Another First Brisket Question

[jmkdae]

Read a ton on this site and others. Done a lot of ribs, pork butts, brisket flats and chicken in my #2 but never a packer brisket.

- 12 lb whole brisket from Sams - Prime - about 19 inches long.
- Plan to follow a bit of Aaron Frankin and Thermoworks. He's got good videos on trimming. 50/50 salt pepper rub.
- Probe in fattest part of the flat. Second highest shelf placement.
- Keep it whole and shove it in (maybe using a can if needed to raise the middle). Smoker at 225.
- Pull and wrap in pink butcher paper at 165.
- Cook to 195 or so and test for doneness with a probe for "knife through butter" feel
- Store in a cooler with towels until needed.

I plan to make burnt ends from the point (additional two hour cook) and slice the flat.

My question is timing. Want to eat about 7PM Saturday.

It seems like 1.5 hours per pound is average. That would be somewhere between 9PM and midnight Friday to allow for time to rest and do the burnt ends.

How long should I plan to 165? and how long for the entire cook.

Any other comments appreciated as well.

Jim from NW Arkansas

PS. Go Hogs...loss last night iin Collge World Series was brutal.

 

[Pork Belly]

Store in a cooler with towels until needed

I would use several overlapping layers of cling film and a single layer of foil to keep the moisture in while resting.

18 hours sounds about right but I cook at a lower temp, 214.

Good luck

 

[jmkdae]

Did a test fit and the whole brisket will not fit not matter what. So doing the following:

"If cutting it in half, place the flat fat-side-up on the top rack. Place the point fat-side-down on a rack below. The point will shield the flat from the more intense heat. My target temps are 195 in the flat, and 200-205 in the point. With this two-shelf arrangement, they seem to get to their target temps around the same time."

How will that change the cook time?

Jim

 

[SconnieQ]

Did a test fit and the whole brisket will not fit not matter what. So doing the following:

"If cutting it in half, place the flat fat-side-up on the top rack. Place the point fat-side-down on a rack below. The point will shield the flat from the more intense heat. My target temps are 195 in the flat, and 200-205 in the point. With this two-shelf arrangement, they seem to get to their target temps around the same time."

How will that change the cook time?

Jim

That quote is from me. I always cut mine in half since I have a #1, and it works great. My last 14.5 pound brisket (12.5 pounds after trimming) took 11.5 hours at 225. So if you calculate per hunk of meat (approx 6 pounds each), that's close to 2 hours per pound for 6 pounds. I didn't wrap. If you wrap, that will probably speed it up a bit. I would allow 2 hours per pound based on the weight of your largest hunk. If it's done way ahead, you can rest up to 6 hours double-wrapped in foil and towels in a cooler. Better done ahead than not on time. So if you want to eat at 7 pm Saturday, I would put it in at 5 am or before. That should give you a pretty generous rest.

Brisket and butt don't always follow an exact hour/pound formula, since collagen needs to convert to gelatin in order for it to break out of the stall and come to full temp. That process just takes a certain amount of time to happen. So often times smaller cuts take a similar amount of total time to larger cuts. Which is why smaller cuts take more hours per pound than larger cuts. Most 10-16 pound full packers, cut in half, seem to take around 11-12 hours give or take, at 225. Err on the side of extra time.

I don't trim as much as Franklin. He trims a little more than I would. I leave around 3/8 inch. More in some areas.

 

[Walt]

They come out great either way....but here is a 22 lb prime packer from SAMS I just put in my #2. I haven't found one that didnt fit yet. Good smoking

 

[jpowell]

Store in a cooler with towels until needed

18 hours sounds about right but I cook at a lower temp, 214.

214??? Interesting!

 

[Walt]

The 22lb one is finished.