First Timer - Brisket and Butt - Couple Questions

[OU812]

Omaha Steaks coolers work real well too.   I have a pile dedicated to FTC.

I've got one of those coolers too but with JD in her terrible 2's and getting into everything I keep it way up high.

[ClarkstonMark]

jbullard1; F= foil T= towel C= cooler

When you hit your IT (internal temp) wrap it in foil then wrap that in a towel then place that in a cooler to keep warm and let the juices soak in the meat.

ClarkstonMark; you want to cook by IT the time thing is just a ballpark to start checking things.

A brisket should be done at 180 to 185 F and a butt around 200 to 220 F.

If you dont have a good thermometer I would get one and not one of those little round thingys get your self a digital on.

Something like this.
http://www.yardandpool.com/Maverick-ET-732-Remote-Smoker-Thermometer-p/et-732.htm

I do have at least 1 thermometer.  I think my second one is broken
I just realized I need 2, so I'll have to get another today.

Got the meat rubbed down last night.  Ready to start smokin' tonight.

[ClarkstonMark]

I thought I would give an update on my progress:

The butt went in on a middle rack at 6PM last night.
The brisket went in on the top rack at 6PM last night.

Since I only have 1 thermometer, I have it in the brisket, because it is thinner.  I'm taking a risk here I know.
At some point soon I'm going to need to check the pork butt.

Smoker at 220C
Here is how the brisket IT has been doing:
6PM - 41F
7PM - 59F
8PM - 89F
9PM - 105F - Changed water
10PM - 114F
11PM - 120F
....
6:30AM - 144F - Bumped up smoker temp to 230F
8AM - 150F - Added water, took a pic
9AM - 152F  Starting to get a little worried, so I placed brisket on lowest rack.

[KyNola]

Sounds like it is going great. You have this under control. Nice job.

[ccfdmike]

Not to worry. The brisket will stall at this temp a bit while it breaks down...Patience :)

[OU812]

Is it done yet Is it done yet Is it done yet Is it done yet Is it done yet Is it done yet?  ;D

[ClarkstonMark]

The brisket ended up taking 20 hours.  Pulled at 185.
The butt ended up taking 24 hours, but needed another hour or so.  Pulled at 196, couldn't wait any longer.  It was fine, but probably should have left it in another hour or so, but I ran out of time and had 15 people waiting to eat.
all i nall, I am pretty happy with my first texperience.

What I will do different:
- Get two or three brand new meat thermometers - I just don't trust the one I was using.
- Reset(?) the oven every couple hours.  It seems like for a long period the oven was not getting to the set temp.  When I turned the unit it off, and back on, it had no problem getting right up to the set temp. - I think this contributed to the longer then expected coooking times (at least they seemed too long to me).
- Figure out how to post pics, I'm sure it is not too difficult.

Thanks too everyone for the great advice.

[KyNola]

You should not need to reset the oven every couple of hours.  My guess it is opening and closing the door so many times that you're not maintaining temps in the box.  Assuming you're running the digital model, the longest it runs is 9 hours and 40 minutes and then shuts off so you would have to periodically reset the time on it before it shuts off.  If you're running the original model, no such reset should be necessary.

If you purchase a new thermometer, let me suggest one with dual probes, one that you leave in the meat 100% of the time  and one that monitors the oven temp with a remote receiver so you can monitor bother the temp in the oven and the internal temp of the meat without opening the door.  Many of us here use the Maverick ET-732.  It works great.  You can order it here www.yardandpool.com  Bryan is a member of the forum and a great guy.  Super customer service too.

[beefmann]

congrats a=on a job well done

[ClarkstonMark]

The Maverick ET-732 looks like a deal.  Unfortunately I'll be waiting until Sept. to get mine, as they are on back order, and I do want to purchase from a forum member.

I have a plan to buy the ET-732, and 3 additional food probes (at $12), and when cooking up to 4 pcs of meat, just cycle through the probes on the single monitor (unplugging and plugging in each ofthe multiple probes).  Any thoughts on this?

The unit I used for this past smoke was a Pyrex (probably this one http://www.amazon.com/Pyrex-Digital-Probe-Thermometer-Timer/dp/B00004RC4R/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314113684&sr=8-1), that looked pretty similar.  I actually had 2 Purex monitors, and only one probe (I burnt up one probe a few years ago grilling an extremely well marbled ribeye).
One of the monitors was consistently reading 10-12 degrees higher then the other.  This had me confused, and wondering which is correct.  Now I just realized I can figure out the correct monitor by boiling some water.