Help - Massive Brisket


 
B

BrianZ

TVWBB Member
So my father came over to my house with a huge brisket that he picked up for me. Normally, I always like to pick out the meat that I am going to cook, but I certainly was not about to complain.
I have a 15 pound whole, untrimmed, brisket in a cryovac package. I have cooked many briskets before, but I usually cook 6-8 pound flats. I have no idea on how to go about this. The length of the brisket will not allow it to even fit on the grate. I did read something about the "shoehorned" placement, but I still don't really understand what it is all about.
I have had my WSM cooker for about 2 and a half years now. I am not a beginner, yet not an expert. Even though I have some thoughts about how to cook this, I really need some input from anyone who could help. Thanks in advance. Brian
 
As far as fit goes, try raising the middle so the brisket sits on the grate like an inverted "U". Maybe put something on the grate that will hold up the middle, something over which you can drape the brisket so the middle will be higher. It'll cook fine and will shrink.
 
You can wedge the brisket between the handles, bowing the middle up in order to fit. It will shrink as it cooks. Tuck a little foil under each end as they are more exposed to direct heat from below.

I and a few others here do briskets at high heat. Two examples: here and here. A discussion of the concept, here.
 
Last brisket I did weighted 16.88 pounds, a real horse! I did it the same as all my other ones, with K Krueger's high heat method, came out wonderful. I just wedged it on as best I could between the handles, and fit is only an issue for an hour or so as they shrink so fast. This mondo brisket took maybe 15 minutes more than the usual 12-13 pounders, but came out excellent. If you haven't tried high heat, give it a whirl, pretty much fool proof and the end product is excellent. Kevin definitely knows what he's talking about with the high heat method!
 
Thanks. Shawn, I have been through all of the cooking topic on VWB and often use the techniques. I was a bit unsure of using a traditional MM cook because of the size, cooking time, and amount of fuel That I would be using.

I never did a high heat cook, but this seems like a good opportunity to try it out. After reading a few different threads, here is my basic approach.
Fire the cooker using MM method (full ring of fuel)
Settle the cooker in at approx. 350/360 degrees
Foil the brisket at a temp of 160 or so
Should take between 4 - 4 1/2 hours, or when temp and tenderness seem right.

One question - I am assuming that the water pan is in the cooker, even though it is empty. My guess is that the empty water pan would prevent a direct heat on the brisket. Am I correct with this?

Again, thank you for the feedback. Brian
 
I would foil the empty water pan, but yes, it can act as somewhat of a heat sink. Many people, (I included) use a modified piedmont pan in order to help in that regard.
 
An empty foiled pan does not absorb/hold/release heat in a way that qualifies it as a 'heat sink'. It's metal and thin at that.

An empty foiled pan will deflect heat and is all I use.
when temp and tenderness seem right.
Click to expand...
No. Don't temp after foiling; internal temp is immaterial.

Personally, I don't temp prior to foiling either, but you certainly can. I foil ~2.5 hours into the ccok.

The meat is done when a probe inserted into the center of the flat goes in effortlessly (some test with a fork). Test and if not yet tender recrimp the foil and check again in 15-20.

Don't foil tightly--a packer will throw off lots of juice and it needs a place to go. Leave 1-1.5 inches of space between all sides of the brisket and the foil, and an inch or two of headspace. Where you join the pieces of foil together crimp tightly thoigh. Position these seams above the brisket so that juices stay inside. Thus:

101_0517.jpg
 
I recalled I had a couple pics showing 'shoehorn', raise the middle and foil the edges:

2004-09-17b%20006.jpg


6.jpg



I'll add one other thing about empty pan, it gets hot and drippings can make smoke, you may or may not like what this does to the taste of your brisket.

You might put 7 or so foil balls in the pan and cover that with a doulbe layer of foil. Make sure the foil layers are down inside somewhat so the drippings pool on it, not run off the edges.
 
Thanks again for the input. The pictures are a great resource and help tremendously. I will definitely foil both sides of the pan. I always do this for a waterless cook. The foil-balls under the layer of foil is a good idea. Kevin, I will take your advice and foil after 2.5 hours. My finish time will be determined by tenderness, but is it safe to estimate a 4 - 4.5 hour cook?
 
Yes, when I say 'empty foiled pan' I don't mean foil pressed tightly to the metal. Keeping the foil off the bottom so that there is space between the pan and foil means keeping the drippings from scorching, a good thing.

I would estimate 4-5. I have not had one come in at more than 4:10 or maybe 4:20 (most run 3:50-4:05), irrespective of weight, but variations in variables can and do cause variations in timing. I Minion with more lit than low/slow cooks, load meat on assembly, allow the rise to 325-350 for the first phase (usually the high side of that) and then 335-375 post foiling. Others vsry their approach--starting differently, cooking at slightly or somewhat different temps, foiling at a different time--and this can cause timimng differences between their cooks and mine, but most here who do high heat briskets hit done between 4 aand 5 hours.

Many separate the point from the flat after cooking and retrn the point to the cooker so that it cooks more, for burnt ends. As burnt ends are my least favorite way of eating point I don't, instead simply wrapping it when cool and fridging or freezing for later use. You can do what you wish, either way.
 
Help!

I am in the middle of my first high heat cook with a 13 lb brisket. It is REALLY windy today up here on LI. I have the door on the cooker open about an inch to try and keep my temp up. Because of the wind, my lid temp keeps fluxing between 300- 340 degrees. I am having a really tough time keeping it stable. Does anyone have any suggestions? Will this add time to the cooking process?
 
Stable cooking temperature is nice in that it aids in consistency, being able to predict when done, etc. Experience suggests, though, that the kind of variation you report won't make much, if any, difference in the end result. The average temperature is what seems to count.

This is meat, after all, not a soufflé.
 
If you can muster a windblock, do. If not don't worry too much; stabilty is overrated. If you can keep between those temps (or higher a bit) it's fine. If the bulk of the time pre-foiling is spent near the lower end of the range it could add some time overall, but much evens out after foiling, espeially if you get the post foil temps to 350-370. Since done is not determined by temp, checking for done at your planned times is still warranted.
 
Thanks for the help. I have set up a windblock, but it is not really having too much of an effect. Thanks again for the input.
 
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