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Brisket Questions

I've cooked brisket a few times before, but it's been a while. I scoured the forum for some good posts on how to cook, but I have specific question y'all might can answer...  I have 2 flats (didn't have a whole packer at Sam's) on the egg right now - I am using my AR with the rig extender holding the upper one - which means hot temps in the dome.  I am cooking at 225º grid. SO, my questions are:  1. I wrapped the upper one and put it on the lower rack - should I take it off and finish in the oven? (btw, I am going to eat it tomorrow tailgating for the Auburn/LSU game, so maybe 1pm-ish).  2. On the second one that I moved to the top rack, should I just leave it and let it cook?  Ideally I would like to just go to bed and wake up early and pull it, wrap and cooler it.  
Opelika, AL

Comments

  • brownbw
    brownbw Posts: 154
    OR, can I take them off now, let them cool, put them in the fridge, heat them back up in the oven tomorrow. 
    Opelika, AL
  • Well- if one is wrapped it's going to cook way faster than the one that is not. At 225, there is not much of a difference in some and regular grid temp so I think maybe just swapping them out (not wrapping either one) if you see one cooking faster than the other would be the play here.

    You can totally pull them and rapid cool them and finish tomorrow if you want. I did it last week and it was as good as any I've done. You just need to take them up to 200 or wherever they start to feel jiggly
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    I am easily confused here -but I would start with "when do I want the cow to be finished" and then back it up a few (3-4) hours and plan for that but you may be beyond that organization/cook. The prior gives you a window that will enable you to hit the finish-line and then FTC til you want to slice on demand and serve. If your target is 1 PM with a 6 PM (EDT) kick then you are likely quite early to the cook.  Should they finish outside a reasonable FTC window (7-8 hrs) then I would prepare to warm in the clock box in the am. 

    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • If you have one wrapped and one not, you are going to be up all night messing with this. One will be done hours before the other. 

    Where are the internal temps of these briskets right now?
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • brownbw
    brownbw Posts: 154
    If you have one wrapped and one not, you are going to be up all night messing with this. One will be done hours before the other. 

    Where are the internal temps of these briskets right now?
    174º on the wrapped one (bottom), 160º on the unwrapped (top)
    Opelika, AL
  • brownbw
    brownbw Posts: 154
    I haven't seen a stall yet - I figure that may be happening now. 
    Opelika, AL
  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,951
    edited September 2016
    Just depends on what you want to do. If you want to cook them overnight, unwrap the bottom one and let them slow roll. You can hold 4-6 hours pretty easy in a cooler. I've gone over 8 with very good results several times.

    Your other option is to pull them now, rapid cool them in a freezer if you have space for like an hour or so then refrigerate overnight. Reheat wrapped at 250 for few hours in the morning and take with. I don't think you will suffer much if any quality loss based on my last cook where I did this. I wouldn't have freezer space for 2 hot briskets though and a fridge is not going to safely cool them fast enough. 

    Your timing is a little goofy here and by wrapping one and not the other you are kind of off there too. I guess if you are looking for a Hail Mary game plan,  If it were me I would get really drunk, leave them on all night and hope for the best. Check them about 6 am with a raging hangover and they will probably be withing striking distance of each other. Push them through if they still need it in the AM and start drinking again for the game. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • brownbw
    brownbw Posts: 154
    Just depends on what you want to do. If you want to cook them overnight, unwrap the bottom one and let them slow roll. You can hold 4-6 hours pretty easy in a cooler. I've gone over 8 with very good results several times.

    Your other option is to pull them now, rapid cool them in a freezer if you have space for like an hour or so then refrigerate overnight. Reheat wrapped at 250 for few hours in the morning and take with. I don't think you will suffer much if any quality loss based on my last cook where I did this. I wouldn't have freezer space for 2 hot briskets though and a fridge is not going to safely cool them fast enough. 

    Your timing is a little goofy here and by wrapping one and not the other you are kind of off there too. I guess if you are looking for a Hail Mary game plan,  If it were me I would get really drunk, leave them on all night and hope for the best. Check them about 6 am with a raging hangover and they will probably be withing striking distance of each other. Push them thto ugh if they still need it in the AM and start drinking again for the game. 
    HAHA!  Yeah I would have wrapped both, but ran out of foil.  Of COURSE that would happen. I thought I had a new roll - wrong.  Anyway, I am gonna go with the all-nighter option.  I have a guru, so it'll keep it at temp.  Beef jerky is delicious though, right? 
    Opelika, AL
  • brownbw
    brownbw Posts: 154
    Thanks for the advice. I'll be planning better next time. 
    Opelika, AL
  • Just put them At like 210-225 overnight then bump in the morning. Definitely unwrap the one or it will be way done before you get up. If you have a spray bottle, spray that wrapped one with some water or Apple cider vinegar (or 50/50) to cool it off a little. That should stop it from warming faster once out of the wrap and keep them closest to the same finish time.

    If they are a little overdone, they will still be great but they will fall apart. Just chop them up, add a little sauce and you will have the best chopped sandwiches you have ever had. Also, chopped stays warm way better than slicing unless you are eating the whole thing in 10-15 minutes. If it's going to sit around in a warming tray at a tailgate. I would chop it all up anyway and add some sauce. 

    Oh yeah- you need to go to the store and get some more foil 1st thing in the am if you are going to try to hold these for the tailgate. D

    good luck. I think it will be good. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX

  • brownbw said:
    Thanks for the advice. I'll be planning better next time. 
    If you ever find any of my brisket Cooks on here, you will know planning is not always at the top of the list for me. They all seem to turn out. More fun that way
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • brownbw
    brownbw Posts: 154
    I may or may not have sampled a little of these. It was excellent. At least on the bark.  I woke up at 4:30 and put them in this pan covered with some thin foil, oven at 195°. Went back to sleep for a couple hours, got up and bought some new hd foil and wrapped - have them in the cooler now. I anticipate them being good. They were buttery tender. Thanks again for the advice Cen-Tex
    Opelika, AL