Attempting my second brisket

Steve
I don't have a CS but have cooked hundreds of briskets and because of the fact your cooking a flat and having less fat to work with a low pit temp is the way to go (225�).
Allow 2 hrs a pound. Pick up an instant read threm and check at the 7 to 8 hour mark.
You will want to hit at least 195� if not higher and at that point do the fork test.
Jim

Thanks, Jim. I forgot to mention that I'm cooking at 225. I have some thongs which read temperature that I'm planning to use for the "fork test" at around the 8 hour mark. So it sounds like I'm on the right track. This time, the brisket's staying in there until it's done, no matter how long it takes!

quote:

I have some thongs which read temperature that I'm planning to use for the "fork test"

Dang, Steve D. You got more than one thong? I out grew mine after my very first fork test. I2BBQ

Hmmm, looks like I something on my mind besides bbq! Why, don't the rest of you do your smokin' wearin' your thongs? No wonder the neighbors gather around. I thought they wanted some brisket.

Well, I have good news. I think I finally nailed it. I left the brisket in there for 8 hours at 225 before opening the door. The meat was so tough I could barely get the fork into it. The reading was 165! So I bumped the temperature up to 250 and checked it again an hour and a half later. At that point, the fork went in fairly easily and the temp read 194. I closed the door again and made the side dish I was having with the brisket, which took about another 45 minutes. With 10 minutes left until the side dish was ready, I pulled the brisket out and wrapped it in foil. The internal temp was up around 200 now, and the meat was very tender and tastey. I was very pleased with the results, even though it took a suprisingly long 10.5 hours total cooking time, the last 2.5 hours at 250. Thanks for all the help! Now the rest of you should try the thong thing too.

Good job ,SteveD.

Now Smokin'would tell you to write everything down,including your observations and next couple of days thoughts.

Jim would probably tell you the next one may very well be different,but you are onto the process.

quote:

took a suprisingly long 10.5 hours total cooking time,

SteveD: That 10 hours is just about exactly what I've been needing. For 6-7 lb flats. So, let me ask (if it hasn't been asked before) would a 14 lb packer cut take the same time, more time, twice the time, as the smaller flat? I'm guessing it would be about the same, but my brain is smoke-polluted, and guessing is often a big risk. i2bbq

Hey,SteveD.

IMHO you have too treat each of your briskets as a separate critter.

I've had 14lbs. come off as soon as 10 pounders.

You'll learn to rely on your temp probe to get you close and the fork/probe insertion to get you off on time.

That being said,I think the larger packer trim brisket will take you longer to finish in most cases.

a 14-pound brisket is pretty good size. I prefer to do brisket "low and slow" at 190 degrees for 14 hours without opening the door. with that large a brisket it might take longer, perhaps 16 or more hours. it is important to watch your drain pan for a lot of grease will come out, especially for this extended period of time

Tom, your right there all different. I normally cook 10 to 13 pounders and they will take on average 16 hours, but that is effected by fat cap and fat content. The deckle has more fat and that keeps the brisket moist and can speed up the cook.
Briskets are done when they give it up and it's not on our timetable.
Jim

i2BBQ,

I did a 14 pounder and it took 11 hours. 9 at 225 and the last two at 250 degrees. The temps were 195 on one end and 197 on the other. This was before I knew about the fork test but it must of been done because it was delicious.

SM

FYI gents,

I just did a 9.7# packer trimmed for about 20 hours - polder read 195. Dern tasty lemme tell ya. I have problems getting above 195 with my briskets and pork butts - but I also use an extention cord with my smokette - truthfully, they are very tender and very yummy - I have no complaints.

'Course, ya gotta make them smoked baked beans with'em - donchaknow.

Congrats SteveD. Sounds like you weren't too sure at the beginning, that makes it even better when you have success.

Now as far as Briskets.

all together now....

It's done when it's done

It's one of "those" discussion to try and decide on 1 hour, 1.5 or 2 hours per pound.

Biggest differences will be flats vs packers.

For full packers, I like to let them cook for a "long" time, so I'll actually let them cook for the first 12 hours at about 200. I just like long cooks sometimes.

then I open the door, add more wood for the bark effect and then bump it up to 225 until they're finished.

Jim is exactly right, the amount of fat content can have a big effect on the length of time so always remember, briskets are like people (no --not fat) they're all different.

Smokin'

Smokin'
In my case, if I was a brisket there would be a lot fat to trim before cooking.
Jim

Smokin, define full packer 10# and up or 12#? How much wood are you putting in for the bark? I now have a smokette and will be doing a brisket very soon. This is torture in the mean time reading all of these posts. I got the smoker yesterday and it is raining all day so I can't season it until tomorrow. Then either ribs or turkey breast the next day. I already have 2 10-12# packers in the freezer so I am raring to go.

Ret,

Don't forget to get a pork butt in there soon. I did one for company this weekend and they called twice to tell me how much they loved it, including the doggie bag we sent them home with. My wife makes these great baked sweet potato fries-- those, the pork (cooked to 205 internal and pulled) slaw, corn on the cob and vinegar based sauce. I'm getting hungry writing this post!

nj,
Did you say you are getting your butts at BJ's or the like? What type and size are you finding?

So many replies...so little time.

Jim, I agree, trim the fat, but not all the fat

Retsoon, A packer isn't defined by weight, but by if it has both the deckle and the flat together. And it will vary by region. Around here, I get packers 10-15 lbs. There, who knows. You get a lot of flats only.

As for the bark, I've been experimenting on that. I wouldn't even worry about it out of the block. Put 2 or 3 oz and smoke away.

And why let the rain stop you (you need to cover the vent hole (with an umbrella, don't "cover" the hole) and keep the cord dry and you can smoke away. But NO don't get water and electricity mixing together. You'll just have to wait for the rain to go.

If you haven't done many in a CS, you certainly don't want to oversmoke. We've had lots of "discussions" about brisket and bark, but for the new Cs owners, don't worry about it until you master the meat itself.

You've got a challenge ahead, brisket, ribs, turkey. Try them all after reading all the stuff here and come back and let us know how they went.

And NJ is right, don't forget the BUTTS.

So, Smokin', how much additional wood do you add to get more bark. Parts of my capped flat had decent bark, but most had very little. I'll have to try a really LONG smoke if I can ever find a packer-trimmed brisket. I've got a couple of meat markets in the area to try, maybe this weekend. But I'm feeling so good about the last brisket that I'm ready to try some ribs again too.

Well, I've been experimenting on adding more wood to see if it effects the bark.

Couple of things. We explored this in a thread a while back, but I think two things happen when you add more wood.

1. You're letting more moisture out to help with drying the bark out (but not the brisket) since the CS keeps the humidity up.

2. I'd start with the same amount of wood you used to start with. If you start with 3, add three. See if that has effect. If will depend on your CS. I'm using a 150.

Hey Ret-- I was able to get twin boston butts packed in cryovac. Ithink the total weight of the two was in the 15 lb range. They didn't have them set out so I asked the butcher and he had some in the back. They were really nice, nice amount of fat and they both cooked up beautifully. How'd those ribs you did come out?

So I decided after my recent success with the brisket to try my hand at a pork butt. I looked everywhere around here and there wasn't a butt to be found. OK, I didn't look EVERYWHERE, but I first checked the local butcher, then my grocery store, and lastly Walmart. I figured if Sams carries them, Walmart would...but they didn't. However, Walmart does carry whole briskets. So now I at least know where to find those! Are butts typically that hard to find? Maybe New Hampshire folks haven't learned to appreciate a good butt?

Since I couldn't find any butts, I decided to go for baby back ribs again. I used the same rub as last time, and this time I put them in the CS around 9:30 in the morning at 225 with 3 oz of apple wood. I was determined not to undercook them at all costs. So I didn't open the door until about 3:00 in the afternoon for a first check. I spritzed them with apple juice and closed the door. The meat was just starting to pull back from the bone. An hour later, I checked again, spritzed them again, and cranked it up to 250. I pulled them out around 5:30. Well, they certainly were done! Parts were a bit overdone but parts were just right. The bones came out pretty clean.

Oh, and I also make chili with the leftover brisket, and it was great! I just made a quick and easy chili, and the brisket added a nice hickory flavor to the whole thing. Thanks for the suggestion.

And if this note isn't long enough already, how cold is too cold to be smoking outside? Living in N.H. this time of year, when I put the ribs in the CS Sunday morning, it was in the upper 30's here! It warmed up into the 60's during the day, but pretty soon it's going to be a lot colder than that, and I was wondering at what point the CS will be affected.

At the store you can find country style ribs,
pork, no bone, normally cut into chunks
1 1/2" to 2" wide. These are chunks of pork butt and can be cooked in the same manor as butt. If the store has these then they will probably have butts they can get you. Ask the local butcher to get you some, if he will do case only, they freeze well lasting up to year in the cryo packaging.
As a rule of thumb baby back ribs 4 to 6 hours to cook, spares 6 to 8 hours. To check to see if there done, slide a toothpick into the meat between the bones, if it goes in like going thru butter they are done.
Jim

Ask Andi from Moose Pass, Alaska about cold weather cooking in the CS. I think she'll tell you that you can get great results no matter what the temp is. That's the benefit of the insulated box. The season never ends!

Mornin',SteveD.

Like Jim says,virtually all meat departments that cut their own meat will have butts in the back.
They ship them to them by the case of 2 each in a cryopac.

Anytime you see them running country style ribs in their ads,you can be assured that the meat cutter is sawing up butts.

It may be a loss leader and they don't intend to sell as whole butts,but they will usually try to help you out.

It just means they don't have to trim,saw, and package the country style ribs.

Wallyworld often has them,although our Sam's just sells them by the case.

I have a case in the freezer now and like Jim says,they will last a long time.

The CS will cook in any temperature,but your polder unit may not readout at too cold a temperature.

You can keep it inside and take it out and plug into the probe periodacally,if this happens.

Hope this helps some.

Couple of general comments.

I wouldn't recommend cooking spare ribs in a CS for 8 hours...This unit is too efficient for that, spares should be done before that. I think the efficiency of the CS and the humidity level has a big effect on it smoking quicker than some other units. BUT, there are those that cook them long and like them.

As far as outside temps...think of it this way. The walls of a CS are filled with Insulation for either 1000 or 1500 degrees. That same insulation does a perfect job keeping the outside air outside. Can't think of a place, including

alaska, that would be a problem.