Brisket for Easter - help with timing

[cjdavia]

Figuring out when to start the smoke is always a challenge.  My head hurts from obsessing so I am hoping you can help me out.

We have a lot of family coming for Easter dinner and we are smoking a full packer brisket.  Let's say it is 14 pounds after trimming.
We're going to brine it in Ed's OJ brine for 16 hours, and then let it get mellow with some black ops rub and mustard for 4 hours.  We'll smoke it at 225 degrees, and plan to eat around 3PM.

Does it make sense to start smoking at 3PM THE DAY BEFORE?  That assumes 1.5 hrs/pound plus 3 hours to rest in the cooler... what if it gets done early, at 7AM instead of Noon?  Do I pull, wrap, and hold at 140 for 7 hours?  Thoughts?

To make it more crazy, we are also thinking of doing some salmon as well.  What do you think about counting on the brisket being done early so I can cook the salmon at the same temp that we're holding the brisket?  My concern with this approach is that is I usually cook the salmon at 160 instead of 140...

We would appreciate your thoughts and Thank you!
Chris

 

[Lipster]

I think your plan is a good one.  You might be ok if you start it at 5 pm the day before.  A good cooler and a lot of towels will be your friend.

 

[cjdavia]

Have you tried the OJ/Salt/Hot Sauce Brine? 

It is basically 1 qt of OJ to 1/4 cup of salt and 2 Tbsp of hot sauce.

I am wondering if it might be too salty or make the meat too mushy?

 

[Stevegardner]

Have you tried the OJ/Salt/Hot Sauce Brine? 

It is basically 1 qt of OJ to 1/4 cup of salt and 2 Tbsp of hot sauce.

I am wondering if it might be too salty or make the meat too mushy?

I have never considered brining a brisket. I am just wanting the beef flavor to shine through, never been a huge fan of brining beef...but, that's just me.
I am doing one tonight, a prime packer. I am just using a bunch of rub and smoking it unfoiled. I wont even open the door until it hits about 190, then I will start poking for doneness. When done, I will separate the point and chop it for burnt ends. I am smoking at 225 degrees. That extra time allows for a long stall and not worrying about turning it up, etc. Nothing worse than having dinner time come around and everybody is waiting on my brisket. I did that once, not again. These things hold well in a cooler. Get er done early and enjoy!
Mine is about a 12 pounder, I will put it in about 700pm for 600pm dinner tomorrow.

 

[cjdavia]

OK I am starting to freak out.  Please talk me down. 
I put the 14.5lb packer in the smoker at 3:30PM, thinking it would be done about noon the next day.  Well at 3AM the point is at 205 and the flat is all about 196!  I had 5 probes in there and they were alll consistent. I rechecked with the thermopen, pulled the brisket and wrapped it in a cooler.

The 14.5 packer took only 11.5 hrs to cook!  I am concerned now that maybe I did something wrong and don't want to server undercooked food.  I am also stuck.... What should I do with the beef in a few hours?  Refrigerated and reheat in the oven?    Please help - 18 guests arriving tomorrow!

Chris

 

[Lipster]

You will get a lot of advice.  What I did for a Christmas party was this:
Brisket was done a day early.  I snuck a slice and it was great.  Wrapped it up and put it in the fridge.
Took it out several hours before guests arrived and let it warm up some on the counter.  Then I sliced it while cool (easier!) and put the slices in a crock pot with a little beef broth.  (Some say chicken broth works even better)  You don't need much broth, just enough to bring it 2/3rds of the way up the sliced meat, but it helps transfer heat and keeps the meat moist.  Turned on the crock pot to low setting and let it warm up slowly. Served it that way to rave reviews.  No angst about timing that way, and it worked fine.  Don't sweat it, enjoy your holiday with your guests.

 

[cjdavia]

This is EXACTLY what I needed.  THANK YOU for talking me down!

After a 4 hour rest I cut off the point for burnt ends (they tasted delicious as-is) and the flat is in the fridge!  Hope it is not raw in the middle!

I did notice that the 14.5 packer had a really thin flat -- like maybe 1.5 inches.. I wonder if that is why it cooked so fast?

Chris

 

[Lipster]

It certainly won't be raw.
I've had briskets done in 12 hours, and as long as 23 hours.  Depends on the brisket.
I just don't try anymore to have a brisket done when guests arrive.  I always do it a day ahead now. Better for blood pressure and I am a better host if I am not all wound up.
Since you have so much time now, here is a recipe for my family's favorite sauce:

16 oz Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot (use no substitutes)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 Tbs ground cumin
4 tsp ground oregano (1 tsp if it is the real fine stuff)
2 tsp salt
Simmer for 30 minutes, chill.

 

[cjdavia]

Thank you, Lipster.  As my sister-in-law just reminded me, I sorta did get the brisket done a day in advance -- although not on purpose!

I'm going to try your recipe next time for sure  -Chris

 

[Lipster]

Sauce is for on the side, not on the brisket during smoking.

 

[Stevegardner]

You will get a lot of advice.  What I did for a Christmas party was this:
Brisket was done a day early.  I snuck a slice and it was great.  Wrapped it up and put it in the fridge.
Took it out several hours before guests arrived and let it warm up some on the counter.  Then I sliced it while cool (easier!) and put the slices in a crock pot with a little beef broth.  (Some say chicken broth works even better)  You don't need much broth, just enough to bring it 2/3rds of the way up the sliced meat, but it helps transfer heat and keeps the meat moist.  Turned on the crock pot to low setting and let it warm up slowly. Served it that way to rave reviews.  No angst about timing that way, and it worked fine.  Don't sweat it, enjoy your holiday with your guests.

What does that crock pot and all that juice do to the nice crunchy bark?

 

[Lipster]

Put in less juice if the crunchy bark is an important thing.
My guests seem to want tender tasty brisket vs bark and crunch.  Possibly at the cost of dry meat.
YMMV.

 

[JMSparty08]

This is EXACTLY what I needed.  THANK YOU for talking me down!

After a 4 hour rest I cut off the point for burnt ends (they tasted delicious as-is) and the flat is in the fridge!  Hope it is not raw in the middle!

I did notice that the 14.5 packer had a really thin flat -- like maybe 1.5 inches.. I wonder if that is why it cooked so fast?

Chris

I'm assuming you divided the brisket into two (point and flat) before putting in the smoker?  If so, you have to treat the timing accordingly.  A whole 14.5 lb brisket at 1.5 hours per lb. gives you 21.75 hours.  But if you cut that same brisket in half, you're left with 7.5 lb briskets. At 1.5 hours/lb., you're looking at about 11 hours, which is where you came in at or thereabouts. So I'd say your brisket cooked according to plan. 

The shorter time after dividing the meat has to do with more surface area and overall mass.  More surface area and less mass = quicker cooking.  Doing the whole 14.5 lb brisket without dividing it up prior to cooking = less surface area and a bigger mass of meat which = longer cooking time. 

That said, the 1.5 hours is merely a rule of thumb.  I smoked a 6 lb flat this last Saturday starting it at 6:30 AM thinking I could take it out around 3:30 for an hour and a half rest to eat at 5 PM, but the stall lasted about an hour and a half and so we didn't eat until 6:30 PM. Wife was not happy with my "it's done when it's done" answer.  Women can be so impatient sometimes.  I asked her if she'd like to eat tough brisket or wait until it's done and she didn't like either of those options either. 

In the future, I'll be starting the night before and if it gets done early, into the cooler with towels until serving time.  I think that is the way to go personally instead of waiting around for it to be done and potentially making the guests and wife mad.