Rookie needs timing advice - UDS cook on Sunday

So... we're having people over on Sunday, and I'm planning to fire up my new UDS I put together. (I did a test fire/seasoning run on Wednesday, and it worked well.)

My previous smoking experience was limited to some (fairly) successful outings using wood chunks in an aluminum pan on a gas grill, also using a water pan as a heat diffuser. When I did this last year (for the same picnic), I got a later start than I planned, and so we ended up eating LATE...

So... this year, I figured I'd get a smoker, so I can use the grill for burgers, etc., throughout the day, and in case everything takes forever. lol My research led me to the UDS, which seemed like a better option than buying an ECB and modding it.

Anyway, I'm planning to do a brisket and 2 butts on the smoker this year. I'm honestly not sure what kind of brisket I'll be able to get - last year I ordered one from the butcher, but this year I'll be hitting Sam's Club tonight. I don't know if I can get a full packer.

My plan was to get up around 5am to start things going - is this likely enough time to have the BBQ grub ready to eat by about 6-7pm? (I know a lot of factors influence cook time, so it's hard to estimate.) I'd like to avoid what happened last year, where some people hung out all day and then never got to eat the good food... lol

Thanks!!!

Well, I do tend to go to bed late, so I could conceivably meet "in the middle and start it around 1-2am without causing me too much stress... lol

I'm assuming if I can't find a decent sized brisket, my cook time could be reduced significantly on that end. I'll see what kind of meat I can grab today, and then try to plan accordingly.

Also, I probably will end up foiling the brisket for the end of the cook. The recipe I've done before called for foiling it and finishing in the oven, and then making a sauce using the drippings in the foil (along with an onion and jalapenos placed under the meat). The sauce was great, so I want to do that again anyway. (I'll cook the whole thing on the smoker, but want to capture some drippings and make the sauce.)

Any other thoughts?

Question away - I'm an idiot right now, and I know it!!! lol

Ok, upon seeing the above responses, I'm figuring I'll knock it down to one butt. And... from the above responses, I'm figuring maybe I'll throw everything on around midnight. That way, if it would take 18 hours, it's still ready at 6pm!

Like I said, I'm not sure what size brisket I can get (without special ordering), so that may be a factor as well.

And yeah - this is (currently) a single-grate UDS, so I'm thinking I shouldn't try to cram it with more than I need.

OK - one more quick question - how much charcoal should I load up in this bad boy for this length of burn, and... how much wood should I mix in? I have hickory chunks to use with the charcoal.

Thanks again!

Thanks for all the feedback. I ended up with a packer at about 11 lbs. and what will end up being a 7 lb. butt.

As far as the charcoal, I have briquette (Kingsford) and lump (Cowboy). I'm thinking I may go with the Kingsford, because I've heard the Cowboy can burn hot, and my only test run was with Kingsford, so my tiny bit of experience with the UDS was with the briquettes, and I may want to just keep it simple.

Also, from what I've seen, I don't need to soak the hickory chunks, right? How many chunks should I mix in with the charcoal?

When I smoked on the gas grill, I ended up going through about 10 chunks, and they had been soaked. Of course, those were in a metal pan directly over the gas heat source...

(I have been reading a lot, so I'm trying not to be lazy, but sometimes it's easier to just ask. :icon_blush: )

It was trying to maintain it at 225 on the side of the grate, but it was creeping up a bit - mostly seemed to hover around 250 on the side. This was with just one nipple open. One cooking grate about 23.5" above the charcoal grate.