Im a smokin' noob, please be kind...

[Jazzbone]

Hi All...Another Canadian lurker here...
I've been lurking around the forums here the past month trying to gather as much info as possible before pulling the trigger on an OBS...Picking mine up tomorow night and am planning the 1st big wing-ding...
After seasoning I plan on tackling a few baby-back ribs which I think I can handle on my own (trial by fire)...Where I'm still scratching my head on is the briskets...1) How big of a brisket can 1 rack handle?  I'm going to be feeding about 25 people in a few weeks and thinking of putting in two (2) 8-9 lb'ers...With the shrinkage, think this would be enough?  Always better to have more than to have hungry guests..:)
2) I was thinking that 18lb's of brisket should take appx. 20-22hrs at 200 deg.F....does this seem about right or am I waaay off on my calculations...Only thing worse than hungry guests are PO'd guests that are staring at a black lump of dried out beef...  :D

Was thinking a 1/4" fat cap, in the OBS fat side up, 200 deg. heat, 4-6 hrs of smoke(hickory) then rotate every 6hrs...
I guess my biggest concern is it turning out dry and leathery with that amount of time/temp...How many times should the water bowl be changed/filled up?
Really looking forward to getting my feet wet with the OBS...(or my fingers sticky might be more appropriate)...

Jazzbone

[FLBentRider]

W E L C O M E  to the Forum Jazzbone!

Careful with the baby backs, they can get dry on you. I usually put a couple of hours of smoke on, then foil-wrap and pop in the oven.

I am not the brisket expert, but I'll give it a shot anyway.

I don't have the exact dimensions of the racks, but it seems that an 8 pounder would fit.(I don't remember exactly how big the last one I did was) The timing sounds about right, plan on starting so that the 22 hours will be over 3 or four hours before you want to serve. When the brisket is done, wrap it in Heavy Duty Foil, then an old Towel, and place in a Cooler (no ice). This will keep the meat warm for hours. I've FTC'd pork butts for 6 hours and they were still hot. The consenus is that 4 hours of smoke is plenty.

Empty / Refill water bowl at least every 4 hours. I would rotate racks (top to bottom and back to front) every couple of hours.

The brisket is done at an internal meat temperature of 190-200F

[Buck36]

Brisket that size fits ok in my OBS. I am not a brisket expert but the only thing I would add is I like to buy those disposable aluminum pans that just fit in my Bradley. When the smoking portion is done, I throw the brisket in the aluminum pan. It then cooks the rest of the time in the pan and is one of the easiest ways to keep the brisket moist.

[Buck36]

Westexasmoker will also get you set up right!

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=7652.0;topicseen

...please don't ask him what type of wood to use.

[Jazzbone]

Thanks guys....
The more I read up on the brisket the more the head gets scratched...As posted earlier I figured the 2 briskets at 8-9 lbs apiece would take about 20-22 hrs total in the OBS, but I've read others post that they put 1 brisket in about that size for like 8hrs total...now even doublin the time for 2 briskets instead of 1 will bring it to 16hrs..thats a ways off 20-22...
I am learning that there is no 'set' time, just an approximation....this ain't Grandma's cookie recipes where 30 minutes means 30 minutes.. but the flucuation of times I'm seeing seems like alot...
I'm just trying to avoid 2 lumps of dried out charcoal...With the brother-in-law coming over and both of us claiming 'BBQ Supremecy in the family'...I'd hate to disappoint..  ;D Lotsa pride riding on this 1st brisket smoke...

Jazzbone

[FLBentRider]

I'm just trying to avoid 2 lumps of dried out charcoal...With the brother-in-law coming over and both of us claiming 'BBQ Supremecy in the family'...I'd hate to disappoint..  ;D Lotsa pride riding on this 1st brisket smoke...

If my BBQ reputation were riding on it, I'd do a Pork Butt...

From what some of the brisket vets have stated, you can do everthing right and still have a tough brisket... Same goes for pig, but my worst pork butt still got rave reviews from the Family...

[iceman]

I agree on the pork butt as being the easy way to impress folks. Very forgiving as long as you make sure to hit the right IT.

[Jazzbone]

Hmmm....maybe 1 of each...1 butt and 1 brisket..


Jazzbone

[NePaSmoKer]

Hmmm....maybe 1 of each...1 butt and 1 brisket..


Jazzbone

One front end and one back end coming up  LOL    ;D  ;D

nepas

[Oldman]

As posted earlier I figured the 2 briskets at 8-9 lbs apiece would take about 20-22 hrs

I do mine at 190 to 200 F or about. 18 pounds should run from 16 to 18 hours before the FTC.
Olds