***Final Update "Success" *** Brisket.... and water???

[dcharette]

So i popped the 26'r cherry yesterday and for a quick meal i just made some burgers and dogs.... tomorrow morning, im jumping both feet in a brisket. I have cooked many of brisket in a sticker smoker but never on a weber.... do i really need water next to or under it? Lots of the videos I have seen show folks cooking brisket and using water of some kind.

oh... the brisket is a 12-13lb with nothing trimmed. Im thinking 8-9 hrs (snake method), wrap in foil and back on for 1-2 hrs, rest and then serve???

Curious of your thoughts and expertise on these webers. thanks!

[Jammato]

Water is one of those things much debated. Tell you the truth, I can not tell the difference when I use it or not. It is all about air movement and temperature.

[MacEggs]

Im thinking 8-9 hrs (snake method)

Personally, I think it might take longer for that weight.  Caveat: Never done a brisket on a Weber kettle .... Hope to this summer.

My personal preference would be to avoid the water-pan in the kettle.  If time is not an issue, then ignore the previous sentence.

Please take notes and let us know how it goes.  Thanks! 

[1buckie]

Here's some stuff.....

This one was about 15 & a half after trim.....

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/ok-finally-brisket/

Here's several people writing in & some other links about the elusive mystery meat.....

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/brisket-on-a-22-5-kettle/msg106493/#msg106493

I wouldn't think a water pan is an absolute for something like this.....just lope along at a medium temp (say, max 275f) & it should be fine.....rotate the meat if you need to keep it from above the coal burn, if you're doing a chain / snake.......

I do beans below quite often & maybe that provides some extra moisture........see here:

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/bbq-food-pics/bob's-beef-o-rama/

I would trim it around the point / flat connecting point & maybe some along the big area of the flat.....see if you can get it sort of the same general thickness......that helps in the small, tight area of the kettle.....

[austin87]

I prefer no water pan on smokes. Water is a huge heat sink so if you have trouble keeping the temp low then a water pan really helps with that.

[Troy]

i say skip the water.

if you can handle a brisky in a stick burner, you won't have a problem with the weber.

[dcharette]

Update.  @545 this AM I started my 8-10 briquets and latched them on the snake. I added chunk mesquite every few inches on top of the briquets. So far so good. The bottom grate wide open, the top is open only a little less than 2/3. The temp has been holding pretty steady between 230-240 with out having to adjust on the fly. I did not add a water pan. so my first impressions on the 26er have been pretty good. It was a little cool this AM so ill check it now and then to see if the temps go up that much. I haven't decided on which probe set to but so I'm flying this thing based solely on the temp gauge on the lid. Hope its fairly accurate!!!

I have had success in the past with the following brisket prep. After trimming it up fairly well i then did marinade the brisket all night in (let me explain first before you faint) BBQ sauce, chopped up jalapenos, serranos, garlic, onion salt and pepper. I then placed the brisket in a large turkey bag and stuck it in the fridge overnight. This morning I took it out of the bag and scraped the sauce and veggies off of the brisket. I then put a decent amount of dry rub on it and off it went unto the grill.

ill send pics later with progress and results.

[dcharette]

http://s1164.photobucket.com/user/onedcharette/media/1st%20weber%20brisket%2032915%2026er%20%202_zpsjxvdtiyi.jpg.html

[Jammato]

dcharlette
I have noticed you do not have your location filled in by your name
that can help us a lot when talking about how to cook
you see
everyone has different environment, I liver in the middle of the California desert, it is 10% humidity right now and got down to 54 degrees last night going to get up to 96 today. So we cook a bit different. My concern right now would be temperature shift during the low and slow. and adjusting the bottom vent to keep it around target. once the ambient temp hit 80 or so the cooks temp would settle down.
Good luck on the cook and keep posting

[dcharette]

http://s1164.photobucket.com/user/onedcharette/media/1st%20weber%20brisket%2032915%2026er%20%203_zpslx5ga9fb.jpg.html

Sorry for the pic not showing the actual temp.... the red arrow is set at 165. Its thickest point is currently showing a  temp of 150.

So its been 7 hrs and things are doing ok. The flame up (in the pic) is a piece of mesquite i moved over some hot coals. I dont know if i made the snake thick enough.... i have the bottom completely open and the vent open 100% as well. I added a few more briquets and hope to bump things up a bit. I am pleased for the most part how the grill has performed.

I forgot to mention the weather. Its currently 78 and sunny. The wind at only 4mph.

[austin87]

You are definitely a Texan with the Mesquite! Sometimes I feel like the only person living outside of Texas who likes it!

[1buckie]

Sounds like it's going along fine.....the lid therm temp will quite often be higher than the grate temp, but if you're using probes or a stabber, pay more attention to those....

[Chuck]

I've not noticed any real difference using a water pan or not to affect the food itself.

Where I found the difference is on hot days a water pan will help control temps better.

[Jammato]

You are definitely a Texan with the Mesquite! Sometimes I feel like the only person living outside of Texas who likes it!

Nah, I love the stuff, I have planted a bunch of trees so I can harvest them every year, I keep a lot around.

I do agree that mesquite is one of those taste most do not get, so if I have someone over I use it sparingly, however me, the wife and the kids when they come over feel that just like garlic, there may never be to much mequite

[dcharette]

forgive my ignorance on how to post a pic yet...

So it turned out really well. Its tender and the smokiness flavor is surprising. I would of never guessed a weber grill could smoke that dang good! It smoked a ttl of 11hrs, 2 of those were wrapped in foil. I let it set for an hour before cutting. The flattest end is what you see cut and i think the smoke ring looks pretty good too. The snake lasted the full 11 hrs of cook time and I would have never believed it if i didn't see it myself. It wasn't a complete snake either, just 3/4 around the sides was all. Very impressed with how well it held the heat etc.

Im really loving this 26er. Its a keeper for sure. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for a table/station project im tossing around. My immediate mods will be the Craycort Cast Iron Grates and maybe a Maverick 733 unless someone talks me out of it in here.