Using 55 for the 1st time and I need help

Well,packer briskets are the last thing I'd wish to breakin a cooker on.

That being said,Cookshacks were designed to cook briskets.

No guts,no glory.

Smokin' Okie has been gracious enough to do a great Brisket 101 and the archives are a great read.

Smokin' Okie's Brisket 101

I'd use about 6 oz. of some kind of nut wood,or anything besides mesquite.

Put one on a shelf,however they fit.Tuck a pointed end under, if you need to.

They will shrink up as they cook.

I'd try 225�cook temp.

Think up to 1 1/2 hrs/lb of the largest brisket,although choice could finish in an hr/lb.

About half way through,I'd rotate the bottom one with the middle one-since it is closest to the firebox.

I'd cook the bottom one fatside down and the others fatside up.

If Smokin' gives you more than you can handle right away,

I'd use Darcy's technique,since he was kind enough to share it.
Darcy's Indirect Cooked Packer Brisket

If they are done way early,line a dry cooler with newspapers and towels and the briskets will stay too hot to handle for several hrs.

Good luck and let us know how it went.

Great response Tom.

What time is the party?

My only addition, and please quote me to the wife, ...is to cook them the day before. Since you've NEVER do this, and doing a first time cook for friends is violating the first law of beginners..., do it the day before. If you can't do them Friday, start them Friday night.

If they're choice, like Tom said, plan for about 1 hour per pound. 10 pounds -- 10 hours.

Plan on these finishing 4 to 6 hours prior to the party (so you can at least taste one).

Smoke them to 190. Take them out, double wrap them in foil, put in a small ice chest and wrap them multiple times in paper for insulation.

Oh, and just for the record Sooners and Longhorns do get alone. Tell all your fellow Longhorns that #@$% did freeze over and there is a nice Sooner

Here to help.

My plan was to cook 2 in the 55 and 1 on my offset. Dinner is at 7:00 pm. I thought I would start them about 3:00 am take�m off @ 5:00 pm and let them rest for 2 hours. SO
not sure what you mean by this sentence "Plan on these finishing 4 to 6 hours prior to the party (so you can at least taste one)." can u explain.

With this the 1st time using my 55 could that have something to do with the taste that seems to be what Tom and you are implying, I will put a nice rub on and leave it in the Freg. For 2 days. Do you guy�s think that will help w/the lack of seasoning in my 55? Tom thanks for the links I will sure use them tonight and the tip about fat side up down not sure I would though to do that.

SO, I will pass on commits and thanks for disclaimer by the way it's girlfriend and she could be "x" if theses turn out to be tough as boot leather.
Told all my Longhorn friends there is one nice Sooner.....but after 5 years being on the short end of the stick there not quite ready to put on those red long johns. I will continue to spread the word.

Thanks for all the help

Lost:

Well to make things worse I am from MI and even went to the University of.

On the good side for you, I hope you guys beat them in CA.

As far as cooking briskets, be sure to buy a remote thermometer so you have some idea of the internal temp. I would cook the CS briskets the day before and reheat them (in and out of foil) on the offset so at least 2 briskets would be of certain quality. They do stay hot in the cooler as well and the rest time probably improves the texture so you might go that route if that works better for your schedule.

It took me til my third set of briskets to get it to where I understood why CS's had such a following and I was helped by Darcy's advice to seek out CAB Briskets.

By the way, what kind of girlfriend would leave over some indifferent cooking?

"Go Blue"
Oh, I mean
"Hook 'em Horns"

parkside

Parkside,

Thanks for the advice may try that. Just not sure about reheating? How can that be better cooking the day of? I hope they will also win; I hope nobody I know reads this but I hope OU wins....I think. As for the girlfriend I'll be dropping her in the grease for make me cook before I was good at this CS thing.

Thanks,

Lost

Go with your original plan, Lost... it will work out. I would take those priskets to 195-200 internal, until the probe slides in and out fairly easy. They WILL become tender. When they do, just wrap up in double heavy foil, then in a towel, then into the cooler. they will stay hot -- and continue to tenderize -- for many hours. let us know how it goes,

thanks woodburner...I hope it works


LostTxn

losttxn, I would go with your origional plan but start a littler earlier so that you can finishing a couple of hours earlier. The brisket will stay hot wrapped in a cooler for 3 or 4 hours. This will give you some wiggle room for the finish time. You can slice when the guest arrive.

Remember that every time you open the door it adds about 30 - 45 minute to the cook time so no peeking.

Good luck

Hey, it will all work out.

Personally, I wouldn't rub it two days in advance. Depending on the rub, you can overseason it or even cure it a little (if the rub has salt in it).

What I meant about finishing early was to give you enough time for some flexibility (like greyn said). This is your first one and it will NOT finish when you want it to (you heard it hear first) so you need to give a little fudge room.

Based on your timing, you might try midnight instead. or, and this isn't difficult, put them in about midnight at 200 and let them cook overnight. Then bump it up to 225 first thing in the morning. When they're done (could be as soon as early afternoon) just double wrap them in foil, and drop the temp of the smoker down to it's lowest setting. Won't hurt them to sit a few hours. Remember it's better to finish a little early and not too late.

OR...You could also do a split cook. Start one at 10 and another at 3 (if you really want to get up that early) and they'll finish different.

OR...start them at 8am Friday before you leave. Check them when you get home and then just reheat on Saturday. That way you can taste them and if you're happy you're happy. If you're not...call Pizza Hut

See, this is why you don't want to do this and experiment.