8 hour Brisket HELP!

BigHam said:

I have volunteered to smoke for a friend tomorrow, told them plenty of time for chicken, loin, and ribs if we start at 11:30 for a 6pm feed. Well last night they told me they bought the chicken, the loin, and threw in a BRISKET! I have them soaking the brisket in DR pepper.

Yikes - I usually smoke the brisket 16-18 hours on my Southern Yankee at about 220 degrees. I wrap after about 6 hours and usually turn out a nice brisket...I can stretch tomorrow's smok into 8 hours but that will about all the time I will have.

Plenty of room on the smoker...I need suggestions or thoughts on if to wrap and hints preparing the brisket in only 8 hours. Smoker will be on 220...with the other stuff on their I could push up a little but will need to stay below 250...

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Is it a Packer? what's the weight?
Regardless, you can use a good beef or brisket rub that DOES NOT HAVE SALT, get it out of the DP, dry it off, if packer, trim fat cap down to 1/4" - 1/8" thick, and cut fat out of V between point and flat on both sides (save fat). Rub in a good amount of rub, a slather of yellow mustard, and another GOOD coating of rub sprinkled heavy all over. Wrap tight in seran wrap, put in refer NOW. Remove an hour or so before cooking. I cooked an 11 lb packer the other day in about 13 hours at around 225-235 (that means put it on the smoker at 5:00am tomorrow). Use 1hr 15min/lb as a guide, when 190-195 done. Take an aluminum pan punch holes in bottom, place fat in pan, cook brisket fat cap down and place pan in rack above brisket. see this post - http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50056

Also check out recent threads on fast cooking brisket... good advice maybe for you there in your case

Is it a Packer? what's the weight?
Got to have more info. You cannot do an average 12 -16 pound packer at 220 degrees in 8 hours. More heat, maybe but a lot more heat. Not familiar with your smoker so is there a really hot spot you can identify and put the brisket there? Flat or packer and weight is huge question here for an 8 hour cook.

I would tell them that the brisket would be great for next time when you can smoke it the way you want to. Just me though, I wouldn't risk wasting a friends brisket.

Do a high heat brisket. I here good things on the Smoke Ring about doing the high heat method. Check it out.
http://www.kickassbbq.com/quick_cook_brisket.htm

Ron_L said:

You could always get some smoke on it for a few hours and then wrap it and finish it in the oven at higher temp.

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I agree this is the right answer too.

Hot and fast, 260* to 300*. i did a 11#er in 8 hours, turned out great.