan and a mix of hickory and apple wood. Rub will be simple coarse black pepper, either Kosher or Himalayan salt and granulated garlic. Thinking about aiming at 250-270 for the smoke.

Grade is Canada AAA which I think is equivalent to USDA Choice.

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
Cook time? It might...or it might not.

A piece of meat that large can rest a LONG time if it's wrapped in foil and towels and placed in a cooler.

As far as the videos go...there are a lot of them out there and they each have their own POV, but if this is your first brisket cook my opinion is that you're better off keeping it simple.
 
What Brad said!
It will be done when it wants to be done. I had expected a good long ten PM until 3 Pm following day cook, woke up ab It six AM looked at the temperature, changed my shorts and ran down the stairs it was sitting beautifully at 204 shook like jelly coming off, five minutes to let the temp break then two layers of foil, three towels and into a cooler, sliced hot and fine at 4:00, you never can truly accurately say when one will be done. It’s patience that is the key. Don’t get flummoxed and you will be rewarded.
As Tony UK told me after I’d done about four butts and had been whining about doing a brisket:
“Put on your big boy pants and just get to it!”
We are buddies to this day!

Just by way of information, I don’t use water, nor foil (or butcher paper), nor spritz.
I use Enrico Brandizzi’s “sidewinder minion” method but, rather than fuss with a chimney, I simply lay in charcoal, wood, more charcoal and lay more chunks on top. Then I use a torch to light the side near the door for about three minutes, assemble the unit and let things roll, adjusting vents as necessary.
Every cook is different so, don’t let things throw you, it should be fun.
 
Last edited:
I remember my first brisket on the WSM. I got all worked up about the temp control, to use water or not, foil or paper, etc..etc..etc. I ended up keeping it simple and it turned out fine. The only thing different l do than Timothy is l spritz with beef broth. If it's not enjoyable to do IMO you're doing it wrong. On a side note, a nice adult beverage or two will help....lol. Good luck.
 
ChristopherC said:
Gonna be attempting my first brisket soon. It is a whole brisket 15.8lbs in the WSM 18.

What should I expect from cook time? Is it really gonna take 16-24 hours?

What about rest time?

I have watched lots of videos so I kinda know the process...rub/smoke minion with wood chunks/spritz/foil/finish/rest. Just curious about times to expect and any tips for the weight of this specific brisket.

Plan to use water pan and a mix of hickory and apple wood. Rub will be simple coarse black pepper, either Kosher or Himalayan salt and granulated garlic. Thinking about aiming at 250-270 for the smoke.

Grade is Canada AAA which I think is equivalent to USDA Choice.

Thanks in advance for any advice!
Click to expand...
So, just asking - water in the pan or use the pan but no water?

270F with water in the pan - may use a lot of fuel.
 
My pan is wrapped with foil, and, I set a big dbl foiled terra cotta plant saucer on top (no sand, empty). The foil just helps with cleanup.
 
ChristopherC said:
Gonna be attempting my first brisket soon. It is a whole brisket 15.8lbs in the WSM 18.

What should I expect from cook time? Is it really gonna take 16-24 hours?

What about rest time?

I have watched lots of videos so I kinda know the process...rub/smoke minion with wood chunks/spritz/foil/finish/rest. Just curious about times to expect and any tips for the weight of this specific brisket.

Plan to use water pan and a mix of hickory and apple wood. Rub will be simple coarse black pepper, either Kosher or Himalayan salt and granulated garlic. Thinking about aiming at 250-270 for the smoke.

Grade is Canada AAA which I think is equivalent to USDA Choice.

Thanks in advance for any advice!
Click to expand...
My Texas Brother always does an excellent Brisket in which he smokes-it for around two(2) hours in his Off-set Smoker and finishes the cook in his kitchen oven.
 
As Harry Soo says about using the oven after foiling, “BTUs are BTUs.” I keep it in the WSM because I don’t want to heat up the house.

I’m a fan of water in the pan for brisket. The moist cooking environment helps the smoke ring and moistness of the final product. Besides, Aaron Franklin puts water in his smokers for brisket.
 
I've cooked 10 and12 pound Prime briskets on my Weber 22" Kettle grill and my WSM 22". I have cooked them at 275° and higher on the kettle, and around 250° on my WSM. They will stall at ~160° and I wrap with peach butcher paper. I leave them on until 203°. The last 2 I have done on the WSM took ~9 hrs before I pulled them to rest. I use KBB to get my B&B Oak Lump going. Only one time have I had to add wood and I always use the water pan, in the kettle and the smoker. I don't spritz and simple use the "Dalmation" rub a la Aaron Franklin - 50% kosher salt and 16 mesh black pepper. I use strictly Thermoworks products to watch my temps.

Personally, I feel brisket is pretty darn easy to smoke. You can run your smoker hotter for brisket because it's a big piece of meat. IMO, cooking lower than 250° doesn't get you any better product. Do your basics well and you should be very happy with the results. My friends are pretty discerning brisket consumers and they compare mine as good or better than the bbq restaurants around.
 
J Grotz said:
As Harry Soo says about using the oven after foiling, “BTUs are BTUs.” I keep it in the WSM because I don’t want to heat up the house.

I’m a fan of water in the pan for brisket. The moist cooking environment helps the smoke ring and moistness of the final product. Besides, Aaron Franklin puts water in his smokers for brisket.
Click to expand...

I've not seen anyone yet, who was cooking on a 1,000 gal propane tank smoker, who did NOT have a water pan in the smoker.

I always have water in my smoker, whether its Brazos offset or the WSM. My only exception has been high heat yardbird or pork steak on the WSM, which is really a version of direct heat cooking. Smoke sticks to moist surfaces.
 
Everyone has different options on the subject of water in the pan or not. Really it's all about personal taste. I don't use water for brisket but l do use a 50/50 mix of boiling fruit juices and water for pork butts. I don't believe it's either the right or wrong way it's just my way of doing it. That's what make this site a valuable tool to bounce thoughts and ideas off other great people who use the site. The Reader's Digest answer would be to try both and see which one you prefer.
 
On my WSM, I prefer to use water but I do not spritz but I use less that what is recommended. All my own preference. When I do hot and fast, I use my performer.

My 2 cents....
 
Moisture does help with smoke retention. But the meat itself is fairly moist -- after all the stall occurs hours into the cook because the meat is sweating/cooling. Plus you get moisture from any slather you use (which I do for brisket). Plus you get more moisture from any spritzing you do.

So my two cents is that the water in the WSM pan is there more for temperature control than moisture. Since I feel pretty comfortable controlling temp with my FireDial diffuser plate, I have moved on from the water pan.

I sometimes use a foil tray to catch drippings -- brisket drippings especially are an excellent thing to add to your BBQ sauce. So I'll put a little water in there at first to keep the drippings from burning up.

Harry doesn't use a water pan; Aaron does. More than one way to get to Baltimore.
 
Last edited:
Jim C in Denver said:
Harry doesn't use a water pan; Aaron does. More than one way to get to Baltimore.
Click to expand...
Never noticed that. Harry's water pan was covered in aluminum foil every time I saw him, be it during his class or at a competition.

JimC... Where did you see that Harry wasn't using a water pan... ?
 
If you are cooking at 250 I don't think you'll have a crazy long cook. That 16 hours plus is what happens when you cook at 225. The meat will just languish in that stall FOREVER. I sometimes go that route, but I think if you cook at 250 and especially 275 you'll have a shorter cook time and probably better fat rendering. I'll go out on a limb and say after you trim that, at 250 maybe 12 hours on that brisket. They are kind of done when they are done. I prefer to cook them the whole time on the WSM. That's just me being stubborn. Once you wrap, heat is more or less heat. It gets a little muddier with paper.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top