When to start Brisket?


 
B

Brian Silvey

TVWBB Member
I realize there a hundreds of threads on how long to cook the brisket and that is only part of my question. I have a Wagyu brisket, 13.5 pounds untrimmed. Dinner time, with 16 guests is 4pm. I figure it's going to take 12 hours to cook. That won't include any rest time, which I understand is important and means I start at 4AM. Not what I want to do. Does it make sense to start it at 12AM? That would give me plenty of time to rest it...I think. Haven't done a lot of briskets. Any advice appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian
 
If you cook it at 250 or less, prolly should plan on 1.5 hours per pound. If you can maintain 275, you can probably get it done in 12 hours. You should rest for no less than an hour, and prolly more like 2 hours

When guest are involved, throw some sausages on about 2 hours before you plan to eat, and if nothing else, you have those to eat while waiting for the cook and or rest
 
I do cook at 250. In the past I have done an 11 and a 7 lb brisket and each took real close to an hour per lb in my WSM. Sounds like I'm safer doing this at 12am. I can wrap it in triple foil and towels and keep it in the cooler for 3 or 4 hours. I'm also cooking pork ribs and chicken wings so at least there will be something for them to chew on other than me. :).

Thanks,
Brian
 
If it is wrapped and stored with good heat will it hold for four hours? Not experience (yet) with a brisket, not being a smarty pants. :)
 
Pull your Wagyu at 185° internal or it will be overcooked.
With all the marbling I think it will cook faster than the average brisket.
FTC (Foil, Towel, Cooler) should keep it hot enough you'll have trouble holding it with bare hands after 4 hours.

From Paradise Lockers:
There are a few differences when smoking wagyu briskets compared to angus or hereford briskets.

1. The wagyu will cook faster. Heat will transfer faster through fat than through meat and with the intense marbling that the wagyu carries it will warm faster than your standard briskets. You will have to use your own judgement as far as cooking time goes but you can use this as a base to start - at 220 degrees a 11 lb brisket will take approximately 6-9 hrs to smoke and cook fully, depending on the outside temperature and weather.

2. You will not finish the wagyu at the same temperature that you do the standard briskets. For home cooking, we recommend pulling the wagyu somewhere between 150 and 160 degrees internal temperature, wrapping and letting it rest for half to a full hour before slicing. For competition cooking, we recommend pulling the brisket between 170 and 180 degrees internal temperature and follow the same resting procedure as above. The extra ten to twenty degrees will give you a little additional breakdown and allow the slice to pass the judges "pull test". The fat content on the wagyu has a lower melting temperature than other beef so taking these to 190-200 degrees will actually cook out all of the fat and you will not get the rich, elegant taste that wagyu is known for.

3. The use of injections and marinades for added flavor and tenderizing with the wagyu is NOT a necessary step in preparation. The intense marbling gives the wagyu a rich flavor and tendrness that in our opinion, needs no other flavors added. Rubs are still good for the outside of the brisket to add a flavor profile to seperate yours from everyone else.
 
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Greg Powers said:
Pull your Wagyu at 185° internal or it will be overcooked.
With all the marbling I think it will cook faster than the average brisket.
FTC (Foil, Towel, Cooler) should keep it hot enough you'll have trouble holding it with bare hands after 4 hours.

From Paradise Lockers:
There are a few differences when smoking wagyu briskets compared to angus or hereford briskets.

1. The wagyu will cook faster. Heat will transfer faster through fat than through meat and with the intense marbling that the wagyu carries it will warm faster than your standard briskets. You will have to use your own judgement as far as cooking time goes but you can use this as a base to start - at 220 degrees a 11 lb brisket will take approximately 6-9 hrs to smoke and cook fully, depending on the outside temperature and weather.

2. You will not finish the wagyu at the same temperature that you do the standard briskets. For home cooking, we recommend pulling the wagyu somewhere between 150 and 160 degrees internal temperature, wrapping and letting it rest for half to a full hour before slicing. For competition cooking, we recommend pulling the brisket between 170 and 180 degrees internal temperature and follow the same resting procedure as above. The extra ten to twenty degrees will give you a little additional breakdown and allow the slice to pass the judges "pull test". The fat content on the wagyu has a lower melting temperature than other beef so taking these to 190-200 degrees will actually cook out all of the fat and you will not get the rich, elegant taste that wagyu is known for.

3. The use of injections and marinades for added flavor and tenderizing with the wagyu is NOT a necessary step in preparation. The intense marbling gives the wagyu a rich flavor and tendrness that in our opinion, needs no other flavors added. Rubs are still good for the outside of the brisket to add a flavor profile to seperate yours from everyone else.
Click to expand...

I've NEVER smoked a wagyu brisket. However, putting it nice and no disrespect, from everything I've read from folks that have, I am a just a wee bit skeptical of much of this "info" from Paradise Farms. Specifically, I feel that points one and two are simply exaggerations meant to sell a product. I'd do some research for sure, but one thing that doesn't change is that it's best to cook ANY BBQ till tender, not a certain IT.*
 
I am certainly no expert on BBQ, but I was successful with my first briske last weekend, and I've done pork butts, chickens, and ribs for the past couple of years, so I do have some experience.

When I did my first brisket, I estimated it to be 1.25 hrs per pound at 225 (avg). I also planned for a 2 hr rest. To rest it, I let it sit on my kitchen counter until it was 170 degrees, then put it in a 170 deg oven (wrapped in foil). Maybe I wasted a little energy using the oven instead of a cooler and towels, but it worked very well.

If you're not cooking at home, then the foil, towels, cooler option definitely works.
 
I did the below last year and cooked until tender; not sure I even checked temp. About 5 hours at 275 and 2 hours in butcher paper. Yummy.




 
That Mishima Ranch brisket looks delicious. I almost bought one of those, but the ones they had didn't have the point. Ws your just a flat? The ones I saw were about 2 inches thick. I ended up ordering one from Snake River Farms because I wanted a whole packer. It's definitely thicker than the Mishima I saw. If yours was like the flats I saw that could account for the short cook time. I suppose I could separate the point from the flat and that would shorten my cook. I'll cook it till it's done regardless, and I have read that Waygu cooks faster than a standard brisket. Something about the fat melting at a lower temp. but my concern is getting it ready by 4pm without having to start it at 4am. I like to sleep. :)

Brian
 
When i'm doing brisket for a large group that is coming over at a specific time, I aim to finish it early. Brisket normally holds temperature wrapped in foil put in a cooler for 4-6 hours. That way by the time the guests arrive you don't need to be focused on the last leg of cooking, and can sit back and relax (or start throwing the hot sides together).
 
I have to say that after reading this thread and others about cooking Wagyu I am less certain than ever about when to start this thing. It could take anywhere from 6 to 14 hours to cook. It's a $6.23 per lb piece of excellent brisket. I would hate to start at midnight, have it finish at 6am and then have to hold it until 4pm for dinner. If I start it later there's a chance it won't be done by 4pm. I'm probably going to bite the bullet, get up at 4am and start the cook.

Thanks for all the replies.
 
My alarm went off at 4am. I stumbled downstairs, poured some coffee and went out to light the WSM. At one point I literally stumbled down some steps and briefly spent some time on the ground with a bag of charcoal in my hands. Nothing broken, just a light abrasion on the knee. Nothing that would stop me from cooking this brisket. By 5am everything was up to temp and the brisket was cooking and I was dog tired. But hey, it's BBQ and what must be done, must be done. Temp probes in place I sit back and watch the morning light fill the sky. Every hour I check on the temps and the WSM is running hot and the brisket is cooking fast. By 8am the brisket was 165 and I wrap it in foil. By 10am it's 190-195 and I start probing. It's pretty soft, but there is a bit of resistance in the upper part of the flat near the point. I pulled back the foil to increase the bark and let it go for another 30 mins. When it hit 200 I pulled it off. It's 10:30. Dinner is not until 4pm. Really glad I didn't start it at 12am :p . I set my oven at 170, wrap the brisket in towels and put it in. Pretty much exactly what I didn't want to be doing with this cut of meat, but what must be done, must be done.

I recently purchased a BBQ Guru and since have had trouble controlling high heat. I don't think it's the BG, I think my WSM is leaking air for other reasons. But since using this, even when I close off air completely it still runs to 300 degrees at the grill. Lid says 270. When I close all the air on my Cajun Bandit the fire goes out. Not so with the WSM. I'll be looking into plugging every gap before my next cook. I know the door leaks and I think the seal between the fire chamber and the middle section also leaks. I want it to work more like the CB. I have to be able to control the temps.

In any case the brisket was done early. Pulled it out of the oven, unwrapped it and begin slicing. Just beautiful. Slices held together when lifted in the middle with a fork and melt in your mouth tender. Best brisket I've ever cooked. This was more expensive than store bought brisket at $6 and some change per lb, but so worth it.

I'm sorry I don't have pics of slices, once I got into cutting I was too messy to handle the camera.

DSC01421.JPG


Thanks for all the input and especially the suggestion to use the oven at 170.

Brian
 
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