Newbie question - smoking multiple briskets

[lilrhodywtb]

We've got an MES 30 smoker.  Our rookie effort with a 14 pound brisket came out so good (please don't let it be beginners luck) that the neighbours have begged us to do a party - so we're going to smoke about 28 pounds of brisket this weekend.  

Give the size of our smoker, last time we split the point from the flat and smoked them stacked on top of each other.  I plan to do this same this time - just spread over 2 racks with a flat and a point on each.

The big question - how long do we need to allow to cook this?  I say that the time should be only a bit longer - we'll still be cooking meat that is about the same size, but just 2 racks of it.  Am I way off base?

 

[aggie94]

Glad your first brisket came out good.  I'm guessing it will be more than a "bit" longer but usually I just cook 1 item at a time so am only guessing.  Recommend allowing plenty of extra time in case, get done early and rest it till serving time.  Hopefully one of the folks who are use to packing their smoker will be a long soon to pass on their experience.

 

[jbills5]

Time will be the same or a bit longer. The only time it would double in time is if the meat was doubled in size as one piece. Cooking multiple pieces of the same size meat will take about the same time as cooking one.

 

[lilrhodywtb]

Thanks to a thunderstorm that lasted about 45 minutes, the smoker got cooled down a bit at the 15 hour mark - so I can't tell whether the extra meat or the surprise cool down was the issue.  In the end, 28 pounds of brisket took us 18 hours to reach 195 degrees.  

This round was not as good as the rookie round - the interior fat in the brisket didn't render as much as with our first one - I suspect that I should have left it on until it hit 200 before taking it off to rest.

 

[jbills5]

 
Thanks to a thunderstorm that lasted about 45 minutes, the smoker got cooled down a bit at the 15 hour mark - so I can't tell whether the extra meat or the surprise cool down was the issue.  In the end, 28 pounds of brisket took us 18 hours to reach 195 degrees.  

This round was not as good as the rookie round - the interior fat in the brisket didn't render as much as with our first one - I suspect that I should have left it on until it hit 200 before taking it off to rest.

Definitely could have used more time. Use IT as a guideline, but brisket is done more by feel than anything. Start checking it at 190-195, but it isn't done until a probe or toothpick goes in like butter.

 

[mfreel]

I just did 80 lbs.  They all got done at different times.  I knew when my probe when in without resistance that they were about done.