Never thought I would be doing this....

tarheelmatt

Well, some may know, I am Lexington, NC born and raised and real proud of my roots.  Especially with the BBQ in the region.  As most will know, Lexington BBQ is only pork shoulder not beef like the midwest.  With that said, I picked up my first brisket to cook for tomorrow.  Its a 10.49lb choice whole.  Probably going 250-275° with some Hickory for smoke.  Straight S&P for rub and wait it out.  

Wish me luck fellas....

lousubcap

You are about to eggsperience a whole new Q perspective.  I'm not gonna suggest one or the other but you should feel conflicted when all is said and done.  

Bigger picture-enjoy the cook and remember the brisket finish window is much more narrow than that for the piggy.    Happy Birthday USA!

berndcrisp

Well, it's about time!

You will surely do it justice.

Texansurf

Sounds good, but I would set the temp for 225 to 250, if you can get some pecan chips, or oak, it will be more of a Texas style.

anzyegg

I'm sure it'll be a great cook. Post pics!

tarheelmatt

Texansurf said:

Sounds good, but I would set the temp for 225 to 250, if you can get some pecan chips, or oak, it will be more of a Texas style.

Don't have any Oak, though I may try to get some.  Here, we do oak and hickory.  Do have some pecan I may throw in there too with the hickory.  

tarheelmatt

Hoping to eat around 6pm tomorrow. I have already trimmed some and applied S&P.  Got the Egg filled to the brim with lump and chunks. My plan is to wake up at 3am to start the fire and have Mr. Brisky on by 4am.  I know that brisket goes at their own pace, but am I realistic with that time?  

Firemanyz

I would say start now to give yourself some wiggle room. I have only done 3 or 4 briskets but they have all been around 12-13lbs and the times have varied greatly. From 10.5 hours to 17 hours. So I say start now and if it finishes early FTC till it is served. Good luck.

SkinnyV

I did pecan and apple tonight....tasted great. Good luck staying tuned for pics.

tarheelmatt

Little worried here...

Mr. Brisky is already at 160° @ 7:35am.  Put on around 2:39am.   Plan on eating around 6pm.  How long can you FTC these bad boys?  

johnmitchell

From a fellow Carolinian...All the best and I am sure it will turn out Fantastic..Have a great weekend..

SGH

@tarheelmatt‌
I have held them over 13 hours before. My method is to pan them and add a little beef broth or water to the pan. Wrap with foil then place in a 150 degree oven. No not let your oven exceed 170 degrees or you may wind up eating shoe leather. This method works exceedingly well. I have used it myself many times with excellent results. Hope this helps my friend.

SGH

@‌tarheelmatt
As far as holding them wrapped in a cooler. If you have a good cooler and wrap the meat well you can easily hold 6-8 hours and cause no harm or I'll affects. Just be sure to wrap well.

cazzy

Drop your temp a lil bit to extend the rest of the cook.

Firemanyz

@tarheelmatt‌ how long has it been 160? Your right at the stall and could actually see the temp drop a few degrees before it goes up. What temp are you cooking at? I still think your more than a few hours away from it getting done. I FTC a small brisket in a small cooler for 7 hours and the temp of the meat was still 165. You can help the cooler by preheating it with some hot water.

Looking good I think. Maybe some of the other brisket gods will chime in when they get up.

tarheelmatt

@cazzy‌, I thought about dropping the temp, but hesitated as I am at 225°.

One more question though. Should I wrap this thing?

tarheelmatt

Here is a picture...

tarheelmatt

@SGH‌ thanks for the help and advice my friend! @Firemanyz‌, when I woke up it was at 158° at 7:15, it is now only to 163°. So it is at the stall so to speak I assume.

SGH

@tarheelmatt‌
You are more than welcome my friend.

Philly35

I wouldn't wrap it. And it's got a ways to go yet.

tarheelmatt

@Firemanyz‌ you were right, the thing just dropped a degree. Holding at 162° right now. I dropped from 225° to 215° to stall a little more too as per @cazzy‌ recommendation.

I should be good to go if it could wait till 2-4 PM then.

Think I am going non wrapped @Philly35‌.

cazzy

Yeah, don't wrap it and let it ride through the stall. I didn't think you were that low per your original post. Are you at 215 grid or dome? Try to get it to 225 grid, which is about 240-250 dome. It will take too long at 215 dome.

SGH

@tarheelmatt‌
Judging by the pic that you posted I would not wrap at this point if at all. Just a note. You can drop temp down to 200 and not hurt the quality of the meat at all.

tarheelmatt

@cazzy‌ temps are at grid per Maverick and Party Q.. Thing is still sitting at 163°...lol..That is one hell of a stall. Never experienced one like this before.

@SGH‌, that sounds reassuring, however this stall is pretty dang long. With FTC, I should be good to go.

Now that I am typing this, our dinner guest text and indicated they couldn't make it... Well hell that sucks. Got homemade ice cream making now to go with a browny. Texas cheese fries baking already, and have corn on the cob too!

The Cen-Tex Smoker

It's rare but I've had them stall 8 hrs at 225. That's why I cook a little hotter. You are in for a long ride so don't sweat it being done way too early. You don't need to wrap or change temps or anything. You are right on target. Just chill and let it do it's thing. If it's not where you want it to be by 3-4 then we'll help you tweak it to get it done.

cazzy

Perfect...You'll make it fine so just let it ride through and don't make any more temp adjustments until we're near the finish line.

You just don't want to be sitting <200 grid, so I'm glad to hear your monitoring temp at the grid.

Firemanyz

@tarheelmatt Dam that sucks dinner guests backed out. You interested in seeing the Nations Capitol for dinner? Load it all up and I'll give you directions to the firehouse. I'm sure every one here would love all your hard work.

ElCapitan

Dang, this is a real cliff hanger.  Did the brisket make it past the stall?  Did the homemade ice motor stop on it's own?  Did you find someone to eat your brisket?  I need some closure.

tarheelmatt

Update....

Brisket is past the stall. It sat at 163° for ever. Sitting at 176° currently. Man I cannot wait. I want to peek, but I am resisting.

Was able to get new guests invited to help eat all this I have fixed.

Sorry for being MIA.. I went to pick up a second refrigerator for the garage. That makes the small investment in a guru worth it.

tarheelmatt

@Firemanyz‌, haha.. I will run it by the wife and see what she says. Can I slide down the poll and turn on the siren if I make it?

Firemanyz

Yup