Cook time and other details

zubby01 · Aug 28, 2014

I plan on getting about a 13-15 lb brisket before trimming. I want to cook it this Saturday and want to eat at 6PM. I probably want the brisket to sit out wrapped in paper for about an hour before slicing.

I'm still kinda new at this and want to cook it at about 250. At the 6 hr mark, I've got some butcher paper I plan to wrap it in.

At this point, can I throw it in the oven so I don't have to worry about charcoal/maintaining temps?
What is the benefit of leaving it on the smoker after it is wrapped?

To have the brisket ready at 5PM, when would you all throw it on the smoker? I have a Weber 18" Kettle charcoal smoker.

Also, I will be serving BBQ beans. How bad would it be to serve mashed potatoes as well? I would make potato salad but it seems to be so much more labor.

oldbill · Aug 28, 2014

Central Texas Style Brisket

To make a true central Texas style brisket you'll need four key ingredients, beef, kosher salt, coarse black pepper and smoke! Here's my method.
Start with a whole packer brisket. A whole packer consist of two parts, the point (fattier portion) and the flat (the leaner portion). Be sure and ask your market manager or butcher for that cut.
Once you have found your brisket, trim the fat cap layer down to about 1/4 inch or less. The idea is to have a thin layer of fat that will render down, marry up with your spice rub and become a sticky, crunchy and flavorful part of the bark.
After the fat has been trimmed down, I like to apply some cooking oil which helps the rub to adhere to the meat and activates the natural oils in the spices.
The spice rub will consist of a 50/50 blend of kosher salt and 16 mesh coarse ground black pepper. I like to dust mine with a little garlic powder as well but the important things are the salt and pepper. Coat the meat well with the rub and allow the rub to mix in with the oil for 30 minutes to an hour.
Heat the pit to 275 (different cookers like to run at different temperatures and you may be cooking at higher or lower temps but the method remains the same, only cooking time is effected).Smoke the brisket for 4 hours, after the first 4 hours wrap the brisket in butcher paper and continue cooking at 275, checking the flat for tenderness after 3 more hours of cooking. To do this simply find a sharp pointed object such as a thermometer or skewer and poke the flat in several places, (always determine doneness by probing for tenderness, not IT) when it has the feel of room temperature butter it's time to pull the brisket off of the cooker.
Allow the brisket (still wrapped in butcher paper) to rest on the kitchen counter for a minimum of 2 hours, at the end of the rest period it's ready for slicing. Slice against the grain and enjoy.:grin:
Using this method I can usually get a 15 pound whole packer done in 7 to 8 hours (not counting resting time).:wink:

zubby01 · Aug 28, 2014

OK I will bump up my temp a bit. Also, I know there is probably much debate, but do you let the meat get room temp before rubbing/putting on the smoker?

oldbill said:
To make a true central Texas style brisket you'll need four key ingredients, beef, kosher salt, coarse black pepper and smoke! Here's my method.
Start with a whole packer brisket. A whole packer consist of two parts, the point (fattier portion) and the flat (the leaner portion). Be sure and ask your market manager or butcher for that cut.
Once you have found your brisket, trim the fat cap layer down to about 1/4 inch or less. The idea is to have a thin layer of fat that will render down, marry up with your spice rub and become a sticky, crunchy and flavorful part of the bark.
After the fat has been trimmed down, I like to apply some cooking oil which helps the rub to adhere to the meat and activates the natural oils in the spices.
The spice rub will consist of a 50/50 blend of kosher salt and 16 mesh coarse ground black pepper. I like to dust mine with a little garlic powder as well but the important things are the salt and pepper. Coat the meat well with the rub and allow the rub to mix in with the oil for 30 minutes to an hour.
Heat the pit to 275 (different cookers like to run at different temperatures and you may be cooking at higher or lower temps but the method remains the same, only cooking time is effected).Smoke the brisket for 4 hours, after the first 4 hours wrap the brisket in butcher paper and continue cooking at 275, checking the flat for tenderness after 3 more hours of cooking. To do this simply find a sharp pointed object such as a thermometer or skewer and poke the flat in several places, (always determine doneness by probing for tenderness, not IT) when it has the feel of room temperature butter it's time to pull the brisket off of the cooker.
Allow the brisket (still wrapped in butcher paper) to rest on the kitchen counter for a minimum of 2 hours, at the end of the rest period it's ready for slicing. Slice against the grain and enjoy.:grin:
Using this method I can usually get a 15 pound whole packer done in 7 to 8 hours (not counting resting time).:wink:

oldbill · Aug 28, 2014

zubby01 said:
OK I will bump up my temp a bit. Also, I know there is probably much debate, but do you let the meat get room temp before rubbing/putting on the smoker?

No, I rub it down cold and it's on the pit in another 30 min. to an hour. The colder the surface, the better the smoke accumulation on the surface of the meat.:-D

oldbill · Aug 28, 2014

oldbill said:
No, I rub it down cold and it's on the pit in another 30 min. to an hour. The colder the surface, the better the smoke accumulation on the surface of the meat.:-D

Here's an interesting article on smoke and how it gathers on the surface of food. Scroll down tp the heading "Smoke And Food":grin:
http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/zen_of_wood.html

BKish25 · Aug 28, 2014

oldbill said:
To make a true central Texas style brisket you'll need four key ingredients, beef, kosher salt, coarse black pepper and smoke!

By smoke, is it from just plain charcoal or mesquite or some other wood?

oldbill · Aug 28, 2014

BKish25 said:
By smoke, is it from just plain charcoal or mesquite or some other wood?

Well I cook on a stick burner, so I'm using nothing but wood with the exception of starting with lump charcoal to start my fire and establish a bed of coals.
The smoke should come from any wood of your own choosing and with a Weber Kettle I'm guessing you'll be using the snake method with the charcoal, so just get yourself some wood chunks to mix in or lay on top of the charcoal.:-D
Here's a link to an old thread about smoking on a Weber Kettle, maybe you can find more help here!:wink:
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=81499

aawa · Aug 28, 2014

If you are cooking on a 18.5in weber kettle, here is what you want to do, to ensure dinner is on the table by 6pm and you are able to get a good nights sleep.

Night before - Trim brisket and inject if you want (I personally don't inject)

9AM - rub your brisket with whatever rub you want. leave it on the counter while you get your kettle ready.

9:15AM-9:30AM - get kettle setup with a 2x2x1 snake. Start up 10 coals till they are ashed over and add them on one side of the snake. Make sure your bottom vent and top vent are wide open

10AM - Put brisket on the the kettle. Your temps will be cruising between 300-325. Make sure the vent is 180 degrees from where the lit part of the snake is.

Noon - Turn your vent so that it is 180 degrees where the lit part of the snake is.

2PM - Check the brisket for the color. If you think it is fine, let it ride till it is done nekkid. If you think the color is getting to dark wrap it in foil or butcher paper, it doesn't matter.

3PM - Do probe test in the thickest part of t he flat. If it is probe tender, remove it from the pit. If it is not tender, leave on the pit for 30mins longer and test again. Do this until it probes tender. Brisket should be done by 4:30PM at the latest.

Once the brisket has probed tender, take it off the pit and vent off the heat. If you wrapped, unwrap it so the heat disappates. After 15-20minutes of being on the counter unwrapped. Wrap it nice and tight in the foil or butcher paper. If you have 2 hours till service, leave it on the counter. If you have more than 2 hours, put it in your oven (which shoudl be turned off) or a cooler. If you put it in the cooler, wrap it in some towels.

6PM - Slice against the grain and enjoin.

mchar69 · Aug 28, 2014

If you have a dog, make sure he can't get up on the counter and devour.

zubby01 · Aug 28, 2014

Thank you very much for taking the time to write this out. I will give it a shot and let you know how it turned out. I really appreciate it.

aawa said:
If you are cooking on a 18.5in weber kettle, here is what you want to do, to ensure dinner is on the table by 6pm and you are able to get a good nights sleep.

Night before - Trim brisket and inject if you want (I personally don't inject)

9AM - rub your brisket with whatever rub you want. leave it on the counter while you get your kettle ready.

9:15AM-9:30AM - get kettle setup with a 2x2x1 snake. Start up 10 coals till they are ashed over and add them on one side of the snake. Make sure your bottom vent and top vent are wide open

10AM - Put brisket on the the kettle. Your temps will be cruising between 300-325. Make sure the vent is 180 degrees from where the lit part of the snake is.

Noon - Turn your vent so that it is 180 degrees where the lit part of the snake is.

2PM - Check the brisket for the color. If you think it is fine, let it ride till it is done nekkid. If you think the color is getting to dark wrap it in foil or butcher paper, it doesn't matter.

3PM - Do probe test in the thickest part of t he flat. If it is probe tender, remove it from the pit. If it is not tender, leave on the pit for 30mins longer and test again. Do this until it probes tender. Brisket should be done by 4:30PM at the latest.

Once the brisket has probed tender, take it off the pit and vent off the heat. If you wrapped, unwrap it so the heat disappates. After 15-20minutes of being on the counter unwrapped. Wrap it nice and tight in the foil or butcher paper. If you have 2 hours till service, leave it on the counter. If you have more than 2 hours, put it in your oven (which shoudl be turned off) or a cooler. If you put it in the cooler, wrap it in some towels.

6PM - Slice against the grain and enjoin.

zubby01 · Sep 3, 2014

Thank you all for your help. I did the snake method and I actually NEVER had to adjust the temp at all. It stayed at about 300 for about 6 hours. I then put it in the oven with foil just to make sure it was ready in time.

I ended up cooking an 18LB brisket. The only issue I had was that the wood chunks I had staggered on the snake caught fire and burned the edge of the brisket.

aawa · Sep 3, 2014

Great job.

If you notice the edges of your brisket are getting too dark because they are closer to the edges of the fire, you can rotate your brisket around some or wrap it sooner to keep the edges from scorching.

The snake method in the kettle is great for hot and fast cooking of big pieces of meat on the kettle. I typically use my kettles when only cooking 1 piece of meat because they are easier to setup than the UDS.

Cook time and other details

zubby01

Knows what a fatty is.

oldbill

is One Chatty Farker

zubby01

Knows what a fatty is.

oldbill

is One Chatty Farker

oldbill

is One Chatty Farker

BKish25

Full Fledged Farker

oldbill

is One Chatty Farker

aawa

Babbling Farker

mchar69

Quintessential Chatty Farker

zubby01

Knows what a fatty is.

zubby01

Knows what a fatty is.

aawa

Babbling Farker

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