How do I smoke 30Lbs of Brisket?

[sach008]

Hello All,

I received a 4 rack original Bradley smoker for my wedding and want to use it for the first time for a polo tournament my husband and I are hosting.  There will be 50 people to feed, so I think I need 30lbs of brisket.

From reading other's posts it seems as if you don't smoke the meat the whole time it's cooking.  So if I get 3 10lb briskets, how long should I smoke it for and how long do I cook it for and at what temperature for both?  Or and what's the rubbing thing?

Thank you all VERY much for any help/suggestions!

Sarah Coleman

[Skipystu]

Hello and welcome ..

If you are doing 4 at once the cook time will a while! Which makes it all that much more fun!

Check out this string for more info: http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=5569.0

WHen you are all done cooking and cut it you want it to look like this:


That pink ring is the smoke ring and is a sign of cooking it JUST right.

Don't forget to FTC - wrap it in Foil, then a Towel, and place it in a Cooler - Foil, Towel, Cooler.

Best of luck - take pictures!

[Wildcat]

I recommend (if you smoke in the BS) 4 hours of smoke, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder only.  Cook at around 190 to 210 (either in BS or in oven) after the smoke portion until you reach desired internal meat temp.  I go to 185.  FTC for 3 to 4 hours.  Spray with apple juice every 2 to 3 hours and one last time for the FTC.  It may be easier to do it early, seal and into fridge for reheating later.  Time in the fridge will really enhance the smoke flavor.  I have never smoked that much in the BS, but I would guess that you are looking at a minimum of 20 hours.

[Gizmo]

Welcome to the forum Sach008.  The smoke ring is not something you will see from Bradley smoked food.  There are several threads here that discuss the issue in technical detail (great reading if you are interested) but suffice it to say that the chemical process that creates the smoke ring, doesn't happen in the BS.  Thankfully, the flavor is the same so no need to worry.  I have seen a post from someone that used some curing process to create the smoke ring look but it is not necessary unless the visual effect is of importance.

[sach008]

Thank you to everyone that has replied, but I am still a little confused.  I read the other post regarding how to cook a 6lb brisket, but would assume that cooking times and temp would vary greatly with 3 10lbs briskets rather than just 1 6lb brisket.

Does anyone have any recommendations on time and temp for 3 10lb briskets?

[Skipystu]

In the end all you can do is get your OBS up to 250 or so then pop in the briskets.

Keep the heat on high and try to get it to 200-225. My guess is you will be lucky to get the smoker up to 225 in the end with that much meat in there.

Cook the meat until the internal meat temp is about 185 for med or 190 med rare. Feel free to check this site or some cookbooks to verify.

Only smoke for the first 4 hours or so.

The OBS is not that hard to use as the heating element is a sliding knob and the temp will drop every hour as you open it to spray the meat down. I spray the meat every hour or 45 mins. If the cuts of meat don't have much fat on the outside they can dry out pretty quick.

Be sure to wrap them all individually in foil at the end and literally put them in a cooler (no ice!) wrapped loosely in a towel for another 3-4 hours or when the party starts. The meat will continue to cook in there and will be hot to touch!

Time for total cooking in the smoker .. could be 24 hours more or less. The whole idea is smoking a type of meat is the same no matter the weight. All that changes is the time it takes to do it. I think I saw somewhere they estimate 1.5 hours per pound of brisket when smoking. To me that seems a little extreme but depending on what temp you get to it could take that long.

Other option stated here as well is to smoke for 4 hours then put in your oven wrapped in foil at 225. Should help it cook a little faster. Will just heat up your house and cost more cooking per hour then the OBS.

Hope this helps clear it up more.

[Migo]

what is best position to set the damper on toip at? i am about to put those "no time for you briskets" in. grin, Mike

[KyNola]

Migo,
I would start with the top vent open about half way.  The important thing is to have it open enough that it draws all of the smoke through the tower and doesn't back up the smoke into the generator.  Look at where the generator goes into the tower.  If you see smoke "leaking" out through that opening, open the vent more.

Enjoy yourself,
KyNola