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Brisket: A somewhat technical question

wpendlegg
wpendlegg Posts: 141
edited July 2014 in EggHead Forum
I'm gearing up to do my first brisket. I have been waiting for a good weekend to free up and for my Maverick to get in. If i'm going to shell out $40+ for a slab of meat I dang sure want it to turn out and I want it to be excellent since I'll have 9+ lbs of it.

Some of those packers can get pretty big. I'm using a standard setup of a plate setter and factory grid. I'll have a Woo2 in a few weeks (which may help with my issue) but some of those cuts are big enough to extend over the PS and be exposed to direct heat.. Probably a piece of the flat.

Is this something I need to account for? Will the added space from using the woo help?

I was reading some old threads and saw people draping them over extended grids. I was wondering if this was something I needed to consider.

I have a Large.
Lubbock, TX
Large BGE

Comments

  • Boileregger
    Boileregger Posts: 614
    Don't worry about it. I put a 16.5 lber on a large last weekend. If it doesn't fit lengthwise I put a roasting rack upside down and drape it over it so the brisket is kind of in a v shape. This helps a little but I don't obsess over whether or not pieces hang over the PS.
  • wpendlegg
    wpendlegg Posts: 141
    You're probably right. I've crammed 15 lbs of spares on there without any regard to how things were sitting and they all turned out fantastic.
    Lubbock, TX
    Large BGE
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,429
    Yup.  At standard "low-und-slow" temps of 200-250, the coal piles ain't that fiery and the briskie will shrink up behind the platesetter in a couple hours anyway. 
    Pics of your first cook!  
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  • Boileregger
    Boileregger Posts: 614
    Good luck! Your first brisket can be daunting but just relax and enjoy!
  • wpendlegg
    wpendlegg Posts: 141
    It might be this weekend. We will see. I was at Walmart earlier and couldn't believe the price on choice CABS... 2.97 a lb -- as much as a dang pork butt.
    Lubbock, TX
    Large BGE
  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    Below is a shot of the Woo with the plate setter installed with the factory grid. It does nothing to increase the length of meat that can be cooked. The next pic is the same set up with a inverted V-Rack sitting on it. By draping your meat over the inverted rack it will affectively shorten your meat approximately 8 inches give or take a little. It's a very useful trick when cooking long cuts.imageimage

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

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    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

  • tarheelmatt
    tarheelmatt Posts: 9,867
    I have nothing special like a Woo, etc.  I do have a Maverick and Party Q and those worked wonders for my first brisket.  It was a 10.5lb packer and went lengthwise of my large with no issues.  I never opened the lid until the Maverick indicated 200° and it turned out beautifully.  

    One advise would be to fill the box above the brim or more towards the PS just to be safe.  That brisket I cooked stalled (and even decreased a degree) for five hours at 160°.  
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    If you have a slight overhang opposite the hinge, (I always place the point at the back hinge, hottest part of the BGE due to design) you can place foil under the exposed flat.  But you can also drape the brisket over a foil wrapped fire brick if you don't have a rack (@SGH above) to fit it on the grid.  
    That said,based on the size you mention, by the time you trim it up you should be just fine with it fitting flat on the grid.  FWIW and YMMV-enjoy the cook and keep it simple-give Aaron Franklin's brisket videos a look.  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    You'll make some burnt ends.  Don't fret it.  It's all delicious.
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