Will this brisket work for High Heat? Need help deciding


 
Michael C.

Michael C.

TVWBB Gold Member
I need your help in doing my 1st high heat brisket. I have had very good luck doing low/slow midnight brisket method. They always turned out great. I want to try the High heat brisket. Not sure how to proceed. Will this packer that I picked up today work? It is a 8.19 lb packer. I have Monday/Tuesday off, so I plan on smoking this little bad boy on Monday.

Some questions...

1) Std. Method, plenty of coals in charcoal ring, and full chimminey to get all of them lit.
2) no water in pan, just foil the pan
3) all vents wide open.
4) what dome temp should I shoot for
5) cook for about 2-2.5 hrs, then foil
6) how long in foil? or how do I check for doneness?
7) rest meat fat side up for a couple hrs.

Thanks for your help.





 
It's a baby packer!
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Your choice but, yes, it will work as a high heat cook.

1. You can do that. I prefer to Minion with twice the amount of lit. I just let the temp keep rising. The meat goes in immediately upon adding the lit and assembling.

2. Yes.

3. Yes.

4. I shoot for 325-335 for the initial phase. If it goes to 340-350 i am fine with that. After I foil I tend to cook around 360-365 but anywhere between 350 and 375 works for me.

5. Yes.

6. Till it's done. You can remove it from the foil when it is just shy of done, if you wish, and return it to the cooker to firm the bark (I don't bother).

When your probe enters into the flat without resistance--or a fork jabbed into the flat and lifted straight up won't hold the meat (I use a probe). Ignore internal temps; they are meaningless for high heat cooks once the meat is foiled. I usually check the first time when the meat has been 3:45-55 from the point when first loaded. If not done, I judge by feel and will check next in 15-20 min or so.

7. I do not do either. I rest fat down (and cook fat down), the brisket just tented with foil, not wrapped, for 20-30 min, then I slice and serve. If I have to hold it I do the same thing--first--then wrap and hold up to another 30 min, that's it.
 
Michael,

Just do exactly what Kevin says. I followed his directions for my first high heat brisket today. Brisket on at 3:05pm. Foiled at 5:15. (Internal temp was 160-165). Back on the smoker until 7:20. (Incedentally the internanal was 200). I pulled because the probe slid in/out easily. Let it rest in the foil for about 15 mins. Opened foil & tented until 8:30.

I was so happy when I sliced my first piece. Nice 1/4" smoke ring, moist, tender. By far the best and easiest brisket I've done. Beats the hell out of a 16 hour cook

Good luck.

Brad
 
Thanks for your help on my first high heat little baby packer. I have the meat on at 9:00am this morning, full chimney of ranchers charcoal on top of coals. No foil on water pan. At 10:00am, temp dome finally reached 300F.
Should I just leave it as is? And foil brisket in about an hr or so? Or should I prop the door open a little, and get the temp higher? and then foil?
I am using a couple of nice, big chunks of Hickory wood. I'm out of apple and pecan. Sure smells good right now.
 
Good luck on your cook! I'd do whatever it takes to make sure you don't get temps under 275 for any length of time.

Just as an FYI, I did my first high-heat cook just this past weekend. A 6.5 lb. trimmed brisket, kept it at 300 or higher almost the whole time. Total cooking time: 4 hours, 45 minutes. By FAR the best results I've ever had for brisket. I'll never go back to trying a low and slow (unless for whatever reason I want to pull an all-nighter).
 
Ok, here are the final results.

9:00am meat on smoker
10:00am Dome finally reaches 300F, meat temp is 141F
11:00am foiled meat, dome temp 340F Meat temp is 165F
12:00 pm, I start poking meat with probe, it slides in, with a small amount of effort.
12:45 meat temp says 195F, probe seems to go in and out easily, this I have to admit, I'm not sure keen on how good it should slide in and out of meat. Brisket looks good. Looks done.
Pulled from smoker, I cut off point, throw that part on smoker, to see if I can make some burnt ends. I let brisket rest.

1:30pm I sliced brisket.

Bark is soft, but still good.
Small smoke ring, but I kind of expected it. Meat wasn't dry, but the texture seemed a little frim to what I'm use to. It has a good tug tear when pulling it apart on some of the slices. I tasted pretty good. I think I did ok on my 1st High heat. There is more to learn about the High heat method.

Thanks for all of your help on this cook today.

 
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