Doing a 11.5 lb brisket and have some questions...please help!

Don't Egg me on

I have a Lg egg with plate setter and planning to use pecan chunks with royal oak lump. I'm going to have an internal temp probe and a grate probe. My questions are

1. should I use a drip pan?

2. If I do use a drip pan, should I fill it with liquid?

3. What Dome temp should I shoot for?

4. What Grate temp should I shoot for?

5. How long should I expect to smoke this size of brisket with "said" temp?

6. At what internal temp should I pull it off at? (I have been running into a few different temps after reading many write ups)

7. Should I make the "Burnt ends" recipe, Never done it but read about it a lot?   

Thanks in advance for any help

Kentucky Wildcat Fan

Yes, use a drip pan. I'm actually cooking a 15 lb brisket tomorrow night. I'll put a couple beers in drip pan.

I normally keep my temp at 250. A lot cook at 225. Just depends on your time constraints

Hard to say on cook time. Cook until done. Around 190 degrees on avg but it's done when it feels a little spongy and probe goes in like a stick of butter. It's all feel.

Burnt ends are the absolute best! First off you need a whole or packer untrimmed brisket. Once brisket is tender and done, separate point from flat, wrap flat in double foil and couple towels. Place in dry cooler to rest. Reseason the raw part of point and put back on egg for 2-3 hrs, take off and cube. At this point you can either sauce and put back on egg for another hour (2 hrs +1 hrs for a total of 3) sauce will caramelize or cube, dip in au jus from flat and serve (3 hrs total smoke). These are the best!! They do not last long!

ChokeOnSmoke

1.) Yes, I fill mine with water.

2.) Only reason for drip pan is to keep the drippings from burning and sending off a foul smell/taste.

3.) Dome = 250-270

4.) Grate = 230-250

5.) I'll take a wild guess and say 14 hours.

6.) Pull it at 195-200.  Check with probe and make sure it goes in and out easy.

7.) Yes, if you don't just have a flat.

Briskets really are not as hard as some make them out to be.  My advice would be this:

Keep it simple, coat brisket with mustard or worcherster, apply rub heavily, put the brisket on when your egg is stable, trust your calibrated thermometers and don't open the lid.

Good luck!

mitch

+1 on what  ChokeOnSmoke said.  

Don't Egg me on

Well here goes, Put it on around 4:50am and shooting to pull it off at 5-6pm. 

Squeezy

Nice lookin' brisket ... looks a little shy on the rub, no biggie!

Best of luck!

paulheels

Pushing the limits of that egg! Niyeeeece. Purdy hunk of bovine yonder.



Paul

Don't Egg me on

Squeezy, I KNOW!! Kinda mad at my self for that one!  

njl

Looks like that might have benefited from using the rib rack as a speed bump to better fit in there...assuming it would fit across the rib rack.