First Fast/High Heat Brisket

[Neil]

Thought I'd give the new trend a try this weekend and use the fast and high heat method for smoking a brisket. Does it make a difference on the size of the brisket? I have a case of whole packers, one is about 7 1/2 lbs. the others are 11-14 lbs. or as some say, "size doesn't matter".

 

[JazzyBadger]

If my wife finds out that I don't HAVE to be rip roaring drunk after 14 hours of a brisket marathon.. it'll all come undone...

In all seriousness though, I haven't heard anything about this.
I will be following this thread closely.

 

[texman02]

I have done two this way. Worked out great. one was around 11lbs. after trimming and the other was around 8.5 trimmed. 11 pounder took almost 5 hours the other was a little less. Both were choice cuts. Good luck!

 

[Neil]

Thanks for the feedback Jim. My only real concern was how long it will take.

 

[RobKC]

I've been cooking trimmed 14 pounders in about 6 hrs at 275.

 

[thillin]

It hasn't made much difference. I trim most of the fat off. Almost seperate the point getting the fat vein trimmed out. And trim all of the visible fat off the point.

Good luck Neil

 

[big matt]

Well I've done low and slow for a long time but with our new smoker we are able to run 350-375 no problem..I've taken Myron's class and he runs his in this range or at least for the first few hours..then it's panned and foiled..I've been cooking on this cooker since the end of march and I've done at least 12-14 briskets this way(most in the 10-14 pound range)and each time it's better,good bark,nice smoke ring,great flavor..the last one hit 197 in the flat in 3 1/2 hours..I will say though with 25 gallons of water in the pan it's like a giant safety net!..

 

[burnedpig]

frankly, this sounds to me like heresy.

But I'll be paying attention. One of my most praised dishes is my brisket, and I spend at least 12-14 hours smoking them. If I could cut that time in half, I'd probably double the times I cook brisket!

 

[JD McGee]

I've done flats and packers...very little difference in the times once the smoker hits cruising temp...325-350.

 

[Saiko]

Welcome to the dark side Neil!
Can't wait to read about and see the results. Most of the packers I've done high heat have been pretty big (14 lbs), so they have taken a little longer. I used to start off with low temps for the first two hours, but next time I'm going to reduce the low temp to only an hour then ramp it up.

I've had a 14 pounder take up to 9 hours at high heat (with a low temp start), but I had a long stall. Keep us posted!

 

[Chef Jim]

Can't wait to see the results. My brisket has not been what I wanted so this may be the answer.

 

[pile-0-bones]

If you separate the point from the flat is it still a packer? I could be wrong but to me its now 2 cuts of beef.

 

[Neil]

I'm going to get the WSM ready tonight and then fire it up in the morning. I'll be sure to take pics and let you all know how it turns out.

 

[peppasawce]

Neil it should work out fine buddy

 

[Saiko]

Forgot to mention this in my earlier post, but sometimes it can be tough getting the WSM up to the 325-350 range, depending on a lot of variables. You may have to flip your access door and prop it open a bit to allow more air into your charcoal bed to get your temps up. In the pic below I set my charcoal chimney on top of two clay pot saucers and used it to prop my access door open. I know it's silly looking, but it's all I had on my deck at the time!

You might want to play around with ways to prop your door open before starting your smoke. You may not need to: sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Also, at high temps you are going to burn through fuel a lot faster than normal. Be prepared to add more charcoal if you end up with a long cook.

 

[Neil]

I have no problem getting into the 325 - 350 zones with my WSM. Some clumsy oaf (me :biggrin stepped on it and put a nice crease in it shortly after I got it and I've had to bend it a few ways to try and get it to "seal" correctly. I usually make an aluminum foil gasket to place around it to keep air from feeding flames.

Brisket went on at 5:30 EST.

 

[RobKC]

Is it done yet? :hungry:

 

[peppasawce]

It ought to be ready by now right Neil

 

[Ribbin' Randy]

If my wife finds out that I don't HAVE to be rip roaring drunk after 14 hours of a brisket marathon.. it'll all come undone...

:laugh:That's funny... the first bar-b-q book I got was the Jack Danials cook book. It was talking about how to know when the meat was done and said,"start with a bottle of jack and when the bottle is gone, the meat is done!":clap2:

 

[schellter]

Neil, wake up and look at the brisket.