[syndicate559]

Wondering if you all can help me decide on a plan of attack for this.

Picked up my first brisket (a little over 11 pounds) and I'm planning to cook it for Tuesday night family dinner. It will only be my second cook in the 22.5 WSM so I'm just trying to figure out when I want to start cooking. Realistically, I need to have it done by about 5 PM Tuesday.

Here are my options. I have a hockey game at 10:30 Monday night, so I probably won't get home until about 12:30 A.M. Should I start my fire then, wait for the temp to stabilize, then sleep for a few hours before getting up to check it again?

The other option would be to have my wife wake me up a little before 5 when she leaves to swim and I can get started then. My only worry is that I wouldn't have enough time unless everything went perfectly, which isn't a great plan on your first brisket.

What do you guys think? If I start at around 1 AM, how long can I sleep before getting back up to check on it?