I ordered a brisket from my fave supplier and was surprised to get a 16.5 pounder! A really, really big boy. Now, I just got my Traeger back in March and only cooked one brisket in my life, on Father's Day. It turned out great, thank you very much. But it was about 10 pounds. A 16 pounder seems a much bigger challenge (no pun intended).
Any tips and advice that anyone can give me for cooking such a large brisket would be much appreciated.
Cooking now a 16 lb prime from Costco on a Yoder; started it yesterday at 5pm PT. Expect it to take about 20 hours at 220. So far it's been 15 and is now at the stall point. For prep, after trimming I injected a cup and a half of beef broth and used Oakridge Carne Crosta seasoning. I've tried salt and pepper (50/50), but prefer the Oakridge. Based on my experience it's done at around 200-208, but determine doneness by using a probe to insure it feels like butter everywhere.Then I wrap it in butcher paper and put into a cooler for 3-4 hours or 140, whichever comes first. The cooler has made a huge difference for me.
So am probably looking at a 20-22 hour cook? The 10 pounder I made took about 8 hours, then I had it in a cooler for close to 6 hours and it came out absolutely amazing
Don't mean to burst your bubble but a 16# brisket in Texas is about medium size. They range up to 25# untrimmed. I like to look for 18#rs because with trimming and cooking reduction you end up with a yield of about 12#. Regardless, good luck with your journey through briskie land !!!
Lol, what he said. Wait till you get a pit rolling with 20+ Texas sized briskets...thats a lot of grease to deal with, lol. It literally rains a mist of grease from the smoke stacks. That being said, I usually give myself about 24 hours on the big boys down here, that includes hold time. I do still smoke low and slow at 225°, so if you are a hot and fast guy, it won't take as long.
The biggest I've seen was a 26 lb monster at HEB before the covid lock down. That was when brisket prices were low - it had a price of about $85 on it. I forgot to take a pic of it and it was gone when I went back to do so. I had three 12 pounders in the freezer so I didn't get it, plus the only smoker I have that it would fit on is my big stick burner offset (i.e. the insatiable wood hog).
I did my first brisket a few weeks ago in my Recteq. It was 18.7# before trimming. Took about 15 hours. I ran it at 220 until wrapping in butcher paper after about 12 hours. Bumped up the temp to 250 after wrap. Held in cooler/cambro for about 5 hours. Came out perfect if you don’t mind me saying so.
Coat meat liberally with Traeger Beef Rub. When seasoned, wrap brisket in plastic wrap. Transfer wrapped brisket to the refrigerator and let sit for 12 to 24 hours. ...
When ready to cook, set Traeger temperature to 225℉ and preheat, lid closed for 15 minutes. Grill : 225 ˚F
Remove brisket from plastic wrap and place fat side down on the grill grate. Cook for 6 hours or until internal temperature reaches 160℉. ...
Remove brisket from the grill and wrap it in a double layer of foil.
Place the foiled brisket back on the grill and cook until it reaches a finished internal temperature of 204℉, this should take an additional 3 to 4 hours. .. [ I test for probe tender ]
Don't forget to include a rest time of 2-4+ hours.
What I find very helpful is to plan the cook, cook the plan, and keep a log and note results. Doing this help to me get past burgers, hot dogs, and boil ribs before grilling first,
Like everyone above said, cook like you would a smaller one but it will take longer. I usually smoke mine at 250* - 275* and wrap by placing in a foil pan with foil over the top; although I use foil or butcher paper depending on how lazy I am that day. I hold for a couple of hours in a cooler when done.
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Best Cookbooks - Meathead's "The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling", Chris Lilly's "Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book", Aaron Franklin's "Franklin BBQ"
Cookbooks to check out - Raichlen's "Brisket Chronicles" and anything by Adam Perry Lang.
Current fanboy cookbook - "Chasing Smoke: Cooking Over Fire Around the Levant"
I prefer to cook briskets in the 15-16 lb range. As Troutman notes above, the yield is good, around 10-11 lbs generally. Plus, the flat is thicker and I don’t have to worry about it getting dry/overcooked like I do with smaller briskets. My biggest challenge is getting it to fit on the WSM 22 when I first start it. These are usually just about 22†long.
I run my WSM around 250-275 and a brisket that size takes 12-14 hours at that temp. At 225 it’s probably more like 16-18 hours, I’d guess.
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I didn't read all the above comments to see if I am in direct agreement or disagreement with anyone before me, but I don't think you'll find much difference. A brisket can randomly take 2-3 hrs less or more even if it's the same size as one you did last time. To me, the differences are purely anecdotal when they're in that common size range.
There's a fairly linear% of fat to trim off, so you'll have more trimming waste the larger you go, but in my personal experience the cook time should be very familiar with an hour or so. I prefer the 16lb range myself. I find when I get the bigger ones, 19-21lbs, I just trim more fat and end up with not much more cooked meat. 15-17lbs is my personal sweet spot.
I used a very simple mix of coarse black pepper, sea salt, and coffee grounds. I also applied some melted beef tallow on the brisket prior to wrapping.
A VERY large brisket cook
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