Smoking’ BIG brisket vs 2 small??

[jjdbike]

Hello Pitmasters,

I feel silly asking this, but you don’t know what you don’t know. I’m planning a cook for 14 people minimum. I also want a good amount of leftovers for the freezer.
I plan on smoking it the day before, wrapping it and doing a LONG heated hold, I.e., till the next afternoon.
Am I better off smoking 2 10-12 pounders or 1 20 pounder? The biggest I’ve ever done is a 14.

Other than time, are there any differences between
smoking a small-medium sized and a large?

Another thought I was kicking around is letting one cool naturally at room temp, portion it out, vac pack and freeze it. Then doing the long hold on the other one I’ll be serving. That way when I pull it out of oven and slice for guests, I’m not worried about removing what I want to save or simply saving what isn’t eaten, which will have had time to oxidize and dry. I know preparing, cooking and handling 2 roasts will be significantly more work than 1. Wondering if worth it.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!
JD

[texastweeter]

Go with whatever way you can find quality brisket. If all the small ones have paper thin flats, or are very stiff go with one big one, and vice versa. If all things equal, and you can get both options that pass the bend test, and have thick uniform flats, I'd do the two smaller. Will be a quicker cook with more bark.

[jjdbike]

Thanks!
All things being equal, I'd rather more bark and less cooking time. Prepping, tending to and handeling 2 vs 1 is more work, but so is tennis a fire for 18 - 20 hours. AND... good wood is not cheap.
Best regards,
JD

[STEbbq]

I would do 2 as well. I would not want fo be trapped into a 20-24 hour cook when I could be done in half of the time. More bark as well.

The freeze strategy can work. I would be wary of using anything smaller than 12 pounds as 14 people is at least 7 pounds of cooked meat. After trimming especially if choice, you might only have six pounds for service. I assume 2 pounds lost to trimming and another 40% during cooking. If you have a ton of sides and small kids, 12 pounds might be fine, otherwise you might want to do 14 pounds to be safe.

[fzxdoc]

Really? People eat 8 oz cooked meat? I wouldn't have guessed that. Good to know. Thanks.

K.

[jjdbike]

I would do 2 as well. I would not want fo be trapped into a 20-24 hour cook when I could be done in half of the time. More bark as well.

The freeze strategy can work. I would be wary of using anything smaller than 12 pounds as 14 people is at least 7 pounds of cooked meat. After trimming especially if choice, you might only have six pounds for service. I assume 2 pounds lost to trimming and another 40% during cooking. If you have a ton of sides and small kids, 12 pounds might be fine, otherwise you might want to do 14 pounds to be safe.

Thanks,
Yes, I don't want to tend for for 20 hours, more burn through 20 hours of wood on one cook.
Plus... bark!
Thank much for the tip about size to people ratio.
I'll report back!
JD

[captainlee]

Do two, overall much easier.

[HawkerXP]

2 big ones!

[jjdbike]

Do two, overall much easier.

Thanks!

[jjdbike]

2 big ones!

I like how you think!
JD

[Redwng]

For 14 plus people and you want leftovers 2 large ones (14-16+ pounds before trimming) are in order.

[jjdbike]

Thank you!

[jfmorris]

I was gonna say the same thing as Redwng. Considering losses for trimming and shrinkage during cooking, I don’t think two small or even one large brisket is quite enough. I had a Christmas potluck here at the house and smoked an 18 pound (pre trim) brisket, and there were several other meats. With 30-something people, the brisket was gone in 10 minutes.

An 18 pound brisket will lose a couple pounds to trim usually,making it 14-15 pounds before cooking. It will then lose about 35-40% of its weight during the cook. Post cook weight will be 8-10 pounds. At a generous 8 ounce serving per person, knowing you still have fat people won’t eat post cook, it doesn’t leave a lot of leeway. Especially if people are fixing their own plates. You always have someone that grabs several big slices, even though normal folks in that situation would just get one and come back if there is extra later. I’ve seen it too many times.

You are better smoking two big briskets if you want a chance at leftovers.

[fzxdoc]

Just as I mentioned earlier in another comment, I'm surprised that people eat 8oz cooked meat at gatherings. It sounds like a lot. Both you and STEbbq came in with the same number, so I'm taking that to the bank!
Thanks.

K.

[jfmorris]

fzxdoc Kathryn, its a good number to plan for when you don't know who all will be eating, how "piggy" folks will be when they make their own plates, or how much the slices of brisket you lay out on the cutting board weigh. I was also accounting for the fact that most folks gravitate to the leaner flat end of the brisket, and fewer to the fattier point end. Plus the deckle/fat layer between them is not going to get eaten.

[Santamarina]

If you have room in your pit do two! And as others have said…go big!

And Go Prime if you have them available. My Costco had Prime packers today for $3.89/lb and they were all 15-20 lbs. I keep my pit around 250°F and I’ve never had a Prime brisket take more than 9 hours.

[jjdbike]

I was gonna say the same thing as Redwng. Considering losses for trimming and shrinkage during cooking, I don’t think two small or even one large brisket is quite enough. I had a Christmas potluck here at the house and smoked an 18 pound (pre trim) brisket, and there were several other meats. With 30-something people, the brisket was gone in 10 minutes.

An 18 pound brisket will lose a couple pounds to trim usually,making it 14-15 pounds before cooking. It will then lose about 35-40% of its weight during the cook. Post cook weight will be 8-10 pounds. At a generous 8 ounce serving per person, knowing you still have fat people won’t eat post cook, it doesn’t leave a lot of leeway. Especially if people are fixing their own plates. You always have someone that grabs several big slices, even though normal folks in that situation would just get one and come back if there is extra later. I’ve seen it too many times.

You are better smoking two big briskets if you want a chance at leftovers.

Thanks JFM,

I will do two biggins’. I’m only going to hold and serve 1. I’ll cool, portion, vacuum pack and deep freeze the other. It’s a pot luck so everyone is bringing something.

I’ll report back.
Thanks again!
JD

[jfmorris]

Ah. If this is a potluck, and other meats or mains are present, that makes a difference for sure! BUT, every time I take a brisket to a pot luck at church, I cut it there on a cutting board after pulling it from my cambro/cooler, and its always the first thing totally gone at the pot luck. Doesn't seem to matter if it's 12 or 40 people... or what else is present. Folks just seem to love GOOD smoked brisket...

[jjdbike]

If you have room in your pit do two! And as others have said…go big!

And Go Prime if you have them available. My Costco had Prime packers today for $3.89/lb and they were all 15-20 lbs. I keep my pit around 250°F and I’ve never had a Prime brisket take more than 9 hours.

Thanks Sanatanarina,

I have a KBQ so definitely have room for two. Plus, Due to the airflow with the two fans, it cooks quicker than most stick burners. Like a convection oven.

Ironic that you said go prime and Costco. I’m planning on joining Costco for that exact reason. I was advised to drive the extra distance to the Costco business center to have the best chance at a selection of prime packers in stock. Hitting them up this coming Saturday.

My only regret is that I didn’t get them a month ago for wet aging.

Thank bud!
JD

[realdocBBQ]

I was gonna say the same thing as Redwng. Considering losses for trimming and shrinkage during cooking, I don’t think two small or even one large brisket is quite enough. I had a Christmas potluck here at the house and smoked an 18 pound (pre trim) brisket, and there were several other meats. With 30-something people, the brisket was gone in 10 minutes.
An 18 pound brisket will lose a couple pounds to trim usually,making it 14-15 pounds before cooking. It will then lose about 35-40% of its weight during the cook. Post cook weight will be 8-10 pounds. At a generous 8 ounce serving per person, knowing you still have fat people won’t eat post cook, it doesn’t leave a lot of leeway. Especially if people are fixing their own plates. You always have someone that grabs several big slices, even though normal folks in that situation would just get one and come back if there is extra later. I’ve seen it too many times.
You are better smoking two big briskets if you want a chance at leftovers.

Here's a really good video a saw the other day where Joe Yim listed his pre- and post-trim weights for 10 briskets he did. Some people are surprised at how little true YIELD you get from a brisket. When you trim it aggressively you lose a LOT of weight and then it cooks off a lot of weight and you really end up with probably 50% or less of your original purchased weight.

The part where he shows the trim weights is like at 6:30


This is why so many people balk at paying $28-30/lb or more for brisket, but BBQ places have trouble selling it for less and being able to survive. I've even read some BBQ places are serving brisket more as a 'loss leader' - and then we wonder why sides are $5-7, or a glass of tea is $2.89 or something! I've gotten to where I really don't do a lot of briskets and even if I let people place an order, I don't get many requests - because I have to do it for $22/lb or more just to make it worth my while to bother. I don't have a grinder, so I don't do sausage or burgers or anything like that - that stuff all ends up as waste, but I'm still paying for it at the store, plus the time of trimming it off. $4.49/lb for Prime briskets at Costco this week, which is still a good price (these days, anyways!) - then figure I'm cooking it for minimum of 12-14 hours if I'm doing foil boat. Holding for 10-15 hours. It's a process. Time-consuming, expensive, figure seasonings, wood costs, foil costs, all the losses... hell, I shouldn't even be selling it at $22/lb.

I see guys all the time on FB talking about selling them for $150-200 whole and I shake my head wondering who the hell pays that? But... if you get 8-9lbs of finished product out of an 18lb brisket... it makes more sense. Most restaurants figure on usually doubling or tripling their food costs for retail sale. At $80-100 for a brisket, that comes out about right.

[jjdbike]

Here's a really good video a saw the other day where Joe Yim listed his pre- and post-trim weights for 10 briskets he did. Some people are surprised at how little true YIELD you get from a brisket. When you trim it aggressively you lose a LOT of weight and then it cooks off a lot of weight and you really end up with probably 50% or less of your original purchased weight.

The part where he shows the trim weights is like at 6:30


This is why so many people balk at paying $28-30/lb or more for brisket, but BBQ places have trouble selling it for less and being able to survive. I've even read some BBQ places are serving brisket more as a 'loss leader' - and then we wonder why sides are $5-7, or a glass of tea is $2.89 or something! I've gotten to where I really don't do a lot of briskets and even if I let people place an order, I don't get many requests - because I have to do it for $22/lb or more just to make it worth my while to bother. I don't have a grinder, so I don't do sausage or burgers or anything like that - that stuff all ends up as waste, but I'm still paying for it at the store, plus the time of trimming it off. $4.49/lb for Prime briskets at Costco this week, which is still a good price (these days, anyways!) - then figure I'm cooking it for minimum of 12-14 hours if I'm doing foil boat. Holding for 10-15 hours. It's a process. Time-consuming, expensive, figure seasonings, wood costs, foil costs, all the losses... hell, I shouldn't even be selling it at $22/lb.

I see guys all the time on FB talking about selling them for $150-200 whole and I shake my head wondering who the hell pays that? But... if you get 8-9lbs of finished product out of an 18lb brisket... it makes more sense. Most restaurants figure on usually doubling or tripling their food costs for retail sale. At $80-100 for a brisket, that comes out about right.

Thanks so much dogface ponysoldier!

So are you foil boating it after stall and bark is established, instead of wrapping in butcher paper?

Do you keep in boat unwrapped for the 10-15 hours?

If you’re doing such a long heated hold, do you cook it to fully tender/ 200ish or do you pull to hold a little early?

Thanks in advance!
JD