Question on smoking brisket for chili

Hungry Joe

I'll be making chili for 40+ people in two weeks and want to use a smokes brisket to add some Egg flavor. No way I can cook the actual chili on the Egg because I'll need close to 12lbs of meat and it takes a fairly large pot to fit it all in.

How done should the brisket be coming off the egg? Should I just go to the 165 degree range then chop it and cook until tender in the pot? At least that is what I was thinking I should do.

I cook for this for the same crowd every year and have used up to 12lbs cubed or ground beef but this year I'm trying for some of that good Egg flavor. I already smoked up some tomatoes and froze the over the last couple weeks. I'm hoping for my best chili ever this year.

Thanks!

JRWhitee

I am smoking a brisket now for some chili and have made this several times. I smoke the brisket until it is done around 195 IT, then refrigerate the brisket until cold then I dice it up in 1/4 to 1/2" cubes. I make the chili in my dutch oven on the egg but the stove in a large pot will do fine.

Skiddymarker

Cooking a packer produces too much around our house, the flat is often served traditional brisket style while the point is used for Chilli. Used to do burnt ends but found using point for chilli was the best approach as you can store the full cooked point and use it in chilli at a later date. 
Long way of suggesting, take the brisket to done or just below done to use for your chilli. Good luck with that monster feed you signed up for!

blasting

I smoke the brisket as I normally would.

Something I've been doing with chili lately - after cooking the chili, I turn off the burner and let cool to 140.  Then bring back to a simmer and let cool again prior to packaging / consuming.  To do this, I use a timer, and often do it at night while sleeping.  Next level stuff.

maso

Alternatively, for your consideration, look into the "Over the Top Chili". I haven't done it myself yet (i'm going to when it gets cooler), but I hear it takes chili to another level. Might work out easier for you.

Hungry Joe

Thanks all. Now I need to figure out how much cooked brisket I need to equal the12lbs of beef cubes I normally buy when I make this pot of chili. 

JRWhitee

The smoked brisket will be about half of the starting pre cooked weight.

JohnH12

I just looked at the "Over the Top Chili" post from a ways back.
Is the dutch oven sitting on the charcoal grate and surrounded by the coals or is something else going on?

Hotch

To answer your question one needs to know about how long you plan to simmer the gravy once the protein is added in. If you cook the brisket till it's  done then your protein will break apart shortly. Around 190 IT works for us.
Chill it and then cube it once it is cold. If you are to make the gravy another day then Vac pack the protein and keep in the fridge not freezer!

For our Smoked Brisket Chili recipe:

Prepare and smoke a trimmed lean brisket packer or just a flat.

(Hot and fast @ 325, wrap at 1600 IT, with a heavy Salt, Pepper and It’s My Rub Power Blend Rub)

Yield will need to be 2-2.5 lbs of 3/8” – 1/2” cubed protein.

Do not over-cook or it may fall apart during Step 3.

My step 3 and step 4 total about 40 minutes simmer time after the boil of step 3.
Hope this helps! Good luck with your cook!

JohnH12

Hotch said:

To answer your question one needs to know about how long you plan to simmer the gravy once the protein is added in. If you cook the brisket till it's  done then your protein will break apart shortly. Around 190 IT works for us.
Chill it and then cube it once it is cold. If you are to make the gravy another day then Vac pack the protein and keep in the fridge not freezer!

For our Smoked Brisket Chili recipe:

Prepare and smoke a trimmed lean brisket packer or just a flat.

(Hot and fast @ 325, wrap at 1600 IT

Yield will need to be 2-2.5 lbs of 3/8” – 1/2” cubed protein.

Do not over-cook or it may fall apart during Step 3.

My step 3 and step 4 total about 40 minutes simmer time after the boil of step 3.
Hope this helps! Good luck with your cook!

You may want to edit that IT. 

Hungry Joe

Hotch said:

To answer your question one needs to know about how long you plan to simmer the gravy once the protein is added in. If you cook the brisket till it's  done then your protein will break apart shortly. Around 190 IT works for us.
Chill it and then cube it once it is cold. If you are to make the gravy another day then Vac pack the protein and keep in the fridge not freezer!

For our Smoked Brisket Chili recipe:

Prepare and smoke a trimmed lean brisket packer or just a flat.

(Hot and fast @ 325, wrap at 1600 IT, with a heavy Salt, Pepper and It’s My Rub Power Blend Rub)

Yield will need to be 2-2.5 lbs of 3/8” – 1/2” cubed protein.

Do not over-cook or it may fall apart during Step 3.

My step 3 and step 4 total about 40 minutes simmer time after the boil of step 3.
Hope this helps! Good luck with your cook!

Thanks @hotch this is what I was hoping to hear would work well and the way I kind of wanted to do the cook.  Ideally I want everything to cook together on the stove for a couple hours but wanted to infuse the smoke from the Egg into the chili and give the crowd a taste of the Egg.

Because of my work schedule I most likely am going to have to do the brisket next weekend and making the chili the following weekend.

It's either that or just go with what I've done in the past but I've always wanted to do a smoked brisket chili so I'm going to try it. Really, I'm not to worried, it's chili and there is a lot of room for error and still have it come out good enough for most people.