Did a 14.5 pound packer last night, came in just under 11 pounds trimmed. I dry brined for about 30 hours with salt and pepper, no other spices after that. I used the snake method for coals. This was a mistake due to the fact that I had to: 1) keep turning the grill grate to keep the meat on indirect heat 2) drip pan wasn't always centered to catch the drippings 3) The meat wound up sitting over direct heat while I added coals to the end of the snake, more about that in a minute.
My snake was 2 coals wide and 2 coals deep. I used 4 small chunks of mesquite for smoke. I found the sweet spot of 240F with the top vent all the way open, and the easy clean vent set to 1/4 open. It stayed rock solid for 6 hours, which made me very happy.
Then, around midnight, for no apparent reason at all, the wind started blowing, and I mean blowing hard! My flags were straight out, and the temps went crazy. First they dropped, then shot up to 320 in about 10 minutes. I was on crazy damage control for a while, and closed the bottom vent almost completely to compensate. Then it dropped to 210, then back up, then down. I felt like one of the fellas in this video for a while. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk7yqlTMvp8
After about 3 hours of this, the wind died down, and I got it all back under control. However the damage had already been done. Between Fact #3 above and the crazy high temperatures, the bark got pretty darned tough on the edges, and quite dry to the point of flaking to pieces when sliced.
I smoked it for 16.25 hours to an IT of 200, soft as buttah! Wrapped in foil, then put it in my oven @170F for 2 hours. It was still at IT of 185, so I let it sit (still wrapped) until it dropped to about 140-150, then the carving began.
Once you chiseled your way past the bark, the innards were excellent! Tender, juicy, and a great smoky flavor. I rate it a success considering the fact that I was in direct conflict with Mother Nature for a while. Here's the proof in pictures.
Kinda hard to see, but here's the coal setup with pan. I started with about 1 inch of hot water I took from boiling to the pan.
19 inch long brisket on a 22.5 inch kettle. This was a super tight fit, but it fit, so it got smoked.
Here it is after the rest.
Here you can see the flaky bark. The good thing is it was still edible!
Still, it was juicy and yummy!
My snake was 2 coals wide and 2 coals deep. I used 4 small chunks of mesquite for smoke. I found the sweet spot of 240F with the top vent all the way open, and the easy clean vent set to 1/4 open. It stayed rock solid for 6 hours, which made me very happy.
Then, around midnight, for no apparent reason at all, the wind started blowing, and I mean blowing hard! My flags were straight out, and the temps went crazy. First they dropped, then shot up to 320 in about 10 minutes. I was on crazy damage control for a while, and closed the bottom vent almost completely to compensate. Then it dropped to 210, then back up, then down. I felt like one of the fellas in this video for a while. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk7yqlTMvp8
After about 3 hours of this, the wind died down, and I got it all back under control. However the damage had already been done. Between Fact #3 above and the crazy high temperatures, the bark got pretty darned tough on the edges, and quite dry to the point of flaking to pieces when sliced.
I smoked it for 16.25 hours to an IT of 200, soft as buttah! Wrapped in foil, then put it in my oven @170F for 2 hours. It was still at IT of 185, so I let it sit (still wrapped) until it dropped to about 140-150, then the carving began.
Once you chiseled your way past the bark, the innards were excellent! Tender, juicy, and a great smoky flavor. I rate it a success considering the fact that I was in direct conflict with Mother Nature for a while. Here's the proof in pictures.
Kinda hard to see, but here's the coal setup with pan. I started with about 1 inch of hot water I took from boiling to the pan.
19 inch long brisket on a 22.5 inch kettle. This was a super tight fit, but it fit, so it got smoked.
Here it is after the rest.
Here you can see the flaky bark. The good thing is it was still edible!
Still, it was juicy and yummy!
My number is BR-549, (Hello Junior wherever you are 
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