Smoking my first "BIG" brisket- any tips?


 
J

Jason Kuczynski

New member
Good morning, all!

My wife 'voluntold' me I'll be smoking a brisket this Saturday. We are looking at one that's about 15 lbs or so, lots of people coming over.

I've done 3 or 4 corned beef briskets in the past as practice, but never one this large.

We have a 22.5" WSM. I figured to start it around midnight Friday to be done around 1700 Saturday. Does that sound correct?

I guess my biggest questions revolve around heat- in using this particular WSM it will hold temp for about 3 hours or so then start fluctuation either up or down. In practice, I've never had to 'refill' it yet, all of my smokes have been under about 6 hours. Is the procedure for refilling the charcoal the same as when it's lit- unburned, then dump the lit chimney on top?

Sorry for the noob questions. But I guess I am a noob when it comes to long smokes like this.

Thanks in advance!
v/r,
jason
 
Welcome to the brisket circus!
I generally do them as an “overnight cook” starting around ten. No water, just foiled terracotta saucer. Rear vents at about 25%, front, full open. Smoke wood on the bottom, fill charcoal ring full to overflowing.
Here is where I do things a little differently…
Assemble the midsection and light through the door with a torch, just at the leading edge about two to three minutes.
Put the brisket on set probes, lid on and go to bed.
If it’s done at 11:00 fine, longer rest! If it’s not done until 13:00 perfect three to four hour rest double fouled and wrapped with a towel in a cooler while I runaround getting the rest together!
That’s just how I do it.
I can get twelve hours of fairly even heat with very little running back and forth worrying.
I hope that helps.
 
I’d recco water in the pan so as to help regulate and stabilize temps for a nooby.

Using a water pan will enable you to do the overnight at 225-240° and not fear runaway temps.

I’m on a WSK, not WSM, but your first part of a 15# cook weight will run you 6-9 hours depending on your actual temps and brisket.

I’d recco you paper wrap with tallow at 171° at the mid section. This will ensure you’re through the stalll with a nice even cook on the brisket.

Knowing your brisket’s temps internally are imprtant.

Brisket is actually quite easy to cook. Set it and monitor it. No peaking. And don’t cook the meat above 275-300 if you’re going low and slow.

Your patience will be rewarded. And don’t scalp and over trim pre cook. I tend to do a minimal trim these days.
 
I thought you said a big brisket..... :) I've done up to 22 lbs. Minor caveat, not on a WSM.

Plan on a long rest in a picnic cooler (or wrapped in a slow oven) for at least 2 hours, 4 is great, and I've held for nearly 8 without issue. You'll be much better off finishing early than cutting it close.
 
Thank you all for the tips so far! If I'm reading this right, if I fill the charcoal/smoke wood ring overfull at 2200 (oops, 10 PM), it 'should' burn through until morning (I usually get up around 0600)? I was under the impression it might need to be refilled in the middle of the night.

v/r,
jason
 
I'm also on a WSK and use a Fireboard to control temp. Here's how I do it:
  • Put the brisket on the grill at 8:30 P.M. 225 degrees. 2 temp probes-1 in Flat, the other in the Point.
  • At 170 degrees (usually 10-12 hours later) I wrap in an aluminum pan and cover with aluminum foil.
  • Put the brisket back in the grill and increase temp to 250 degrees
  • Brisket is usually done 2-3 hours later.
One thing to keep in mind is that in my experience "a brisket is gonna do what a brisket is gonna do" meaning your cook time can widely vary from the above times. It doesn't even necessarily correlate to the weight of the brisket either. Sometimes a 20 lb brisket will cook faster than an 18 pound brisket. Just go with it and enjoy!
 
Jason Kuczynski said:
Thank you all for the tips so far! If I'm reading this right, if I fill the charcoal/smoke wood ring overfull at 2200 (oops, 10 PM), it 'should' burn through until morning (I usually get up around 0600)? I was under the impression it might need to be refilled in the middle of the night.

v/r,
jason
Click to expand...
Depends on variables like wind cold and your pit temp.
I did an overnight 18# brisket on the 22 WSM. Used water and filled the ring with 18# bag of K.
11pm start and I had to add fuel about 7 am. Went with the lid therm and it held around 225.
That was in February. Finished around noonish.

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Yes, what my namesake says are valuable bits in the equation.
15 is respectable, I’ve done a 24 on my 18” WSM with not a breath of trouble. To be clear, you are goi g to fret like a mother hen over this thing but, you don’t need to. Get it on, get temperature settled in and don’t make adjustments for the first few hours. That’s why I start with the back two vents at about 25-30%. Most adjustments can be done from the front vent in the dark.
I do not use any kind of temperature controller, I don’t wrap, don't use water, I am a staunch supporter of the KISS method and use as little equipment as humanly possible!
That said, you have just recieved more instruction than I did so, you should be just fine. Ignition at 22:00 should get you through until 06:00 just fine, I have felt the need to refuel at that time. I open the door and use a fireplace shovel to add coal, I do NOT take the midsection off! Too many ways I see that going sideways. I just keep it simple.
Wind is your enemy!
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
Yes, what my namesake says are valuable bits in the equation.
15 is respectable, I’ve done a 24 on my 18” WSM with not a breath of trouble. To be clear, you are goi g to fret like a mother hen over this thing but, you don’t need to. Get it on, get temperature settled in and don’t make adjustments for the first few hours. That’s why I start with the back two vents at about 25-30%. Most adjustments can be done from the front vent in the dark.
I do not use any kind of temperature controller, I don’t wrap, don't use water, I am a staunch supporter of the KISS method and use as little equipment as humanly possible!
That said, you have just recieved more instruction than I did so, you should be just fine. Ignition at 22:00 should get you through until 06:00 just fine, I have felt the need to refuel at that time. I open the door and use a fireplace shovel to add coal, I do NOT take the midsection off! Too many ways I see that going sideways. I just keep it simple.
Wind is your enemy!
Click to expand...
10-4. I was curious about taking the mid out, and you answered that. Thank you ALL for the advice. :)
 
I use the water pan to help keep the temps stable. When you hit 200 or whatever temp to get prob tender you can wrap and hold in a cooler for a long time, slice right before or as serving, I also like to separate the point from the flat to maximize servings if it's a large crowd, self serve tends to get less mileage than somebody portioning it out.
 
Running without a water pan can be touchy on a overnight cook and especially if you haven't ran it that way before, air vents and wind can ruin a great cook, the water is a little safety measure imo, it will need to be refilled a couple times more than likely. Have fun I am sure it will work out well.
 
Slight change of plans. The cut we wanted sold, so we ended up with a 10.5 lb point (which works out because some of the guests aren't coming anymore). I imagine the cook time will be slightly less since it is now a much thinner piece of meat?

Thank you to all who contributed. I'll have pictures up on Saturday. ;)

v/r,
jason
 
Jason Kuczynski said:
Slight change of plans. The cut we wanted sold, so we ended up with a 10.5 lb point (which works out because some of the guests aren't coming anymore). I imagine the cook time will be slightly less since it is now a much thinner piece of meat?

Thank you to all who contributed. I'll have pictures up on Saturday. ;)

v/r,
jason
Click to expand...
point is thicker and fattier. so overall time will be less than a full packer but a point is slightly longer cook time vs flat. but point is a better piece to eat and enjoy, IMO. flat's make good pastrami or corned beef.
 
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