First time brisket smoker

Unknown

Need a little help on a rub, a baste, and technique. I have seen some many different ways of doing it, I was wondering if there is a beginner's recipe, something with some training wheels.

thirdeye

Displaced Jayhawk,[p]I recently added a brisket page to the rest of my recipes. If nothing else, it may sprout a few questions for you to ask about. Or give you something to poke fun at. [p]Seriously, there are a lot of Briskateers that hang out here. You should get some very sage advice.[p]~thirdeye~

[ul][li]Brisket[/ul]

EddieMac

For your first brisket, I STRONLY recommend that you use the KISS principle...Keep It Simple Sam!!...Get a WHOLE brisket from your local meat vendor of choice...Not a flat...but a WHOLE brisket....Cover it with a very thin layer of yellow mustard or olive oil...and sprinkle generously with salt & pepper or basic bottled dry rub.....[p]Put a bunch of lump in the box...light in the middle...put the platesetter and drip pan in place...and run dome temps at 250 - 275....Toss that brisket on...fat side down to protect the meat....and pull it off when the internal meat temp reaches 195 degrees or so.....This ain't rocket science....[p]Keep It Simple....And you'll be fine...Don't go exotic...just go basic on your first time out...[p]Ed McLean...eddiemac
Ft. Pierce, FL

Unknown

thirdeye,[p]I discovered your website yesterday. Very informative, thank you for sharing all of your secrets you learned over the years. I am trying my first brisket this weekend as well. Quick question(s): what is the rule of thumb for cooking time? I've read 2 hours per pound. Is that a good estimate? Also, what should the dome temperature be during the cook? Thanks.[p]New to Que

thirdeye

New to Que,[p]For your bigger flats and whole briskets barbecued in a ceramic cooker, 1.5 to 2 hours per pound is the rule of thumb that most agree on. Most folks use a constant pit temp throughout the cook and I would bet if you asked 10 good cooks what temp they cook at, the average would be 230° (grate) which is 250° or 260° dome temp. I have had some excellent briskets cooked this way. [p]You probably noticed that my cook temps vary throughout the cook. Then I do a foiled rest in a cooler which is longer than most, a minimum of 4 hours. Part of that 4 hours is cooking time in my book. If I pull a brisket at 190° internal the temp will rise at least 10° during the first hour or two in the cooler then slowly creep down. (If I cooked it until 200° internal and then rested that long, it would be cooked too tender for slicing). My brisket may come off the pit earlier but counting the longer time I require in the cooler, the 1.5 to 2 hours per pound applies to my method of cooking too.[p]
~thirdeye~[p]

Unknown

thirdeye,[p]Thanks for the clarification. That all makes sense to me. I ordered my whole brisket from my local butcher up here on Long Island, not sure what it will weigh, he estimates 10+ pounds which sounds like a 15-20 hour marathon cook. Think I'll light the fire around 7 pm Saturday night and hope to be eating during somewhere between the 2nd half of the early NFL games and the 1st half of the later games. I am excited to take on what sounds like a much more challenging cook than the pork butts and baby back ribs that I've done a few times before.[p]Thanks again ~thirdeye~ and thanks for the "wiggle rod" which I received a couple of weeks ago.[p]New to Que

Unknown

thirdeye,[p]Appreciate the advice, great web-site and resource to have. Decided against the brisket when I couldn't find a whole brisket, just flats, butcher has to order them specially (need a new butcher). So I am smoking a pork butt, about 6 lbs at 275. Put it on at 9:30. First pork butt on the egg, should be exciting or a disaster. [p]Thanks again.