I am smoking a 12 pound brisket tomorrow in my 14.5 WSM. I am going to have to cut the brisket in half and utilize both grates in this little cooker. Does anybody know which grate has higher temps? I want to put the point end on the hotter grate and the flat portion on the cooler grate for obvious reasons. I would research it on my own but I am really short on time between now and tomorrow's cook. I am hoping that someone in the pit already has this information in the ole noggin and can dispense with it quickly and easily.
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I would suggest you only trim enough off the flat to make it fit the grate. The more equal the size of a brisket end to end and side to side the easier and more consistent it cooks.
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The top grate should be the hottest since heat risesComment
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The top grate will be hotter as stated. You may have a temp difference of at least 50 degrees less in the lower grate. That's what I've seen with a 22.5 kettle. Still, you will need probes on both grates as cookers vary.
Also, I think Red has a very good point.
Good luck!
--EdComment
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Here is part of what I posted about a month ago regarding a brisket on a WSM 18.5.
I started with a 13lb whole brisket and after trimming, ended up separating the point (4lb) and flat (6lb) due to the size of the whole not fitting in the WSM 18.5. I put a 50/50 salt/pepper rub (recommended by Franklin) on the night before and injected with just beef broth in the morning. Briskets went on at 6:30 am at 230 using Kingsford Blue and a mix of Mesquite and Hickory chunks. At 11am, both hit 167 at which time I crutched with a little beef broth. The point finished about 1:30 and the flat about 2:40. Wrapped both in towels and the cooler until 5:30. Sliced as Meathead recommends. They were both very tender. The point passed the pull test a little easier than the flat as expected but the meat did not fall apart while cutting.Comment
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Forgot to mention in original post. I put flat on bottom grate and point on top (although point weighed less) due to point being thicker and top grate being hotter. Usually a 10-15 degree difference between the two grates at startup but seems to converge the longer I cook. When cooking pieces of a similar thickness (ribs), I rotate halfway through the cook. Set my Digiq to manage top grate at desired temp. Monitor meat temps with Digiq at one level and Maverick 732 at the other.
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It's about 15 degrees difference in the 14.5.Comment
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I have found there is a about 10 degree difference in the 18" WSM, with the upper grate being hotter. I have a WSM with an extra mid section and the difference between the lowest to the highest (4th grate up) is around 15 degreesComment
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Dilla I got the WSM on craigslist from a fellow pit member. He also had another mid section he had received from the store where he bought it (I think he thought he had a problem with the one that came with it but it was fine after a few cooks). He also included the Cajun Bandit hinge plus some gaskets. Great deal for $150. I bought the CB door and have been good to go. Look around at http://tvwbb.com/ for some cool ideas and mods
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Thank you all!
I will put the point end on top. The Pit rocks! To be able to get this kind of information on such short notice...Comment
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Yes, we like pictures. Sometime last year, I stayed up all night and posted a video play by play on a wagyu brisket I did. Don't remember the name of the thread, but I was half drunk and it was somewhat entertaining LOL.Comment
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The brisket turned out great. I will be posting pics on the 'show us what you are cooking' thread.Comment
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