Hi All, I'm new to smoking and this is my first post here. Having said that I have some beginner questions. I have a party planned for about 40 people and I would really like to go for major WOW factor with my BBQ! I just bought a new char broil smoker with a side box and I have a 13.5 lb brisket that I am going to try to smoke all night the night before. My questions are how long should I actually cook it for, For a time estimate you should figure about 2 hours per pound. We go by temp not time. Get yourself a couple of good digital temp probes. You need 1 for the brisket & 1 for the smoker temp. The factory gauges are not very accurate.The brisket needs to smoke until it reaches 165 degrees internal temp., then wrap it in foil with some liquid ( we use about 1/4 cu dark beer ) then back on the smoker or in a 225 degree oven until it reaches 200-205 IT. Keep it wrapped in foil & put it in a dry cooler with some towels around it for a couple of hours. Then it's ready to slice & eat. You will also want to put a pan on a rack below the brisket to catch the juices ( we put beef broth, onions, and garlic in the pan too. Use this liquid for an au jus after you de-fat it.and I also noticed that I have a hard time keeping the smoker at a consistent temperature. Are there any helpfull tips on how to keep the smoker at about 225-240 without constant adjustments.This is one of the problems with a SFB unit, you will have to babysit it & add fuel as needed, and adjust the vents as needed to keep the temp constant. I also was wondering what the difference is between the flat and the point. The point is at the thick end of the brisket, it is separated from the flat by a layer of fat. There are several threads here that show you how to separate the two, just use the search. It's much easier to see with photo's. I appologize for the long post. Any help would be appreciated.
