High heat briskets in competition

[j biesinger]

I'm planning to cook 2, 12 lb packers for a comp next weekend. My intent is to cook them at 300* (with a slow temp build up). In the past these have taken approximately 6-7 hours.

This puts me in an interesting situation with timing since I wouldn't have to start cooking them until 4-5 am for a 1:30 pm turn in.

I'm wondering, since I'm doing 2, to hedge my bet, should I cook both at the same time, or do them sequentially (cook one 11pm-5am and one 6am-12pm)?

prior to turn in, I intended to put the better of the two back on a hot smoker to tighten up the bark after resting. I'm just wondering how a looong hold will affect quality. and if not much, then I'm thinking the sequential cook might be the way to go since I can play with the point off the first one while the flat rests and the second one cooks.

 

[Pat McCreight]

J,

I don't cook high heat briskets, but I would personally be concerned if my brisket was done at 5 am. I've never held briskets longer than 4 hours, but I know it can be done. But 8 hours may be pushing it.

What is the advantage of doing them sequentially? If you can fit both on the smoker at once, that's what I would do. Maybe stagger them if you are worried about them not being done or something. One on at 4 and one on at 6?

Or, are you trying to sleep? If that's the case, I can't help you since I never get much at comps

 

[K Kruger]

Long holds can affect quality if the meat is cooked to tender and then immediately wrapped and rested (depending on when in the window it was pulled). Residual cooking is more substantial when the brisket is cooked at higher heat. If you are going to hold long then, imo, you need to either pull the brisket just shy of tender and let residual cooking finish it (since you are planning or 're-cooking' to tighten the bark that might be the way to go), or take to tender then rest 15-20 min unwrapped (just tented) to get rid of some residual heat before wrapping and resting. This lessens the chance of taking a brisket to tender then having it overcook while it rests. There is less of a chance of this as cooktemps go lower. I cook at higher temps unfoiled, then higher still when foiled (up to 375). If I go to tender, as I usually do, I rest tented 20-25 min then slice and serve--or if I must hold, I'll do the same then wrap and hold only about 20-30 min more.

 

[j biesinger]

Thanks for the feed back. I think I'm going to do them sequentially, unless someone can talk me out of it.

I've only done 2 high heat brisket cooks to this point so I'm not exactly a pro at testing for tender, but I'm familiar with Kevin's suggestions and should be able to manage cooking due to residual heat. I figure the first one will be a practice for the second, and if I blow the second, I'll still have one in the "bank."

I'm not a big fan of using both cooking levels. I'd rather be able to focus on one piece of meat at a time and not have to worry about rotating them.

I like the idea of being able to have a point ready for a batch of pit beans, that can go all morning. and I could render it out for some burnt ends. If I do both in the morning I'll lose this option.

I also like the idea of having some juice from the first packer, that I can defat, clarify, and mix with sauce, while the second one cooks.