Brisket 101

[turley]

I just bought my first brisket and am ready to put it on the smoker.

My question is, despite having read alot of the postings regarding timing, I am not sure of what to do.  My brisket is 7 pounds and that is for the flat only.  Is that a really big one and if so, will this thing take me forever to cook?  Should I assume that it will be 7-10 hours to cook or am I in for a 24 hour marathon?

I read of several postings where guys were saying that a 7 pound was a good size but are they referring to the whole brisket? 

The reason I ask this is that this beast can't even fit on my racks without almost touching the smoker walls and its probably 2 inches thick.

Any advice would be appreciated. 

[Smoking Duck]

It depends on what temp you're doing it at.  If you go low and slow (my preferred method, say around 210*F), plan on it being a 18 hour or so smoke.  Of course, a lot will depend on your outside conditions.  It is however, more than worth the wait.  It can get frustrating waiting on it, but in the end, you'll forget about the time when you're eating the most succulent brisket you've made.

[turley]

Thanks for the advice.  I planned on starting it tonight around 10pm and wanted to make sure it was ready by tomorrow afternoon.  I will keep you posted

[West Coast Kansan]

I dont know where you are and what the smoking conditions are but I would get it in the smoker. No reason to wait until 10:00. Time is very wierd especially this time of year.  You will want to cook to internal temperature. 

Let us know how it goes. 

By the way, sounds like the perfect piece of brisket.  7 lbs nearly covering the rack sounds like a real nice piece.   :)

[SKSmoker]

I just did a 5lb brisket that was very, very lean. I pulled it out of the smoker after 14 hours with only an IT of 135!! My smoker was set to 250F. AI thought the smoker was broken! I put it in the oven, and even with another 8 hours, it was only at 183 IT in the flat. The leaner the brisket, the longer it will take. Always start sooner as the advice of WCK is _very_ good. Just goes to show that it really is "done when it's done!"