two 11 lb briskets How long ?

[Fair-chase]

 I've got 2 choice 11 Lb. packer cuts trimmed a little , seasoned and ready to go in the bradly. I'm going to do these whole and not seperate the flat and point at 205 deg with 4 hrs of oak.

I've never done more than 1 at a time before. I'm wanting them ready to eat at 6 pm tomorrow. Would a 8 pm start time tonight allow for some ftc time and be ready by 6 pm tomorrow ?

[OU812]

I would think your start time is right on the mark. I have been using about 2 hr per lb and it comes out pretty dam close

[Pachanga]

I smoke three or four at a time regularly (over 150 in the Bradley).  My temperature is usually a little higher but you can adjust it in the morning.  Following is most of what I have learned.

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

Photos to go with the recipe
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=12061.0

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://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=12455.0

Speed things up as necessary in the morning and FTC for 4 to 6 hours if needed to make sure you are on time.

Good luck and slow smoking,

Pachanga

[FLBentRider]

Fair-chase:

Your timing sounds about right to me.

[Fair-chase]

 Well they are in. I put them in at 8. Cabinet temp is at 140 and climbing now.

Pachanga I used your rub and mustard slather. I also took your idea and replaced the water bowl with a pan. I just robbed a 9 1/2 X 13 cake pan out of the cabinet ; fit just right and doesn't bend like them flimsey alluminum jobs. I'll probably catch you know what when my wife tries to find her cake pan though.

I'm hoping my circulation fan I just installed will solve my hot spots ; so I didn't do the foil over the v pan thing.

I don't have any apple so they will just get 4 hrs of oak.

I really appreciate all the good information people are willing to share on this forum !

[squirtthecat]

You're off to a good start!   Oak works well..

Re: your wife's cake pan?   I'd head out in the early morning to find a replacement...  :D

(no amount of scrubbing will ever get it clean again)

[Pachanga]

Fair-Chase,

Everything sounds like you are on the right track.  Don't worry about the cake pan.  It will not be recognizable by the end of the smoke.  I think it came with the smoker.

Remember that the briskets will probably stall for a while around 160 - 170.  Build that into your time schedule and expect it to happen.  Start with hot water and refill the cake pan 9 1/2 X 13 Bradley supplied pan with hot water.  In the morning, what looks like water may be grease drippings.  Water must be in the pan.  If the bottom brisket is moving too fast, rotate the shelves.  Raising the briskets will slow things down some.  I do not have any experience with the fan but many others do.  I am assuming it will even out the temperature and make things come out even but not change the cooking time much.

Chime in with any questions and someone will be glad to help if you need it.

Good luck and stick to your story on that cake pan.

Pachanga

[Fair-chase]

 Cake pan ? I don't know what you did with it.

Well the box temp is just now approching 200. I don't see how you guys ever get the temps up when doing 3-4 !

[Pachanga]

Fair-chase,

That sounds about right.  Depending on the internal temperature of the brisket, you may want to kick it up a bit as the day goes on.

My 6 rack digital has never been very accurate on temperature readout.  I rely on the Maverick and adjust the temperature on the Bradley accordingly.  I have the Bradley set at 240 or 250 many times to get the chamber temperature up to 220. 

You still have plenty of time and it sounds like you have a good handle on things.  This is where the art part of Q'ing comes in to play.  Watch the exterior of the meat.  The bark should be firming up and turning dark several hours before final temperature.  Adjust temperature accordingly.

How is the fan working?  Are we going to see photos?

Good luck and you are slow smoking.

[FLBentRider]

Cake pan ? I don't know what you did with it.

Well the box temp is just now approching 200. I don't see how you guys ever get the temps up when doing 3-4 !

It depends on where you measure it.

When I put four butts ~32lbs of meat in the smoker, you can bet that the bottom butt will be getting plenty of heat, even though the door thermometer will read lower.

With that much meat mass in the smoker, If you measure the temp at the vent it will seem like forever for the temps to "get up" - like six or seven hours until you have 220F at the vent.

Each butt is going to absorb heat as the heat rises.

That is why I rotate racks every four hours or so, Each butt goes up ones position (the top one then to the bottom) and also rotated front to back to compensate for the smoker being hotter at the back.

If I measure the temp at the lowest rack, so I can tell what temp is being applied to the meat, it doesn't take long at all to "get up" to temp.

The door thermometer measures near the front of the box and after 1 or two racks. it is not a great representation of what the meat is getting sometimes.

[Fair-chase]

 I'm running an omega thermocouple on an Auber pid so my temps are right on. The door thermometer is usless as tits on a boar hog ! I bent mine back so it wouldn't hit the meat on the 3rd rack. I place my temp probe right under the bottom rack at the front of the cabinet.

I have the briskets on the 2nd and 3rd racks. After 12 hrs the IT on the bottom brisket was 12 deg higher than the next one up. maybe it was the lowest rack or maybe just a difference in the meat ; who knows. I did swap and rotate them at that time. Now at 19 hrs they are 180 and 177. Almost there !

This is the first smoke with the fan. It does seem to me that it has evened out some of the hot spots.

For some reason even my dog is being really nice today.

[ronbeaux]

You about have it whooped and it sounds like it is gonna be good!

[Pachanga]

Fair-chase,

For some reason even my dog is being really nice today.

I almost fell out of my chair when I read that.  Unfortunately, the cold brew I had in my mouth snorted out of the nose vent.  You are having an exceptionally good day.

I would appreciate as much information and thoughts as you can provide on your experience before and after the fan setup.  I have stayed with the passive Bradley using the foil vent covering technique but have thought about adding the fan if it equalizes the chamber temperature to a T.

The door thermometer is usless as tits on a boar hog ! I bent mine back so it wouldn't hit the meat on the 3rd rack.

Sounds like FLbentRider was right on target with his comments.

Thanks,

Good luck and fan circulating,

Pachanga

[Fair-chase]

 Well words can't describe how well these briskets turned out !

Many thanks to Pachanga for sharing his method of smoking briskets. I did not follow his advice to a tee, but here are the things I took from him that I think resulted in my best brisket to date.

1. Used his rub followed by mustard slather
2. Put the whole 11 Lb. packer cuts (trimmed very very little) on the racks.
3. fat cap up , flat of top rack over point on 2nd rack.
4. replaced water bowl with cake pan ( this larger amount of water would allow me to go 13 + hrs without opening the door).

Here is a recap of my smoke.
I picked out 2 11 Lb. packer cuts from my local butcher. He is a good friend and took me in the back cooler and let me pick out of the box of choice for 1.85 / Lb.. This no doubt had something to do with how well these turned out .Wet aged for 5 days in the frig.  After the rub and slather the 2 11 Lb.rs sat on the counter for 1 1/2 hrs while the smoker preheated. Then into the smoker at 8 pm. No sitting in the frig overnight on these. Set temp on PID to 210. At 8:45 started 4 hrs of oak smoke. Dumped water pan at 1 Am and refilled with boiling water. Off to bed. At 8 Am I swapped and rotated racks as well as adding a little more water since the door was open. 12:30 pm cabinet temp finally got to 210. At about 2PM I.T. 's hit 170 and I raised cabinet temp to 220. I.T.'s hit 189 at 3 pm pulled and misted with apple juice  then ftc till 6 pm..

These briskets went 19 hrs in the bradley with the door opened 1 time and never sprayed or basted till ftc. They had a firm but not hard delicous bark , and were dripping with some moisture. I seperated the point and flat then sliced at a 45 across the grain. My first slice was 1/4"  thick, the 2nd was 1/2 " , the remainder was sliced at 3/4 -1" and were still falling apart. Also as Pachanga stated I also served sauce on the side .  Myself as well as one other person tried it on a bite or two . The rest was eaten naked.

This will be my brisket smoking routine from now on period.

[Old_Sarge]

Sounds fantastic!

I've got a 13-pounder in now and am pretty much following the method you described. The flat should be FTC'd and ready to slice by noon tomorrow, and the point should be pull-worthy a couple of hours after that.

Your post definitely has whetted my appetite  :D