Need advice on huge Prime brisket

[AltimusPrime]

Hi, All! Need some advice here. I've got my first ever prime brisket to smoke; also, it's by far the largest brisket I've ever smoked (19.6 lbs..holy crap!) I ordered it here: https://store.creekstonefarms.com/, but I had ordered a 14-16lb prime and they sent me a 19.6lb prime. It needs a good bit of trimming, so possibly will lose a few pounds before the cook.

All that said - I've done my fair share of the Costco packers, around 12lbs and they have turned out great. I do them at 225 until they get somewhere between 198 and 205 (I check them for tenderness around 198, then again at 203 to see if they are ready). They typically take about 1.5hrs per pound. BUT, never done prime and never so big. SO:

1. Can I still expect the prime to take ~1.5hrs per pound or will it cook much faster because of the additional fat?
2. Any concern with drying out the brisket if I just cook to temp? That could theoretically be a 30 hour smoke, which I don't think I've ever heard of anyone doing.

I have 16 people coming to the house, dinner to be served at 6pm... I had planned on starting around 2pm the previous day, estimating a ~24hr smoke and 3 or 4 hours to rest in the cooler - too long? too short? Any and all thoughts welcome. I've never been so excited nor so terrified to cook a brisket!

Thanks,
Tim

(full disclosure - I posted this on a different forum as well, I need all the advice I can get!)

[RonB]

Most here agree that thickness is more important than weight when it comes to smokin' meat. So, if it's thicker, it will take longer. But what jumps out at me is you statement about more fat. Are you trimming most of the fat off? Too much fat is not a good thing. Here's how Aaron Franklin trims a brisket. Most here will cook to feel - not temp. What you want is for your probe to slide in like a knife into warm butter. Start probing around 195* and pull it when your probe slides in easily.

And welcome to the Pit.

[AltimusPrime]

I won't over trim, especially not with so long a cook. Probably will leave about 1/4 inch of fat.

[CandySueQ]

I've cooked big 'uns! I separate the point and the flat. I severely trim the point, there's lots of intramuscular fat to keep it moist. I will leave 1/4" of fat on the bottom of the flat. I cooked a 16 pounder to turn in for a contest on Saturday at 1:30. Likely removed 6 pounds of fat total. Got the brisket on the smoker at 4:30 am with the cooker set at 350, but at the cooking location it was about 280. I wrapped in foil at 9 and took it off at 12 to rest. Sliced it at 12:50 then put it back in defatted hot broth from the foil. Put it back on the cooker in a cooler spot. It was spot on at 1:20 when I built this box.



2nd place!

[AltimusPrime]

Nice! That looks great!

[Spinaker]

This wont take 24 hours. It may take a bit longer than normal but no that much longer. i would trim it up and cook it like you would any other brisket. If its A LOT thicker than most briskets you have done, then it may take a bit longer but it will not take 24 + hours. I'd say more like 12.

[AltimusPrime]

Thanks Spinaker.

I'm starting to think that this will only take between 12 - 16 hours @ 225, based on all the reading I'm doing and what you and others are saying and taking into account that I will be trimming at least 3, possibly 5 pounds of fat before cooking. So actual weight may be down to 14-16lbs. I think my current plan is to start the cook at midnight; hope that it takes at least 12 hours and not more than 16. If done in 12, then I will have to rest it for 6 hours (is that too long?) or if done in 16 hours then I will only rest it for 2 hours. Hopefully it is closer to 13 or 14 hours and hits the sweet spot to rest at 3 or 4 hours. Does that seem legit? Worst case scenario it takes too long and I need to use the Texas Crutch (which I will know around 10am) to speed it up. I don't see that it would be possible to take less than 12 hours so I'm not too concerned about that, but if I needed to, I can put it in the oven to hold around 170 (after air-cooling to 170) as has been suggested elsewhere.

[Spinaker]

I think you will be fine with 16 hours. That will give you plenty of time.

[ecowper]

I would say it's a 13-14 hour cook once all trimmed, etc. If it looks like it will go long, increase your temp to 250-275 and wrap it.

[AZRedneck]

Thanks Spinaker.

I'm starting to think that this will only take between 12 - 16 hours @ 225, based on all the reading I'm doing and what you and others are saying and taking into account that I will be trimming at least 3, possibly 5 pounds of fat before cooking. So actual weight may be down to 14-16lbs. I think my current plan is to start the cook at midnight; hope that it takes at least 12 hours and not more than 16. If done in 12, then I will have to rest it for 6 hours (is that too long?) or if done in 16 hours then I will only rest it for 2 hours. Hopefully it is closer to 13 or 14 hours and hits the sweet spot to rest at 3 or 4 hours. Does that seem legit? Worst case scenario it takes too long and I need to use the Texas Crutch (which I will know around 10am) to speed it up. I don't see that it would be possible to take less than 12 hours so I'm not too concerned about that, but if I needed to, I can put it in the oven to hold around 170 (after air-cooling to 170) as has been suggested elsewhere.

If you think you might have a long rest before chow time, just wrap it tightly in foil, then several towels, drop it in a beer cooler and fill the voids with more towels. You can even pre heat the cooler with hot water before you stuff it in there. The important thing is that the meat temperature does not fall below 140F. That's when microscopic critters can start growing. So leave a meat probe in it if you have one to monitor the temp preferably without having to open the cooler. An alternative for a shorter rest (or is the temp drops low) is to put it in your oven. The lowest mine will go is 170F, and that worked great for my last pork butt on a 2 hour rest. IT was still 185 when I opened the foil and pulled the pork.

[Breadhead]

I always start my brisket cooks 18 hours before I want to serve it. I cook at 225 the entire time. I don't ever use the Texas crutch. My guess is that size hunk of brisket will take 15/16 hours at 225°. If it finishes in 14 hours you're still ok if you wrap it and put it in your 170° oven or a faux cambro.

[DBoone]

I always start my brisket cooks 18 hours before I want to serve it. I cook at 225 the entire time. I don't ever use the Texas crutch. My guess is that size hunk of brisket will take 15/16 hours at 225°. If it finishes in 14 hours your still ok if you wrap it and put it in your 170° oven or a faux cambro.

Yep, that's the way do it. I use the newspaper and towel packed cooler as my faux cambro. (Wrap the brisket tightly in foil, wrap that with newspapers, fill the cooler with towels under, over and around the brisket.)

[RonB]

Don't forget that if the time seems like it's going to be way too long, you can always raise the temp a bit.