smoking an 18 lbs brisket

Dutch

Sam's Club had a sale on large briskets for 0.89/lb. They looked to good to pass up, so I am planning to smoke one today. My main concern is the thickness of this briket. At one end it is 4.5 inches thick, the other end is 1.25 inches thick. Should I cut this brisket in two pieces and smoke them seperately, or can I smoke them together on a two rack system with the thinnest piece on the top rack? In addition all I have in house is a 20 lbs of Blackwood mequite lump. Will this burn too fast and too hot?
Thanks for any advise.
Dutch.

Unknown

dutch,
The brisket does'nt need to be cut up before cooking.
Put your farovite rub on it and let it sit for 24 hours.
Indirect heat,fat side up, with a dome temp. of around 250 degrees,and a drip pan.
Using a thermometer in the meat,cook to a temp. of 185-190.
The thinner end of the briskit,called the flat, makes great sliced beef.
The thicker end,called the point,makes great chopped beef.
As for the lump question,I dont have any experince with that type,but as long as you can controll the temp it should'nt matter.
Good Luck......[p]GaryJ

elFloyd

dutch,[p]I recently did an 8 lb beef roast using mesquite lump. I maintained 225° for over 17 hours with no problem at all. I found the mesquite smoke gave the meat a bitter taste on the very outside edge, but did not distract from the
overall flavor of the cook. [p]Let us know how it comes out.[p]elFloyd

Dutch

GaryJ,
The brisket is 28 inches long so I will have to cut it. What I really need to know is if the thin end will overcook or dry out while getting the thick end to temperature?
Thanks, Dutch.

Unknown

Dutch,
The thin end should'nt dry out as long as the fat cap is left on.That thin end runs the entire 28 inches,but at the other end is a thick fat middle section and then more meat,and then more fat on top.
Don't worry about the thinner part drying out,just leave the fat caps on and cook fat side up.
Be sure to have an adequate size drip pan,it will rend a lot of fat juices.I will say an 18 pound brisket will yeild about 8-9 pounds of meat after its cooked down and the fat removed. Untrimmed briskets are the way to go,even if you do lose about half.
It's going to turn out great.
Good Luck......[p]GaryJ