Brisket drip pan question

My first questions to you would be "have you read Brisket 101? Then, why would you put the drip pan inside the smoker?

Have you verified your smoker temp & your probe(s) temp?

Briskets are often cantankerous critters and have a mind of their own!

If the probes were correct you were just entering the plateau and had a few more hours to go.

How did the brisket turn out? Give details of your smoke & we'll try to address issues. The CS was designed to be a brisket smoker. Many unsatisfactory smokes are due to operator error.

Like Wheelz said,"Read".

12 hours later, 163 sounds low at 225.

How do you know it was 163? Have you tested the temp of the thermometer (they can be unreliable)

And when you read, you'll find you probably need to learn about the "poke and prod" test.

Thanks. I wanted to try the drip pan method thinking that the dripping may steam in the pan helping to keep the meat moist. I pulled the brisket at about 163 and wrapped it in foil and added the drippings and some beef broth. I let it go another hour (I had hungry Cornhusker fans to feed) and pulled it. Let it sit for about 20 minutes carved and served on rolls with CS bbq sauce. It was really good. But, the next day I carved a little off, reheated in tin foil with some broth, it was excellent! All in all, I was happy - I still need to tweak my methods, but thats BBQing.

Like many folks mention,what was invented by Donna's family a half century ago,as the top brisket cooker,and it still has the reputation.

Like most things,when it don't work,try to fix it.

If it ain't broke,try not to mess it up.