• Enter the TVWB 27th Anniversary Prize Drawing for a chance to win a Weber Traveler Portable Gas Grill! Click here to enter!

Tonight's smoke


 
PeterD

PeterD

TVWBB Super Fan
OK, we've got a houseful of people coming tomorrow and my plans have had a monkey-wrench thrown into them.

We have 10 racks of baby-backs and a small full-packer brisket (about 10# after trimming). I have an older 18" WSM and a crappy Brinkmann Smoke'n'Grill that I'd intended to modify this week. Well, other prep plans got in the way and the only thing I've done to the Brinkmann is drill some holes around the sides and into the bottom of the charcoal pan and added a charcoal grate. No thermometer. Also, my plans for adding a third (middle) grate to the WSM didn't pan out because the local Weber dealer didn't have stock of anything -- after promising he had everything I needed during a phone call.

Upshot is, what I've described is all I have to work with. I'm not going to mess with a high-heat brisket as I figure I have a greater fudge-factor with low-and-slow.

My real worry is timing of everything. Working backwards, dinner can be no later than 6 to 6:30. 5:30 to 6 is preferable. Given that this is a small brisket, what should I shoot for as a starting time tonight and what temp should I shoot for? If I do the brisket low-and-slow I'll just add the ribs and some smoke wood about 1pm or so, I'm thinking??
 
I believe 1.5 - 2 hours per pound for smoked brisket is the accepted norm, Peter.

And while I've yet to try my hand at HH brisket, I'm thinking the "fudge factor" would be greater at HH than low and slow. I like to hit 165º internal temp and then foil the brisket (with some apple juice spray) and pull when internal temps hit the 195º - 200º range; if you take it off the grate after it has been foiled at 165º and put it in a 300º oven, I think you'll be less at the mercy of the spikes and dips of a charcoal fire - just a thought.

Also, the general rule I go by for ribs is about 4 hours at 275º, with the last hour, again, in foil; however, with TEN racks of ribs - I've never done that many at one time, BTW - your overall cooking time may be extended.

I'm no expert, but those are my toosenzwurth....
 
I would run at 250 with a dry foiled pan or clay saucer, pack and piece as much fuel as you can get in the ring. Figure 1.25-1.5 hrs per lb on the brisket starting when the cooker reaches 200+. Are you cooking all 10 racks on the WSM? Thats gonna be a challenge to fit that many. Reason I say empty pan is fuel consumption will be a lot better than with water and if you load the WSM with meat it won't take as long to come up to temp! I would figure close to 6hrs for the ribs (if you load it up to the max, meat wise) The challenge is getting 18-22 hrs out of one load of fuel. You could do the brisket for 2-3hrs on the smoker then foil in the oven at 350 till tender and rest.
 
Also, once it's done, you can wrap that brisket in a couple layers of foil, wrap it in a clean towel, and put it in a cooler (I like to run hot water into the cooler, and then empty and dry it first - just to prepare it for heat). That brisket will stay good and hot for several hours.

Good luck!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">You could do the brisket for 2-3hrs on the smoker then foil in the oven at 350 till tender and rest. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Meant to say on the Brinkman smoker if you choose this method. That way your brisket and ribs will be ready together. If you follow this it should take 4-6 total time. Also like RL said it will hold for hours, just make sure to to go by tender not temp! Then you can tent in foil on the counter to STOP it from cooking futher for 20 min then double wrap in foil and towels.
 
The oven won't be available (wife's doing desserts and breads, etc) so everything's gotta get done either on the WSM or the Brinkydink. I'm just wondering about the times since the flat portion of the brisket is quite thin. For a 5 or 5:30pm feed, should I get this going around midnight or 1am today or around 6-7am? I'm thinking first-thing-in-the-morning may be better but I'm really not sure.

I don't have a clay saucer but I could just dry-foil, but won't I start getting into high-heat issues rather than low-and-slow if I do this?

I have two David Klose rib racks that hold 5 racks each and from past experience, they work extremely well. Essentially, as I said in the first message, the brisket will go on the lower-level to start then when it has roughly 4 or 5 hours to go, the ribs will go down below and the brisket will go top-rack, with the other 5 racks going into the Brinkmann.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I don't have a clay saucer but I could just dry-foil, but won't I start getting into high-heat issues rather than low-and-slow if I do this? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Not at all, I can maintain temps of 225+ with this method on either WSM. What time will she have to have the oven available?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">
Not at all, I can maintain temps of 225+ with this method on either WSM. What time will she have to have the oven available? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Essentially I've been banished from the kitchen for the afternoon unless I gotta be in there--that's her domain
icon_biggrin.gif
 
In that case I guess that I would do the brisket on the brinkman. Even with a mm and a dry pan I don't think you can get more than 4-6hrs of temp, so gonna be a restless night. You can try the ribs on the brinkman but I would be concerned they wouldn't be the same time as the WSM.

Good luck
wsmsmile8gm.gif
 
OK, after thinking this over for a while I decided to do an early morning start on the brisky as I'd originally planned. 6:30 the chimney fired up and the meat was on the top grate at 6:45. Temps shot up to around 260 once a few wood chunks caught but came down soon after. Holding steady around 250 an hour in and the thickest part of the flat is currently at 91 and on the climb.

Around 1:00 I'll do a quick mop or spritz at the same time as the baby backs take up residence downstairs.

The Brinkmann will get 3 racks upstairs and 2 down and will be very closely monitored. If it looks like trouble in Brinkyland I'll move the brisket over there and cook all 10 racks on the 18" WSM instead.

Next year I'm gettin' the big WSM!
 
Here's the summary of how it all went down (regrettably no pics - I was busier than a one-armed paper-hanger and couldn't spare the cycles to fetch a camera today).

Brisket on at 6:45 am, net weight 10# 8oz. Back to bed for a few hours. Five racks on the lower-level of the WSM at 1pm, 5 racks on the Brinkman at 1pm. Brisket plateaued at 160 and stayed there. By 6pm it was only around 170 or so and I had to finish it in a 270 degree oven. It still took another 2-1/2 hours but by the time it was done is was superb. About 2 pounds of meat remains (the whole point and about a quarter of the flat). I sense burnt ends in my immediate future.

As for the ribs, the WSM's batch went off without a hitch. No foiling, 5 hours plus or minus with grate temps hovering between 230-250. The Brinkman didn't fare so well. After doing a charcoal pan mod temps shot up to 260 for about an hour, stabalized at 225 for another 90 minutes then started to fall . Even after banging out the used charcoal dust from the bottom and adding fuel twice I couldn't get it back over 200 again. I gave up around 5 or so, put the brisket in the oven, moved the 5 rolled racks onto the WSM and let 'em go that way. Sauced up and glazed all 10 racks on the gasser and they were devoured within 10 minutes flat. I put out three sauces: Sweet Baby Rays (original), KC Masterpiece (original) and the a slightly-modified #5 sauce, with added bourbon and a splash of Glenfiddich 12 YO Single Malt. As hoped-for, the #5 blew 'em all away and I had to make two more double-batches. Just enough left over to do burnt ends tomorrow with the whole point (which never got served). We also did a 15# deep-fried turkey and burgers and hotdogs earlier, for lunch.

Thus ended Meatquest 2010!
 
I must say, you had one amazing day on the smokers.
I like your idea of adding bourbon and a splash of scotch in the #5. I'll try in next time myself.
Enjoy your Sunday before another work week.
 
Yeah, it was a blast. I'm just starting the post-mortem and figuring out how to do it again next year but with less frustration and more organization. With that much meat and preparation the one thing I know for sure is that I need a deputy pitmaster
icon_biggrin.gif
.

The only real disappointment was that the brisket took much longer to cook that I'd expected, and next time I may just do it the day before and re-heat. Thanks to all for the tips and suggestions.
 
Belated congrats on the successfull smoke Peter. I thought you folks only ate spagetti over there in Soprano country? Just kiddin'.
I just recently did a high-heat brisky. Loved the results, but the bark isn't as fab as low'n slow. Still, 5 hours of work in daylight is sometimes preferable to the overnight thing. Cheers neighbor!
 
Sounds like a great day!! I have an ECB as well.... that's what made me buy the WSM. Its a good little unit until you use a WSM or BGE. I did the charcoal pan mod and that helps a little bit. Nice work. I have a hard time with one type of meat on one smoker.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top