First Brisket and can’t decide

[LegoMySearwood]

So I haven’t cooked a brisket yet. I’m sure it will turn out just fine but I can’t decide what to cook it on. I need to make a decision because the wife has voluntold me that I’m making brisket for our 4th of July celebration with her parents and some good friends. No pressure. There will be about 12 adults and 7 kids. I’m going to Costco tonight for the brisket praying that I live in Idaho and they will still have good ones left. I feel like I’m okay on all three smokers. I can choose between my Weber Searwood, Weber Smokey Mountain 18”, or Weber Performer. I have like every accessory for the kettle. I have so many options but I’m torn between all three so I’ll open it up to the group. What should I cook it on and how big of a brisket should I get?

[Mosca]

An 18lb brisket will end up somewhere around 10lbs. That should be good. I’d use either the Searwood or the Smokey Mountain; both are made for longer cooks, whereas the Performer will do longer cooks, but wasn’t made for longer cooks primarily. I couldn’t tell you between those two, though, I’ve never used either one.

[texastweeter]

Wise comment.

[yakima]

Get the biggest brisket that you can find/afford. Use the pellet grill, to simplify fuel management. It is a long cook. And give it plenty of time. A long hold is fine.

[cruiseplanner1]

Yakima I was wondering about the hold time on a brisket this afternnon. Can they hold for seven hours?

[yakima]

cruiseplanner1, yes. 4 hours seems more typical. May need to hold in low oven for the long hold.

[Lynn Dollar]

That's a tough call.

The Kettle with the Smart Ring could do the cook, but maybe just me, I don't have enough cooks with it under my belt to feel comfortable smoking a brisket for a large group. That is not a time for new.

The Searwood would have better air flow than the WSM, because pellets are fan driven, there will be a lot of convection. But common talk on the internets is there's not a lot of smoke flavor. IDK that, I've never cooked on a pellet smoker. You'll have more experience with that.

Which leaves the WSM. Will it have better smoke flavor than the Searwood ? That's your call.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Start for an hour or two on coals with wood chunks and let it ride on the pellet pooper overnight for uninterrupted sleep.

[BillyBriskets]

This is exactly how I do it. Simple and always turns out great plus there is enough time for a long hold the next day.

[Murdy]

That's a good plan. Last brisket I did I started about 9 p.m., about 5 a.m., I moved it to the oven and finished it there (plus a long rest). If I had a pellet pooper, it would have gone there instead of the overn.

[Henrik]

I vote for the WSM or the pellet grill. Both get my vote because they will hold temps steady for a long time, meaning less intervention from you. I think that's a wise plan given that you will have guests, so you won't be able to check or tweak temps every now and then. I prefer the WSM because it gives great smoke flavor and is easy to manage, and if you load up the charcoal basket with the minion method it will be rock solid all day. However, pick the pellet grill if you have more mileage on it. My main takeaway is to use the grill you're most comfortable with, and that takes the least amount of baby sitting.

Only pro tip is to get started very early in the AM, OR do an overnight cook on the pellet grill and hold it in a faux cambro or holder oven during the day. The latter suggestion is the least stressful.

[Mosca]

I think the longer hold will also produce a better finished product.

[Henrik]

100% correct Mosca

[WI Bubba]

You've gotten some really good advice so far, so I'll just add this. It's just BBQ. Don't stress over it.

[Mosca]

Mosca sez: It’s just a big hunk of meat. Cook it.

[Oak Smoke]

There’s some great advice here. My advice is make a plan now then stick with it. Decide which day and what time you want to start. Pick a cooker, pick a temp you want to smoke at, (I’m a hot and fast proponent), pick a fuel and what wood you’ll use for smoke flavor. Pick a rub. Decide now if you’ll wrap or not and if so when. Decide where and how long you’ll rest it after the cook. Please decide to slice it as you serve it. Pre slicing can lead to tremendous moisture loss. Just write each step down and make your decisions now. There you have a game plan. Now gather what you’ll need to have on hand to make it happen. Do not second guess yourself, you’ve got this.

[RonB]

I like the idea mentioned above to start over charcoal with wood chunks, and then smoke overnight in the pellet pooper. Maybe lower the temp to around 225° for the overnight part of the cook so you don't have to tend overnight. You can always raise the temp when you get up if necessary. If it finishes early you will have a nice long hold with no stress and plenty of time to prepare sides and do anything else left to do.

Ya got this.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

This is exactly what I do, and at least 4 hours rest/hold.

[Lynn Dollar]

Chud smoked a brisket on a Kettle and thought it was good, not as good as on an offset, but he liked it .

And Grumpy's Outdoors compared Kettle brisket to offset and his blind tasters liked the Kettle, FWIW .

I'm seeing several on Kettle FB groups and Reddit, using the foil boat method on a Kettle and saying it gets great results.

[Lynn Dollar]

Something Chud does that I worry about at the 12 minute mark, approx.

I have a Breville toaster oven just like Chud's. He puts the butcher paper wrapped brisket in that oven at 155* for 12 hours. The paper is soaked with melted tallow.

What keeps the heating elements in the oven from starting a fire ?

[Henrik]

The temp mainly. It holds at 70° C, I would argue the temp needs to be higher than that for the fat/paper to catch fire.

[Lynn Dollar]

Henrik I'm thinking the paper touches the heating element

[Duanessmokedmeats]

Since your wife voluntold you to do a brisket, go get an offset or a Hasty Bake to smoke it on.
Tell her you need the right equipment to make her happy.

[LegoMySearwood]

I know, right?

[TripleB]

As mentioned above. Start off in the WSM, get some smoke on it. Transfer to the pellet smoker for overnight.

[LegoMySearwood]

Excellent recommendations from everyone.

[jfmorris]

My advice is to use the cooker you are MOST COMFORTABLE and confident in.

That size brisket may or may not fit comfortably on the 18 inch cooking grate of your WSM, so I am thinking the kettle + SNS, or your SearWood. Since the brisket could take 14-16 hours at 225, less at 250 or 275, you may want to do the Searwood for this cook. I personally would use the kettle, because I've done numerous on the kettle and know how long I can run the SNS with a basket full of B&B briquettes, but that's experience learned over many briskets and butts. Don't experiment on cooker and cook time for your first brisket.

I rarely wrap other cuts, but do wrap my brisket in foil once it hits 165 to 170, to avoid letting the flat dry out too much.

I vote Searwood, as you have been using it the longest, and know it will smoke for as long as you keep the hopper full.

If cooking overnight, start before bed at 225, and raise the cooker temp AS NEEDED to finish the job before lunch or dinner. If you decide to do it all in one day, get up early, start at 275, and be ready to wrap in foil and crank to 300 by mid afternoon.

[klflowers]

I have a 18" WSM as well. And a pellet grill - a smaller Chimp. If you are confident in operating the WSM, I would go with it. It is the only cooker I have done brisket on. Last time (a couple years ago) I put one on at around 6PM and went to bed at around midnight. It ran for ~14 hours without fan assist at 225-240. Used Kingsford and post oak. It wasn't quite done so I finished it in the oven wrapped, then held it for around 6 hours. It turned out pretty good. I can't remember how much it weighed, around 14lbs I believe. I remember it was a tight fit.