Ok, here goes, first brisket...help...

[Vermin999]

I have only done one brisket, a packer on my Weber grill and I did it using the high heat method. I thought it turned out great. Not sure if this method can be used on flats but you might want to look into it anyways.

http://www.google.com/search?btnG=1&pws ... at+brisket

 

[Pigs On The Wing BBQ]

I don't foil. Throw it on and yank it when it hits 190 let it rest for a while, slice and chow down. They are not as hard as folk think. Oh hell yea I have tanked a few, but that's how you learn.

Pigs

 

[Gary in VA]

Try to keep temps at 225-250 if possible
I would run fat side up
For flats, in about 6 hours you are gonna be at 160-170 range
Foil em definately (no beef broth needed)
in another 1.5 to 2 hours you will be at 195
pull em and wrap again with foil
place in a warm cooler, pack with towels for 2 hours
open foil 20 min prior to serving and let rest
bring out of foil and slice across the grain


Have fun!

 

[DJ]

Go with Gary's advice and ya got it made.
Plan on losing 30% or so of the total weight after cooking leaving ya with around 10lbs of brisket. Might be close for feeding 18 people.
dj

 

[DJ]

Sausage is pretty easy and goes great with Brisket.

Umm -- uh-oh. Great catch. I wasn't prepared for it to be that much shrinkage. Gary, great post -- thanks. You've got a W 22 -- do you think I can do both flats on one grill? If so, maybe I can make some kind of a "side" dish on the other one -- something simple, but a little extra in case the brisket is a little short. Any ideas?

 

[Pigs On The Wing BBQ]

Try to keep temps at 225-250 if possible
I would run fat side up
For flats, in about 6 hours you are gonna be at 160-170 range
Foil em definately (no beef broth needed)
in another 1.5 to 2 hours you will be at 195
pull em and wrap again with foil
place in a warm cooler, pack with towels for 2 hours
open foil 20 min prior to serving and let rest
bring out of foil and slice across the grain


Have fun!

Good advice, I'm going to try it. I have tanked too many in the past.

Pigs

 

[Shores]

You might be able to cook both on the 22 Weber. It sure would require you to keep a smaller pile of of charcoal in there, which might actually be a good thing. I would think it would be easier to keep your temps down. You might have to rotate the briskets as the cook goes on so you don't "burn" a side though. Make sure you have a half pan under the briskets filled with water. No need to have one over the coals in my opinion. If you keep the temp around the 225 to 250 range it should take between 8 and 10 hours, closer to 10 on a larger pit, but could easily be 8 on the kettle. Gary's got the rest of it covered .

 

[Gary in VA]

if you have (2) grills at your disposal... I would use them both and not crowd the meat onto one. this also allows you to keep the meat as far away from the fire as possible. You can easily make side Items in the 2+ hours that those briskeys will be in the cooler. Make a load of ABT's in one and a pile of chicken wings in the other.... or grill some veggies. You have plenty of time to fire up the grill and do whatever while the briskeys are doing their thing in the coolers.

one more thing as far as the briskets..... DO NOT trim ANY fat off of the Flats. More fat=more flavor... if the eaters don't like fat... they can pick it off.

 

[Gary in VA]

Go with Gary's advice and ya got it made.
Plan on losing 30% or so of the total weight after cooking leaving ya with around 10lbs of brisket. Might be close for feeding 18 people.
dj

you should have plenty.... 18 people X .33 lb per person is 6 lbs of finished brisket..... unless you are feeding a logging crew, or a football team, you should be fine.

 

[ScottyDaQ]

You don't need the water pans. They won't add any moisture to the product.

 

[NewHeart]

You don't need the water pans. They won't add any moisture to the product.

But they WILL add temperature stabilization, a very important consideration in a kettle.

 

[Shores]

You don't need the water pans. They won't add any moisture to the product.

But they WILL add temperature stabilization, a very important consideration in a kettle.

Ture. Really the only reason to put it in there, plus it catches the drippings so your grill is easier to clean

 

[wittdog]

Make sure to mark your brisket before you cook it...it will make it much easier to cut across the grain.....

 

[Shores]

Mark it? How?

(Now I know why it says NOOB under my name...)

Make your first cut into the meat across the grain on the flat of the brisket. Much easier to see the grain of the muscle before it's cooked than after.

Here's a pick of one I cooked up this past winter for practice. This is a whole packer and I cut the whole tip off. Cut side on the left, tip to the right side. I used the tip for either taste testin or chop and put in with the point to make burnt ends. I've since started to only cut through 2/3rds the way through.

Have fun on the cook!

 

[Griff]

Good luck.

 

[wittdog]

Just like shores said...you can cut the tip off for a cooks treat or just go 2/3 of the way thru...

 

[ronbeaux50]

I cook whole packers so I make a cut on the point end in the shape of an arrow pointing toward the flat that tells me where to cut across grain. Even after seasoning and cooking, the gash I cut still points toward the angle I want to cut.