Awesome, thanks for the info. Looks like a great smoker.

I find doing long smokes with charcoal a very messy business.

Too much soot accumulates and tends to stifle the air flow - depends on your smoker of course. I do those longer ones on an offset stick burner.

I like the small logs you can get at Bass or your local home center as Tom Silva would say.

You need to soak them because they do tend to catch fire which can mess with your temps but if you add a single log on a regular schedule you can moderate the temp pretty well.

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My Maserati does 186.

Got a 5.8 lb whole chicken rubbed down, want it done at 6:45-7 ish... what time do you think I should toss it on?

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Why don't you just have your lady do it and then when she inevitably screws up in your eyes you can smack her a couple of times.

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That’s a good tip. Thanks!

Bought a 17.5 lb Brisket to smoke for Xmas day dinner. Should be interesting.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

i too got a brisket...not 17.5 pounds, but i think its like 8 or so

any tips here ? I did it once before but it was like 3-4 years ago and while i recall it wasn't terrible, i didn't exactly hit a home run either

I am still a beginner so I am sure you can get some better advice from others. I've done a few that size and it has worked out ok. Would try to smoke at 225 until internal temp is 160 degrees and then wrap and keep going until internal is about 205 degrees. Sometimes I pull mine a little before that. Usually use apple cider and try to keep it moist as much as I can before the wrap. A bit concerned I am taking a bit too much on with one this big. On paper it looks like it is going to be like a 20 hour smoke. Guessing I will lose some weight off of it when it gets trimmed up a little. Good luck with yours!

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

I love good brisket but it is the hardest of the primary bbq meats to get right imo. If you nail it you'll be a hero though.

We're going with one of my favorites - smoked prime rib. Pretty easy too...which is nice!

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“How do you get to be president and you’re stupid?” Donald J Trump - 4/10/25
When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus. - Turkish Proverb

Yeah, I wouldn't attempt a brisket without sous vide first. Stick to a nice rib roast.

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Um I already spent $70 on the brisket so people are either going to like it or not.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

I didn't mean it quite like that.

Im sure it'll be great. Bet you trim 4+ pounds of fat off that thing.

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Yes it likely will be a bit smaller when I unpackage. I think it will work out fine as far as an end product. The timing is the challenge for me because my smoker seems to cook more quickly than I think. It will work out fine.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

You could sabotage the bbq and then maybe next time the in-laws wouldn't travel to your place, or if they did at least they might spring for Christmas dinner.

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You're in for a big job with a brisket that big....It's gonna take many many hours. Wrap it at some point once the internal gets to 165-170....also make sure you allow it 1-2 hours wrapped in a cooler before you eat.

I have found Tri-Tip cooked sous-vide is a nice brisket substitute that's much easier to cook. Not as amazing as brisket when you get brisket right, but it is very very good.

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mine is actually smaller than i thought, it's only ~5 pounds. That actually concerns me just as much as TBone's, like the possibility of drying it out is greater. I'm making pulled pork too which is a backup since I know i can't screw that up

and yea tri tip is awesome

ok i watched a 1/2 hour video on Youtube from some hillbilly names T-Roy

feeling a little better about it

At least we are good for something!!!!

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

what temp do i want to pull the brisket at ? 205 ? and then sounds like wrap with foil to rest ?

The nickname T-Boy is common in rural Louisiana.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

About to take it off in maybe 10-15 minutes temp is just about 200

Been in for 12 hours so that seems right

The temp was too low for an hour when I fell asleep then too high for an hour after I added more coals , nothing extreme but I hope the fluctuation doesn’t fuck it up.

The picture I saw looked fantastic!!!

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

Well, did they like it?

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The people that have tried it did like it. I just don’t understand the timing. I anticipated at least a 16 hour smoke. Still had to be 15 or 16 lbs after trimming. My smoker must be ultra efficient or something. Put it on at 4 and it got to 165 IT by 9. I wrapped and went to bed. Temp alarm went off just after 2am that it was at 205 IT. Kept it wrapped in butcher paper and wrapped in a towel and put in a cooler for 5 more hours. It turned out well overall but yet another learning experience. I probably have 8 lbs left over.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

What temp was the smoker holding?

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225

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

That's pretty wild. Did the connective tissue have enough time to break down? How easy was it to pull a slice apart?

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Leftovers are a little tough but tastes good. It was really juicy when I trimmed it up at 7am. The smoking thing has been more frustrating than fun the last 6 months.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

One of the tricks is to poke the meat thermometer through the wrap into the brisket. If it doesn't slide in with zero resistance, like a hot knife through soft butter, it's not finished...even at temperature. It needs time to break down the connective tissue in the meat.

Love my smoker, but this is why I also love combining it with the sous vide technique. You can really dial in your serving time and save a lot of frustration.

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what kind of smoker?

late to the party here by my guess is your smoker ran hotter than you think. (which isn't a problem if you know)

lunch briskets, I finish at midnight and put in a big roaster at 175 and let it go.

evening briskets, I like to finish by morning and do the same.

briskets are "hard" but only in that its nearly impossible to time. so plan to have it done at least a few 2 hours early. 4 hours in a cooler is fine. or its done right on time. I take all briskets to 200-205 degrees internally. pull it don't cut until the internal temp has dropped at least back to 160. i prefer 150.