Finishing large number of briskets in the oven

James Montigny

Knows what a fatty is.
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I'm no stranger to smoking brisket, but this it the first time I've done it in this quantity and I've always finished them in the smoker, so even considering the oven to finish them is new to me.

I will need 8 packers and a pair of pork shoulders to feed this group.
I have two WSMs and an offset sitting outside ready to fire up.
I have enough grill space for it all. None of this bothers me.

If I smoke them all for 6 hours, then move them to foil, can I stack them in an oven or do I need multiple ovens with space around each foil for heat to circulate? The location where we will be serving has two ovens if I need them,
I'd just really rather get some sleep at home since I have to MC the event the next day and run a camp out that night.

Or, should I just smoke them all to completion in the smokers and lean on caffeine to get me through the day?
This was a horrible time for the CyberQ Wifi to get wet and die on me :(
 
You will want some circulation even in the oven, but, far less than in a smoker. I would be tempted to finish the briskets in the oven once foiled, and let the butts cook in one WSM through to completion. A WSM dialed in, you can get a few hours of sleep at a time.
 
Could you not use a rib rack of some kind in the oven to space out the briskets? Foil your briskets like normal and just lay them perpendicular to your oven grates in a rib rack leaving a space between each one. Just make sure your foil is tight so you don't let any of that precious briskey juice get out.
 
Turn up the heat get done in 8 hrs. = sleep and good eats
 
Turn up the heat get done in 8 hrs. = sleep and good eats
What Blu said...do them at 300-325. Then you can wrap them around the 4-5 hour mark and be done by the 7th-8th hour or so.
 
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Yes, cooking at 325 for a shorter period is always an option. I could just get up early, smoke the food and still be ready in time for the 12:00 opening ceremony.

The question is really more about stacking/fitting them in the oven, not so much how long or at what temp to cook them. I've never done the oven thing, let alone with this much meat.
 
Yes, cooking at 325 for a shorter period is always an option. I could just get up early, smoke the food and still be ready in time for the 12:00 opening ceremony.

The question is really more about stacking/fitting them in the oven, not so much how long or at what temp to cook them. I've never done the oven thing, let alone with this much meat.

I see....I have always layed them flat wrapped in foil in a pan when I need to put them in the oven. You will not fit as many this way but the wife would not be happy if I coated her oven in burnt brisket juice. This is one of the only things I use my electric smoker for.
 
I believe I could get 8 briskets of around 12 pounds each into my oven, on two racks. No way with the butts though.
 
Well, we pulled it off.

8 13-15lbs packers and 4 shoulders.
I fit them all into my 2 WMSs (one with an extra tier) and a friend's offset.
Smoked from 8:30PM to 2:30AM then moved them to two ovens at the church.
I got to sleep 4 hours, shower and prep for the event and by the time I pulled it all
out at 10AM and let it settle, it was just right for slicing and serving in time for the noon crowd.

The only issue I ran into was the foil on one or two of the packs leaking and causing a messy pool of juice at
the bottom of one of the ovens. It took a while to clean that up, but the whole church smelled like BBQ for the
rest of the day. Fortunately, that is considered a good thing around here.
 
Thanks for the update. I was wondering how it went. The spilled juice was my main concern. It's a good thing I never have more than 2 to worry about. Congrats on pulling off!
 
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