Brisket question...

MikeHLoudon

Doing my first full packer brisket next weekend (I've done a couple of flat's before but not a whole one).  It's a big one, around 17 lbs before trimming.  I'm debating on putting it on late Friday night and cooking at a lower temp (225-240) or getting up early Saturday around 4 and cooking it at 275 or so.  Dinner will be at approx 7 Saturday evening and I want at least 3 hours of rest time....all feedback is greatly appreciated!!

1voyager

I vote for starting the night before. Plan on 1-1.5 hours per pound. I have had 12-pounders take longer to cook than 16-pounders. You never know.

A couple of questions: 

Do you plan to put liquid in the drip pan? (I don't.)

Do you plan to power through the stall or crutch? (I crutch.)

MikeHLoudon

1voyager said:

I vote for starting the night before. Plan on 1-1.5 hours per pound. I have 12-pounders take longer to cook than 16 pounders. You never know.

A couple of questions: 

Do you plan to put liquid in the drip pan? (I don't.)

Do you plan to power through the stall or crutch? (I crutch.)

I plan to use a water pan (I always have)

In the past I've wrapped with foil but I'm toying with the idea of butcher paper and going Texas style...

Ladeback69

I like getting mine on at midnight or a little before so I can get some sleep.  Make sure the egg is stabilized at the temp you want.  I stay up for about a half hour to hour to make sure it is stable then go to bed.  The stall is going to take a while on that big of brisket, but you should be done in time to give it a rest.  I have some for 5 hours before and they were still hot to the touch.

Do you have a temp gauge you can monitor the cook.  That helps me a lot.  You do know about FTC; foil, towel, cooler?  That's the best way to hold it over.

Let it rest for about 15 minutes on your cutting board be slicing it.

What rub are you using?

Good luck.

MikeHLoudon

Ladeback69 said:

I like getting mine on at midnight or a little before so I can get some sleep.  Make sure the egg is stabilized at the temp you want.  I stay up for about a half hour to hour to make sure it is stable then go to bed.  The stall is going to take a while on that big of brisket, but you should be done in time to give it a rest.  I have some for 5 hours before and they were still hot to the touch.

Do you have a temp gauge you can monitor the cook.  That helps me a lot.  You do know about FTC; foil, towel, cooler?  That's the best way to hold it over.

Let it rest for about 15 minutes on your cutting board be slicing it.

What rub are you using?

Good luck.

Yes, I have a remote temp device....In the past I've always FTC and I've found the longer I let it rest the better.  Typically I use salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder for rubs....thinking of mixing up the rub this time and maybe adding some things.

Ladeback69

MikeHLoudon said:

1voyager said:

I vote for starting the night before. Plan on 1-1.5 hours per pound. I have 12-pounders take longer to cook than 16 pounders. You never know.

A couple of questions: 

Do you plan to put liquid in the drip pan? (I don't.)

Do you plan to power through the stall or crutch? (I crutch.)

I plan to use a water pan (I always have)

In the past I've wrapped with foil but I'm toying with the idea of butcher paper and going Texas style...

You don't need a water pan with the egg, being ceramic it helps hold the moisture in.The egg will spike up when the water pan runs out of water.The butcher paper sounds like a good idea.  The bark won't get as soft.

lousubcap

Great advice above- I also would go with the over-night approach.  If you are running w/o a controller maintaining the lower temperature band can be a bit of a challenge but you know your BGE.  I would fire up your BGE around 9 PM and get it stable for a couple of hours before loading the protein.  Then let it run.  The temperature will slowly rise down the road as the protein heats up.  
Don't know the size of your BGE but make sure any part of the brisket outside the heat deflector is well foil protected.  Also, if you need to drape it to initially fit, recognize that it will initially cook faster due to the reflected heat from the dome.  FWIW-

Hans61

Point to the back fat side up (I don’t think that matters but way messier with fat down stuck in the grate)

pgprescott

Hans61 said:

Point to the back fat side up (I don’t think that matters but way messier with fat down stuck in the grate)

I’m in the  fat down camp , but it isn’t a huge deal either way. Packer is much more forgiving than flats.  Enjoy! F

Hans61

I agree that fat up or down won't make a huge difference, you can use the fat side as a heat shield (i've heard some who advocate for fat up say the fat will melt through the meat) thats not true.

I usually cook my briskets on an elevated grid so I can fit the drip pan underneath on the grate level. From a cleaning perspective along with having the beef higher in the dome I'm fat up. 

lousubcap

If you are taking votes-fat cap down (as addressed above) and point to the back.  Hotter back there and the high fat content of the point will always ensure it rides just fine to the thick flat finish line.  But whatever works.  FWIW-

Terrebandit

I did a 12 pounder last weekend and it was perfect. My brisket cooking has been simplified through the years and they just keep getting better. Grade of meat makes a difference.  Choose a choice or prime cut over select, for sure.  You can make it at 240, but starting it at 270-280 will speed the process dramatically and not sacrifice quality.  The difference in time might be 16 hours as compared to less than 12 hours at a higher temp.  Many times, I'll start higher and taper to a lower temp.   I used to use all sorts of fancy rubs. Now I go with a 50 50 mix of coarse salt and pepper, sprinkled on there fairly lightly.  I don't use a Texas crutch anymore, unless I get in a situation where I need to speed up the cook for some reason.  Final temp will be right around 200, and it will be probe tender at that point with some visible moisture on the brisket.  It will be black as coal, but tender on the inside. I do wrap in foil for the wait period before serving.  

Ladeback69

Terrebandit said:

I did a 12 pounder last weekend and it was perfect. My brisket cooking has been simplified through the years and they just keep getting better. Grade of meat makes a difference.  Choose a choice or prime cut over select, for sure.  You can make it at 240, but starting it at 270-280 will speed the process dramatically and not sacrifice quality.  The difference in time might be 16 hours as compared to less than 12 hours at a higher temp.  Many times, I'll start higher and taper to a lower temp.   I used to use all sorts of fancy rubs. Now I go with a 50 50 mix of coarse salt and pepper, sprinkled on there fairly lightly.  I don't use a Texas crutch anymore, unless I get in a situation where I need to speed up the cook for some reason.  Final temp will be right around 200, and it will be probe tender at that point with some visible moisture on the brisket.  It will be black as coal, but tender on the inside. I do wrap in foil for the wait period before serving.  

You want the flat to probe like butter and can happen from 200 and up.  The point will be more tender before the flat, but can handle going linger to get the flat tender if needed.

I am on the fat side down group, because if is going to stick to grate I want the fat to stick.  You also want to trim the to about a 1/4" and trim the hard fat off.

Gravytrain84

How long do y’all let the brisket cool before wrapping in foil to rest?

dsrguns

30 minutes should work

FATC1TY

Great points to have it all set up for a good cook. 

If I have a huge packet or if I need it earlier for a meal I tend to do the overnight, put it on at a lower temp and try to do it around midnight so I can get some sleep. 

I also cheat and and use the digi q to keep the fire stoked, in full disclosure but sometimes I don’t bother if I’ve had too many beverages. 

Fat down, point to the 12 o clock, no water and 220-265 is good enough for me. I generally like 250-265 myself, as I’ve found zero reason to extend the cook longer because of a lower temp. This renders just fine with prime and wagyu briskets , imo. 

Once i get to 160-180 I’ll be looking for jiggle and deciding if I like the bark. I have learned that a wrap and rest does darken my bark so I am more comfortable moving it earlier if needed now. 

If bark is good, it gets the butcher paper, back on till 195-200, but mostly based on feel of the flat and temp of the point. 

If we feel good, I give it one more wrap, and into a cooler with paper under it and towels on top. Close it up and get to it when we need it. 

Be sure to slice it well and enjoy the cook