Question of the day

Daddy Pat

Trying to calculate how long it would take to cook a large cut of meat (ie brisket,butt etc.) if one is to maintain a cooking temp of 180* - 200* and the meat product is 10-12 lbs. Thanks for your input.

sprinter

Daddy Pat,[p]My quick calculations would be about 4 1/2 days. At that grate temperature you'll never break down the fats before the meat completely dries out. You need to cook things a bit faster for the end product to be any good at all.[p]Whats your reasoning for wanting to cook something so slow? Just curious, may be able to help out with some ideas that MAY keep some moisture in the meat if you HAVE to cook something that slowly. [p]Troy

Daddy Pat

sprinter,
I was reading about cooking a process that said the starting temp of a brisket should be 180*-200* and never to exceed 225* to create a great product.

TRex

Daddy Pat,[p]As Sprinter said, you don't need to cook as low as 180 - 200. I usually cook briskets and butts at 225 cooking level temperature and have good success. The butts I've cooked have averaged 2 hrs per pound, the briskets slightly less, but it's always good to build in some cushion so I usually estimate 2 hrs per pound for both. Also, if you do multiple hunks of meat at the same time the cooking time will lengthen by some factor depending on your setup. For example, I've cooked several 8 lb butts and they usually take about 16 hours, but twice I've done two 7 lb butts at the same time, side by side on the cooking grid, and they took an average of 19 hours to reach 195 internal, which is what I usually pull my butts at.[p]Hope this helps some. Also there is some great literature on low 'n slow cooks in Wise One's BGE cookbook, which you can find on the Naked Whiz's site (link below).[p]Good luck![p]TRex
[ul][li]Cookbooks on the Naked Whiz's site[/ul]

sprinter

Daddy Pat,[p]When I originally started cooking briskets and butts I used to run the temp about 200-210, for the same reason, that i read thats what you should do. I tried one a bit higher, about 225 or so and found no difference in the end product, then tried one a bit higher, 250 or so, and no difference. Well, there was ONE difference, the meat was done in substantially LESS time by cooking it a bit faster. Its all a matter of personal preference, if you want to cook that slow, just be ready for some LONG cook times and the potential for the meat to dry out during that long cook.[p]Good luck with whatever method you choose. Briskets and butts cooked low and slow are a taste treat no matter how they are cooked.[p]Troy

Daddy Pat

TRex,
thanks, i have been cooking my butts and briskets similar to yours temps but was having an interesting coversation with a TX guy about cooking briskets. I guest my main question should have been can a cook extend the platteau?

fishlessman

Daddy Pat,
for butts i cook at higher temps initially and after the plataeu, but lower my temps during the plataue to extend the time there. it works for me, however im from the north and have never experienced REAL bbq : )

Unknown

Daddy Pat,[p]This is not a safe cooking temp!!!!