Advice on my first brisket

[lilpuppy99]

Hi guys, so I'm planning on attempting to smoke my first brisket, and I am definitely looking for advice. I have a 4 rack Bradley digital smoker that I will be using.  I have seen on the forums where it states to cook to around 185 and then FTC for a few hours. I'm not sure how long I should smoke it/cook it and what temperature to use as well as what type of wood. (I have mesquite/hickory/apple/and a special blend bisquette)  I was hoping to have the brisket ready to eat at 4 pm on Monday, so based on that..when should I begin the smoking/cooking process?  The brisket is 8.27 lbs and seems a bit too long to fit on my rack...is there a technique I should use for getting it to fit?(I didn't think cutting an end off would be smart)

The only thing I know for certain is that today I'm gonna put it into a brisket marinade that I bought and place in the refrigerator. I'm definitely in need of help in every other area.

Glad to be part of this great smoking experience!!!

Oh yes, after the marinade and before the smoke, is there a rub that I should use on the brisket?

Thank you.

[beefmann]

hi  Puppy,

here is a good start  use jans rub

http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?467-Jan-s-Dry-Rub

rub the  meat and place in the fridge over night,,, starting  early  in the morning ( 4: 00 am ish  to give enough time to cook) with 3 to 4 hours of  special blend , misquite or  hickory,.,, some say  use hickory or  misquite  though its a  personal preference, box temp of 225,,, pre heat your box and puck burner  for 30  minutes before smoking and  placing  meat in ... fill water bowl  as  you  start the smoking  process,,, after the smoke has ended remove the  water bowl empty it and add in flavored beverage suck as  soda, beer,  juice which  will add flavor to the brisket.  keep the  top vent open.

if you  have a remote thermometer use it and watch the IT of the  meat to it of 185 - 190,,, dont  open the door  unless necessary... expect the brisket to  take some where between 8 to 12 hours maybe a  bit  longer,,, cook by IT  temp

[lilpuppy99]

Thank you. When you say 8-12 hours, does that include the 4 hours of initial smoking?(4 hrs smoking + 4-8 hrs longer cooking without smoke) or do you mean 4 hours smoking without the oven on and then another 8-12 with the smoker oven on at 225 degrees?

[beefmann]

4 hr of  smoke at the beginning of the smoke / cook process,,, 


as a time  frame

turn on your  smoke generator and heating element for a  pre heat for   30  mins,  at  225 F  after the  30  minute pre  heat  fill the water bowl  place it under the  puck  burner so the  pucks can  fall into it... place your  meat in, Advance the pucks until one  puck is on the burner, close the  door  leave alone for  4 hours,At 4 hours  remove the water  bowl and  replace with  fresh water or flavored drink at tins  point you  have  4 hours  of smoke and 4 hours of  cooking time,,, what remains should be  between 4 to 8 hours 

with a hot  smoke, smoking and cooking  times  start together smoking stops and  cooking continues

hope this helps
 

[Pachanga]

Puppy,

Welcome to the forum.  You'll find a lot of help from some fine, knowledgeable folks here.  You'll also find there is more than one way to smoke a brisket.  After trying a few different methods, you'll find your way and make one your own.

FYI.  Some of this info may come in handy.

So your brisket doesn't fit - solution here
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?770-Brisket-Too-Large&p=1170#post1170

Brisket Pachanga
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?532-Brisket-Pachanga

Mustard Slather on Brisket and other Meats
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=12112.0

I Prefer to Smoke Totally Naked - A Brisket and Ribs Manifesto
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?775-I-Prefer-to-Smoke-Totally-Naked&p=1176#post1176

To Mop or Not to Mop – That is the Question
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=14240.0

Good Luck and Slow Smoking,

Pachanga

[beefmann]

I Prefer to Smoke Totally Naked - A Brisket and Ribs Manifesto

runs off screaming   ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Saber 4]

Welcome to the forum, Beefmann and Pachanga have got you on the right track, follow their advice and you shouldn't have any problems. I also have the 4 rack digital and I like to replace my puck bowl after the smoke with a 9x13 disposable cake pan with almost boiling water which helps keep the temp drop to a minimum. You will read in the links above about the temp stall between 150-170, don't panic this is when the good stuff is happening in your meat just hang in there and it will pass. That's why we talk in terms of IT and a wide time range every piece of meat acts a little different than the last one. Be sure and post some pictures of your smokes we like to see them.

And last but not least, Keep your vent open, Keep your vent open and Keep your vent open.... :)

[lilpuppy99]

Thanks guys, I'm definitely experiencing the lull in IT temp right now. I'm also having a difficulty keeping my oven temp at 225. My digital smoker only gives me a 220 option or 230 option, not 225 unless I just don't know how to do it.  I dumped out the water after 4 hrs of smoking and added some Motts apple juice. Was this a good move? I considered some Redd's Apple Ale, not sure if either was a good option.

Anyhow, I'm at 153 degrees IT with around 3 hrs left before I need to get it FTC'ing(to give that 2 hrs). Will that be enough time at 220? or should I raise it? I ended up throwing a 2nd brisket in too, I have 16 total lbs cooking.

[beefmann]

great  looking  start,, the temp will be lower during the  cook because  of the  meat   load,,  just  bear  with it ... also  rotate your  racks  every  couple of hours,,,  top to bottom and front to  back  this will  help in  cooking the  meat...  do this step as  quickly as  possible

[Saber 4]

You're on the right track the apple juice will work good, in the future you can heat it up in a pan before putting in to help with heat loss, you will probably end up adding time to your oven timer and smoke timer(leave the smoke generator on with no pucks) before you hit your final IT, go by IT not time and you'll be fine.