So newb questions.

[dasmoker]

Hey there folks. Ever since my "fail" last Saturday, and my subsequent finding of the "solution" to my fail, I can not stop reading this forum, and can not wait till this weekend when I can finally make some smoke. I thought I really wanted to go with pulled pork as my 1st, but now I am really leaning towards a Brisket, using the SmokyOkie method. SO I have a question or 2.

I have the Brinkman Vertical Sqaure 2 door smoker. 69.95 at Home Depot. It has 2 food racks.

One, Are those racks big enough to do a whole brisket, like the 12 lbs ones you guys talk about? I guess I mean the Packer thing (still getting used to the termininology, lol)?

Can i get a whole one smaller than 11 or 12 lbs? I want to sear it, so I want the whole brisket.

I am guessing the top rack would be perfect to make the Wicked Baked Beans while smoking the brisket? (Unless I want to do a pork butt up there as well, hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Damn, haven't even smoked yet and I already need more room. LOL )

 

[bmudd14474]

Not sure if that smoker is big enough for a full packer. Im sure someone will be along shortly to answer that. I think a pork shoulder is a great first smoker. I think brisket is taking a big leap, not saying its a bad leap. Just read up on it. Theres alot to take into consideration and alot that can pop up on you. That being said I am looking fwd to seeing your first brisket.

Way to get started here.

We always need bigger smokers.

 

[reichl]

put the beans undernieth the brisket so the drippings fall into the beans

 

[scubadoo97]

I have the ever popular 30" MES smoker. It has 14" square racks. My first concern with this smoker was could I do a full brisket. I had my doubts but I've been able to put full 12-13 lb briskets and bend them so they "tent" on the rack. As they cook they shrink and they end up fitting just fine. If you tent one, you need the clearance space above it. As long as you do it will work.

 

[pineywoods]

Brisket is a great smoke but the first time out I'd recommend the butt its much more forgiving. But of course thats your choice and place the beans under what ever you end up smoking

 

[tasunkawitko]

Welcome, DaSmoker -

You can get a TON of information about smoking a brisket here and also by following this SAFE word document download for a document called the BBQ FAQ.

http://www.eaglequest.com/~bbq/faq2-w97.zip

it has a good table of contents at the beginning, so just look for what you're looking for there and then proceed to the page number!

 

[the dude abides]

I agree that a brisket can be a challenge. So if you're not up for a long smoke maybe start with something like a butt that'll be easier and more forgiving.

But I'd still give the brisket a try if you're up for it. My $0.02...
1) If it doesn't fit, you could (or your butcher could) seperate the point from the flat. Just note that they will not cook at an even pace tempature wise.
2) If you haven't done so already, get yourself a couple of quality thermometers. One (or more) probe that you can leave in the meat and run the probe wire out the door. This will allow you to watch the internal temps without opening the door and causing heat loss. And another to track the temps of the smoker itself. You'll want this one to live somewhere the rack(s) where your cook is happening.
3) Be prepared for a long day/night. A brisket (in my opinion) is one of the finest things to come out of a smoker. But they'll make you work for it if you're thinking they're no big deal. They can have long stalls in temp. The biggest thing I read on here is people thinking "I have to have it done for diner at X:00 o-clock." It'll be done when it's done. If you rush it by cooking it too hot or try and end the cook to early it'll be tough and you won't enjoy it. Tis better to cook it early and let it set. It'll stay hot for hours if you wrap it in aluminum foil and put it into a warm cooler (meaning you're not using the cooler to keep something cold. You want an empty cooler) using towels or blanckets to fill the dead air space around it. Or you can cook before hand and reheat when you want to eat it.

Hope this helps. It's not really hard to do a brisket, so I don't want you to be afraid of it. I do want you to be prepared for it though. This little hobby of ours isn't cheap.

One other thing and another good reason to try something else first...this is a new smoker for you so you should do a few easy and cheap smokes first until you're comfortable with being able to keep the temps at you desire.

Good luck. Ask questions. Show pictures!

 

[coffee_junkie]

I agree with the dude..
I have taken all of these steps and every smoke gets better and better, a good therm, and lots of time and patience....on the cooler note, I used that tech for the first time last Saturday on some beef pot roasts, I had an old goose feather down coat and used it to fill the void in the cooler it worked great, I left the thermo in the meat and could watch the temp, it sat for three hours and was still hangin around 170 when dinner time came around..pretty cool...or warm i guess. Have fun, be patient, and enjoy yourself, it will all just fall into place.