Brisket Finish Line Question

germanshorthair

Got a question about a brisket I did on Sunday.
Started a 4 pounder (split an 8 in half) at about 7:30am Sunday morning at 250 degrees.
Told the wife and kids that it would be done around 2:00pm--figuring around 1.5 hours/pound.
Long story short, the natives were restless and it wasn't finished until 4:30pm? Taste was wonderful!!!
Obviuosly my time-to-eat figures were off.
Can anyone shed some light on the situation and help me show my family that I'm running a tight ship.
Thanks,
Mark

Nature Boy

Howdy Mark
In my experiences, I have found the "per pound" method of timing does not really work for briskets. More of a thickness thing. Small flats like the one you cooked normally take me about 10 hours. We cooked a 19 pounder at the competition this weekend that cooked in 20 hours.[p]It pays to plan on finishing early too, as a 1-4 hour rest in a warm cooler will only make it better.
As a general guideline, including the rest, I allow 12 hours for a small flat, and 18-20 hours for a 12 pound whole packer.[p]Not sure if that helps....
Best luck next time. After a few you'll have it down.
Cheers
Chris [p]

Pakak

germanshorthair,[p]Your time seems right. I've always heard 1 1/2 - 2 hours per pound. One thing you don't mention and would help a LOT for your timing - how long did you have it rest? Usually, people say to let it rest for at least 1 half hour. However, you should be able to foil it, wrap in a towel and place in a cooler for 4-5 hours. It still should be piping hot. If in doubt, monitor the temp with your Polder (or similar temp device).

Pakak

Nature Boy,[p]Oops, I got distracted doing something else while typing a response. LOL

germanshorthair

Nature Boy,[p]Thanks for your input. I did bring in the brisket and allowed it to sit in corning ware for approx 1 1/2 hrs.
Does this rippen the flavor?
Should I have waited longer?[p]Thanks,
Mark

Nature Boy

germanshorthair,
Well, I am not sure on the technical aspects, but as far as I know, the rest gives it time for the juices to redistribute, and also actually continues cooking (and rendering collagen) as it slowly comes back down through the plateau. Not done any side/side tests, but have had good results with anywhere from a 30 minute to a 6 hour rest. Seems like the longer it rests, the more au jus you get ....and this is a good thing in itself. Would be interesting to try two similar briskets.....one rested on a cutting board for 30 minutes, and another wrapped in the cooler for several hours, and see what the diff in texture/taste is.[p]Still learnin though....but it's a couple-a pennies.
Cheers!
Chris