Wagyu Brisket- Ease my mind here on time...

FATC1TY

Not my first SRF Brisket, won't be the last, and probably some crap flats and packers in the middle...

Anyways..  I broke the golden rule of smoking meats and have a time table set for my 3 kids birthday party tomorrow with around 20 ppl coming.

Got this 14.XX # SRF Black Brisket. Gonna trim it shortly and clean it up a little and season it.

Standard timing is 1-1.5 hrs a pound for brisket. I've always had them finish sooner. I typically do a 225-260 cook temp. Set the grate to 250 mostly but have gone to 260 and liked the results. I wrap in butcher paper at 165-175, and then probe it every 30 min or so based on feel and a couple temp checks of the point and flat, looking for 185 or so generally with these SRF, and then I check often, till 190 and then wrap more and toss in the yeti to post up for an hour or two.

I want to get atleast an hour rest in the cooler...

My gut says at those temps, I should put it on around 10PM tonight, cook it overnight, and have it pulled out and resting by 11:30-12, for us to eat around 1 or so.. Wife doesn't want me cooking while company is over, and obviously it needs to rest, and I need to cook the chickens and such.

What time frame would work best you think? I'm okay holding it a little longer so leaning towards early. But dont wanna hold tooo long...

What time would you start?

lousubcap

Here comes the outlier post -  the last 6-7 prime or SRF black briskets that I have cooked have run around 0.75 hrs/lb with the average calibrated dome of 260-290*F.  Don't know the grate temp. I run til they probe like buttah in the thickest part of the flat and that is generally 196-202*F but I have had one SRF release at 187*F.  I run nekked to the finish (lazy).
I would go with your time-line or  a bit later, but I wouldn't be surprised if you finish in the late AM.  For me the key is to get the friggin cow into the FTC window ( within 6 hours of the finish time in most cases).  Once you are there then you can dial it up or down to get finished when you want.  Use your experience and aim for the FTC window, home-free from there.  FWIW-

Gamecockeggman

Well said by @lousubcap.  I have found that most quality meats cook a bit faster than the average lower end meat.  Every cow is different no matter the quality so the meat gods do play a role.  I would follow the advice payed out so eloquently above and you surely will not be disappointed.  Best of luck and make sure to keep us up to date on your journey.

GrateEggspectations

Mine was about an hour per pound at 300 - naked the whole cook. 

(....And I didn't foil my brisket.)

bhedges1987

Mine are 1.5 per pound cow tells you when it's ready. Rather be early than late 

FATC1TY

figure i lost a pound trimming... really thin flat end i cut back a little.

Put her on at 9:30pm.. need to be in the yeti by noonish..

230 grate, 250-260 dome, gonna let it ride it out. Post oak and a few hickory and pecan parts tossed in to flair it up.

If it takes its full time, so be it, I could make it work. Only thing I DONT want to happen is done at 7 AM... 9AM I can do... wrap in butcher, towel on top and bottom and into the cooler.

Thanks for the reassurance- just needed to work it out in my head, I've done this plenty of times, just hate the time pressure for cooking for many. Of course- they all come expecting great food so thats great, but also- pressure packed.

Enjoying a cold beer or 8 at the moment... Thanks guys. Might have some time to post some pics, takes a bit of effort with this forum software.

lousubcap

FWIW if you are finished any time after around 5 AM you are cruising in the FTC window and are home-free.  Regarding the thin flat, I cover it in foil for the first few hours of the cook in an attempt to slow down its cook-rate and then let it run with the rest of the hunk.  I have not run a side-by-side but I do think it does help with keeping it more moist.
Regarding the extended duration FTC- if needed, use a cooler as close to the size of your brisket and pre-treat with hot water for a good 20-30 minutes.  While that is happening warm some garage quality towels in the dryer.  Then after the obligatory cooling rack rest for the cow (20 mins or so to stop the carry-over cooking) double wrap in HDAF, the towels and then into the drained cooler.  This time of the year, place in the sun and you are golden for 7-8 hours easy.  (Don't ask me how I know-friggin cow  .  No worries you've got this.

JRWhitee

I just did a a SRF 15.3 lb black brisket last night. I put it on at 12:30 last night at 250, temp went up to 280 in the first 3 hours so i dialed it back, I awoke at 6:30 and temp was 220, wrapped in pink butcher paper at 7:00 and pulled at 11:00 at 200 IT. It did cook faster than most briskets I have cooked.

FATC1TY

lousubcap said:

FWIW if you are finished any time after around 5 AM you are cruising in the FTC window and are home-free.  Regarding the thin flat, I cover it in foil for the first few hours of the cook in an attempt to slow down its cook-rate and then let it run with the rest of the hunk.  I have not run a side-by-side but I do think it does help with keeping it more moist.
Regarding the extended duration FTC- if needed, use a cooler as close to the size of your brisket and pre-treat with hot water for a good 20-30 minutes.  While that is happening warm some garage quality towels in the dryer.  Then after the obligatory cooling rack rest for the cow (20 mins or so to stop the carry-over cooking) double wrap in HDAF, the towels and then into the drained cooler.  This time of the year, place in the sun and you are golden for 7-8 hours easy.  (Don't ask me how I know-friggin cow  .  No worries you've got this.

I cheat a wrap in butcher paper too, so I think I may be okay..

The cooler will be hit with some hot boiling water and closed for a few minutes and drained.. It's hot enough in my garage to maybe get the brisket half cooked IN the cooler, so should stay warm.

Trying to avoid the foil though, don't want to steam it. I have found a difference in my bark and moisture once I moved to paper v. foil.

Now.. butcher paper on a pork shoulder? hell no.

FATC1TY

JRWhitee said:

I just did a a SRF 15.3 lb black brisket last night. I put it on at 12:30 last night at 250, temp went up to 280 in the first 3 hours so i dialed it back, I awoke at 6:30 and temp was 220, wrapped in pink butcher paper at 7:00 and pulled at 11:00 at 200 IT. It did cook faster than most briskets I have cooked.

Hrmm.. Need to set alarm for 5 AM like I expected.. It's nice out. May sleep in the hammock.

Thanks for the insight. Should set me right up, I'm probably 13-low 14 after trimming, 

lousubcap

I only foil the thin section of the flat on the initial start of the cook- I then run nekked til finished.  I suppose I will go down the butcher paper road at least once so I have single data point but foil never will happen till the FTC routine.  Time for an adult beverage...

FATC1TY

@lousubcap so you just bottom and top wrap the flat ?

Do you find it slows the cooking down a bit? Im curious about it.. More in that we know the flat sometimes appears to take longer, but the point needs a little extra bang to break down and get tender.

Obviously most will eat the flat, which I'm happy with, I want the point for tacos later in the week, and nachos, and grilled cheese, and brunswick stew, and chili.. and you know.. any aches and pains.

I don't wanna slow the cook, but the flat was thinner than I'd like. I cut some off cause damn, they cut it a little low into the pec to get more meat and fat for the weight.

lousubcap

I just loose foil the very thinnest part of the flat.  I pay absolutely no attention to the point during the cook.  The point fat content is such that it is just along for the ride.  The finish-line marker is the thickest part of the flat.  When it probes like buttah, I declare victory. 
And for me the best part of the brisket is the point-give the Aaron Franklin brisket video series a look for some great brisket insights.  Here's a link to one about wrapping:  FWIW-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnRRDSYgdmw  

FATC1TY

Came back to add-

cooked at around 240- on at 930pm. 

At 7am it was probing nicely at 178-180 in spots with the thermapen. Wrapped in butcher and back on till 9am roughly and was around 196-199 in the point and the thick part of the flat. 

Cooler held till 1:30pm and was still pretty darn hot. Easy to handle. Was a good one. Maybe a little over done for my liking. The cuts held up for the test but a little too tender imo. 

I could have gone one or two hours later than planned and slept better!! Trust your gut! 

Pics later - got just a few. Brisket went like lightning after I cut it.