Beginner question for Brisket smoking on Webers...

[Shawn White]

Wow Cruizin, that sounds like a good start. Lots of patience on your part too. At those temps even a small brisket could take up to 16 hours. Folks speak about endless plateaus with stubborn briskets ...

There are two parts of the brisket, the point and the flat, seperated by a vein of fat. The point is thick and short, the flat is thinner and longer.

One thing I can suggest is shoot for a bit higher temps. I don't think there would be anything wrong with trying it between 250F - 275F. Should speed things up a bit.

Though frowned upon by some you could also wrap it tightly in foil once you are into the plateau.

 

[Shawn White]

also, if you get tired of looking after it on the grill you could always finish it in the oven

 

[Captain Morgan]

Glad to see you here Cruising...sounds like you're on the right path. Remember that the temps your therm give you will be a little different at the actual grill grate (hotter) than at the top of the dome (cooler).
Difference could be up to 8 or 10 degrees in some cases.

 

[Kloset BBQR]

Cuising don't change a thing except for the time. Figure 1 1/2 hour per pound as a general rule for the cooking time although it could take as long as 2 hours a lb. The brisket whill tell you when it's done. It's frustrating but well worth the rewards, You've got the right temps and cooking techniques. You'll get good results if you are patient. How many pounds was the brisket? You might wan't to consider foiling when you hit those long plateaus but it's not necessary. You can do this in a kettle but its much easier in a WSM which is designed for smoking. Consider getting one. For the money you won't find a better duo than a Weber Kettle and a Weber Smokey Mountain smoker.

Good luck and welcome!

 

[Captain Morgan]

I'll second that.

 

[Shawn White]

Captain, Chris A did a test on a WSM that showed the lid temp was 12F - 15F higher than the grate temp here so I was going by that thinking Cruising was perhaps cooking at around 210F grate temp. But the kettle ain't a WSM ... do you think it's different?

Butts took me bloody forever when my grate temps ranged in the 215F - 225F grate temp range. So I started aiming for 235F - 250F and the times improved a lot.

Cruising, what exactly were you unhappy with about your results? What was your finish internal temp?

 

[Shawn White]

Did your brisket piece have a good amount of fat on it or was it trimmed?

You could try leaving some fat on it next time if it was scalped this time. You could leave the whole fat cap on and cook it fat down on the grill too.

Another thing you should try is wrap it tightily in foil when it is done (if not already foiled) and rest in a dry cooler with towels or blankets for at least an hour.

If it has enough fat, isn't overcooked (doesn't sound like yours was) and it gets rested it should come out moist.

 

[Shawn White]

I ain't positive on this but I think too low and too slow could dry it out some.

 

[Shawn White]

...You could leave the whole fat cap on and cook it fat down on the grill too...

Jim Minion one of our resident Q experts here suggests cooking briskets fat down and resting fat side up.

I've only done a couple briskets to be honest Cruising and only on my WSM ... I've just spent so much time on these boards in the last year sometimes I think I know what I'm talking about. :grin:

Check out Fatz's website, he has some awesome looking brisket pics.