Yeah, that's gonna take a while, just assume it's going to be a longer cook. I never go by time, always by temperature, so make sure you got your probes handy, for whatever various reasons sometimes some hunks of meat take longer than others...DO NOT skip the resting period! The longer the better! We wrap them up and put them in a warmed yeti cooler at least overnight. Just gotta be sure that it doesn't drop down into that "danger zone" temperature range. This can help alleviate time restrictions by just making sure to git er done the day before, then the next day at chow time all you gotta do is take it out of the still hot cooler and unwrap and slice and serve.Got a procedural question for you boys and girl pit masters. Got a 16 pound brisket I’m doing this weekend. I’ve read and been told everything ranging from 8-10 hours to 15-16 hours. I have a need to be done by time for Monday and need to work backwards from that. It be getting smoke in the offset smoker that I posted a couple posts ago.
Thoughts?? And go.
Got a procedural question for you boys and girl pit masters. Got a 16 pound brisket I’m doing this weekend. I’ve read and been told everything ranging from 8-10 hours to 15-16 hours. I have a need to be done by time for Monday and need to work backwards from that. It be getting smoke in the offset smoker that I posted a couple posts ago.
Thoughts?? And go.
I’ve never done a full brisket…I don’t have the mouths to feed for one…but I often do a ”fake pastrami” from a decent sized corned beef flat. I have to echo @mcblink in that the “rest” is super important for larger cuts of beef especially. Doesn’t matter wether it’s been done “low and slow”, or “hot and fast”.Yeah, that's gonna take a while, just assume it's going to be a longer cook. I never go by time, always by temperature, so make sure you got your probes handy, for whatever various reasons sometimes some hunks of meat take longer than others...DO NOT skip the resting period! The longer the better! We wrap them up and put them in a warmed yeti cooler at least overnight. Just gotta be sure that it doesn't drop down into that "danger zone" temperature range. This can help alleviate time restrictions by just making sure to git er done the day before, then the next day at chow time all you gotta do is take it out of the still hot cooler and unwrap and slice and serve.
tl;dr:
It's better to have it done and resting, even if it's overnight and into the next day, as long as it stays warmed, than it is to get stuck pressed for time....and that rest period is seriously all-important to brisket...try not to shortchange it...
That's about all I can think of for now, except to be sure and enjoy yourself!

Yeah! ”The stall” sucks sometimes! One of the worst that I ran into was doing a large “fake pastrami” cook…what should have been about a 10 hour cook turned out to be a full 12 hours…plus resting time…Oh, another thing is what's called "the stall"...
You might be familiar with that point in cook where the temperature stops going up for a weirdly long amount of time.... and then starts going again. If you're not familiar with that, it can be worrisome the first time if you don't know what's happening lol
Just wait it out, don't make the fire any warmer than it has to be. Low and slow is the name of the game here, for maximum Limp Brisket
I know of the stall. So am prepared.Oh, another thing is what's called "the stall"...
You might be familiar with that point in cook where the temperature stops going up for a weirdly long amount of time.... and then starts going again. If you're not familiar with that, it can be worrisome the first time if you don't know what's happening lol
Just wait it out, don't make the fire any warmer than it has to be. Low and slow is the name of the game here, for maximum Limp Brisket
Kinda!And isn’t limp brisket the name of a band??
Hells yes.MmmmmmmmmMountain Man Breakfast…..it’s what’s for dinner!
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Diggin the Dutch Oven cooking over the fire! It works super-well!
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Sausage, bacon, onions, hash brown potatoes, 10 eggs, and cheese! Don’t die from this…you’re gonna want more…
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That looks so good.. and my favorite meal ever..MmmmmmmmmMountain Man Breakfast…..it’s what’s for dinner!
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Diggin the Dutch Oven cooking over the fire! It works super-well!
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Sausage, bacon, onions, hash brown potatoes, 10 eggs, and cheese! Don’t die from this…you’re gonna want more…
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First time you say?Smoked brisket photos requested. And here they are. Was well received by family and friends. Super juicy. Super tasty.
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About like everything I do first time. Research. Research. Research. Check with a former coworker on how he’s done them. You Tube. Pretty much, sometimes I can overthink things. But in this instance. It all worked out really well. And for the record. The former coworker nailed it as for cooking time. Was done. Had it in the cooler resting for about three hours.First time you say?
Looks like you have your method down.
Sure wish I still lived in N.E. Illinois, I'd be inviting myself to dinner right now!
Nice work sir, top shelf.
Looks great and deliciousAbout like everything I do first time. Research. Research. Research. Check with a former coworker on how he’s done them. You Tube. Pretty much, sometimes I can overthink things. But in this instance. It all worked out really well. And for the record. The former coworker nailed it as for cooking time. Was done. Had it in the cooler resting for about three hours.
I have leftovers. But what with my bride being out of town for another week…. If I don’t save her some of this…. Very likely no longer my bride. If you get my point.I'm hungry...