Butts and Brisket on XL

cccoltsicehockey · July 2021

So I have read every thread I can find on this subject and well still overthinking it.

I normally cook at a 220-225 grate temp which typically then gives a 250 dome temp. This is partly where my concern lies. I am trying to cook everything for noon-1pm eat time range. Would like to have things finish up around 9-11am range so I can FTC after that as I do need to travel 35min with it to the party a 50th birthday for my sister's boyfriend.

To complicate matters I am attending the more formal adults only birthday dinner this evening at 6pm.

Based on typical charts for cooking estimate butts at 2hrs per lb at 225 and 1.5hrs at 250. So I would count them at 250 then if I run a raised grid for them above the brisket?

I could do either option stacked or flat. Would just need to make sure I foil the edges if it's all on the main grid. Never had anything big enough to foil edges before. Do I risk burning anything even with foil or drying it out more with the overhangs?

Also the brisket is 11.7lbs and butts are 8 and 8.8.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or telling me I am overthinking this haha. Done plenty of each seperately just never together.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Mark_B_Good · July 2021

I'd put the butts on the bottom and the brisket on top. I don't think I'd want pork drippings in the brisket, but some brisket drippings on the pork sounds just fine to me.

Plus the pork can take slightly higher heat ... 275F is okay. Brisket, you want to keep down at 225F for sure. So, I'd think the temp would be cooler on the top rack.

The pork is going to be done before the brisket though ... you okay with that?

Also, what time you starting all this? I'm assuming the night before, if you want to be ready to FTC at 11 am.

lousubcap · July 2021

A few observations: I prefer brisket over the butt(s) as the brisket generally needs more care and feeding. Give yourself around a 3-4 hour finish window. That allows you to dial up the cook temp if you need to power it home with any kind of FTC on the back end as you have a hard stop finish time.
I only use the dome and will run around 250-275*F (wherever it settles-no controller here). I plan (key word) for 1.5 hrs /lb and with briskets that is definitely a swag. Once you trim the brisket the weight will likely be in the 10 lb range. I have had 10 lb briskets run anywhere from 7-14 hrs to finish.
Trying to time them close is a crap shoot.
Also-whatever protein is elevated will cook faster due to the reflective heat from the dome. FWIW-

Mark_B_Good · July 2021

lousubcap said:

A few observations: I prefer brisket over the butt(s) as the brisket generally needs more care and feeding. Give yourself around a 3-4 hour finish window. That allows you to dial up the cook temp if you need to power it home with any kind of FTC on the back end as you have a hard stop finish time.
I only use the dome and will run around 250-275*F (wherever it settles-no controller here). I plan (key word) for 1.5 hrs /lb and with briskets that is definitely a swag. Once you trim the brisket the weight will likely be in the 10 lb range. I have had 10 lb briskets run anywhere from 7-14 hrs to finish.
Trying to time them close is a crap shoot.
Also-whatever protein is elevated will cook faster due to the reflective heat from the dome. FWIW-

Good advice. So even at 250F you see the dome cooking things faster if it is higher?

lousubcap · July 2021

@Mark_B_Good - The reflective heat off the dome does speed the cook times if you are elevated above the gasket line.

cccoltsicehockey · July 2021

The elevated cook times is what I am afraid of. Also don't want them done too early though but am allowing myself a large window. As long as nothing gets done before 7am I have FTC things for 5hrs before so that should get me to noon eating time then.

I was thinking of starting at 5pm to cook. If the brisket trims to 10lbs that would put me at 15hr cook time and thus a finish time of 10am. Which is kind of dead middle in my desired finish window allowing overage time and under time. I could start at 4pm as well but worried there that if it finishes early it wouldn't FTC long enough and still be hot.

If I do them all on the same level I need to start the butts I guess around 3 since they would be about 2hrs at 8lbs each so 16hrs.

lousubcap · July 2021

For me, there are a few options for accelerating the cook if necessary but very little you can do to slow it down. FWIW-

cccoltsicehockey · July 2021

Well things have not gone as planned. I have no idea what is going on. Never had this happen on a cool of an individual item. After only 5.5hrs my brisket is already at 165, one butt at 168 and the other at 177. The egg is showing a much higher temp on the dome that I am used to but the grid temp says it is 225. The dome say 275-285. I wrapped a brisket for the first time in hope it won't dry out.

ColbyLang · July 2021

You’ll be fine. Let it ride. A huge problem with all of us on here is we tend to overthink it all…..

Foghorn · July 2021

Yep. @ColbyLang is right. Also, those temps seem about right for the timing. The initial temp rise is fast because the heat gradient is large (250 cooking temp minus meat temp of 40 is 210 degree difference... Now if you have a 250 cooking temp minus meat temp of 170 it is only an 80 degree difference and it will get smaller as the meat gets warmer).

Worst case scenario, if things get done really early, you might need to hold them in a oven for a couple of hours before you FTC. No big deal. You've got this.

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