I've got a crazy idea!....

[julius]

Ok, maybe not that crazy....but def not something I've read about yet. [emoji]128513[/emoji]

Firstly, I have a MES 30 gen II that I've had for about 6 months now and for the majority of that time I've been quietly reading and learning from all of you, HUGE THANKS!

Btw, This is my first post...

NOW FOR THE CRAZY IDEA,
I've smoked whole turkeys, whole chickens, pork butts, ribs, fish, and more, all with great success. But one thing that I have wanted to smoke and haven't is a whole brisket. Mainly because I don't think I have it in me to separate the flat and point PRIOR to smoking. And I know that it won't fit on the racks in my smoker.
So I was thinking, would it work if I turned my smoker on edge and somehow put in a drip pan and rack long enough to fit a brisket on? I figured I could set the edge that has the latch on a few bricks(spread out around the edges like a table)so that I could still use the latch. I have a tube smoker that I use instead of the onboard chip tray, so that's not really a concern. I'm thinking that this might work, assuming that there isn't a shut off switch that's triggered when the unit is tipped over.
Has anybody ever tried this this? Or heard of this? Any input is greatly appreciated.

-Julius

 

[okie362]

Don't think I would turn it on it's side.  I do briskets in mine by simply cutting them in half (Not separating the flat and point). 

 

[daricksta]

Ok, maybe not that crazy....but def not something I've read about yet. [emoji]128513[/emoji]

Firstly, I have a MES 30 gen II that I've had for about 6 months now and for the majority of that time I've been quietly reading and learning from all of you, HUGE THANKS!

Btw, This is my first post...

NOW FOR THE CRAZY IDEA,
I've smoked whole turkeys, whole chickens, pork butts, ribs, fish, and more, all with great success. But one thing that I have wanted to smoke and haven't is a whole brisket. Mainly because I don't think I have it in me to separate the flat and point PRIOR to smoking. And I know that it won't fit on the racks in my smoker.
So I was thinking, would it work if I turned my smoker on edge and somehow put in a drip pan and rack long enough to fit a brisket on? I figured I could set the edge that has the latch on a few bricks(spread out around the edges like a table)so that I could still use the latch. I have a tube smoker that I use instead of the onboard chip tray, so that's not really a concern. I'm thinking that this might work, assuming that there isn't a shut off switch that's triggered when the unit is tipped over.
Has anybody ever tried this this? Or heard of this? Any input is greatly appreciated.

-Julius

I personally wouldn't do it. I think it might mess with the heat and temp sensors since the smoker is designed for the heat to rise. It could definitely be a problem with an older MES Gen 2 that has the vent on the side. Since you'd be essentially placing meat on one of the walls--what would you use for a rack and where would you place the tube smoker? I also don't know if MB put in a shutoff switch in the event the smoker tips over. I also didn't like the idea of slicing a cut of meat into two halves so they could fit on a rack. However, when I bought briskets weighing about 7 lbs. in the past I'd frequently slice them into two halves so I could smoke one half and my wife could use the other half in a slow cooker recipe. I have a MES 30 Gen 1. Just last week I bought a 14 lb. USDA Prime whole brisket packer from Costco (the per-pound cost is far less than the supermarket price for a brisket flat alone) but it won't fit on one rack. I plan to cut it in two: the half with the point will be cooked on one rack since I plan to try my hand at making burnt ends, and the other half which will be all flat will either be cooked on a 2nd rack or I'll save it for another time. Far easier to slice the meat in two instead of hassling with a MES turned on its side, in my opinion.

Keep in mind--you never separate the point from the flat underneath it before you cook the brisket. You first cook the entire brisket (or the half with the point) to your chosen finish temp. If your goal is to make burnt ends, you take the cooked brisket out of the smoker and then separate the point from the flat. At that point you can use whatever method you like to keep the flat warm. Then you take the point and cut the top half from the bottom, remove as much soft fat as you choose, then cut it up into bite-sized cubes, pour some BBQ sauce over them and mix it up if you like, and then stick the pieces in a foil pan and place the pan back into the smoker at 250° for about 2 hours. You can stir them every 30 minutes and pour dry rub on them each time if you like. You want the burnt ends charred and crispy on the outside and the fat rendered down. Here's Jeff Phillips' recipe. I prefer to use my own dry rub and sauce. http://www.smoking-meat.com/may-3-2012-smoked-brisket-and-burnt-ends

 

[julius]

I have a gen 1. Sorry for the typo. So it would kind of still draft upwards.
I was thinking i could use a foil pan and put a larger grill rack(perhaps modified) to place the meat and tube smoker on. But you're right, it is a lot of hassle when I could simply cut it to the size of the rack. Maybe I'll buy a larger brisket so that I still have two large sections after slicing in half. This is precisely why I asked on here before attempting to do it. I really appreciate the input. Points!

 

[daricksta]

I have a gen 1. Sorry for the typo. So it would kind of still draft upwards.
I was thinking i could use a foil pan and put a larger grill rack(perhaps modified) to place the meat and tube smoker on. But you're right, it is a lot of hassle when I could simply cut it to the size of the rack. Maybe I'll buy a larger brisket so that I still have two large sections after slicing in half. This is precisely why I asked on here before attempting to do it. I really appreciate the input. Points!

Thanks for the points, Julius. Do you sub for Chris Hardwick on Midnight by any chance?

Glad you have a Gen 1. They're superb smokers for the money. After 4 years mine works better than when it was new. Anyway, as I think I wrote previously for the first few years I smoked I refused to cut meat in half. I thought that the cut ends would overcook. That never happened so I changed my thinking by necessity. No way that 14 lb. whole packer brisket will fit on one rack in my MES 30. Also by necessity I can only cook one half of the brisket at one time since I only have one ET-733. After I get a second one later in the year I'll be able to monitor the IT of a 2nd hunk o' meat on a separate rack at the same time.

I saw in the recipe that Jeff likes to use a foil pan for a brisket. I've never seen or read that anywhere else. I just bought some butcher paper to use with briskets and pork ribs so I'll be trying that next.

 

[bbqwillie]

Separating the point from the flat isn't that hard... give it a shot