Can't keep temp steady

[1st timer]

My last brisket before wrapping.
The other pics are too large to attach. 

[1st timer]

I used my torch to char it a bit....after taking this pic.

[1911Ron]

Well, the last one turned out great. Juicer and more tender at 260-270F. Wrapped it in foil at 160 and then removed it at 197. I let it drop to 190 then put it in the cooler for 2hours.
I have a feeling an extra hour of resting would've been better.
Does it make a difference if it's wrapped in foil or butcher paper?
I'll aim for 220 for the next one wich brings me to my following question.
I have an 18 pounder and from what I've experienced so far
with cooking /resting times, this bad boy will take approx 24 hrs. How do you manage a long smoke like that?

Easy you reload!    It sounds like you need a Smokey mountain smoker eh?  When probing it should feel like butter when you push it in.   I don't wrap so i am no help there.

[michaelmilitello]

Well, the last one turned out great. Juicer and more tender at 260-270F. Wrapped it in foil at 160 and then removed it at 197. I let it drop to 190 then put it in the cooler for 2hours.
I have a feeling an extra hour of resting would've been better.
Does it make a difference if it's wrapped in foil or butcher paper?
I'll aim for 220 for the next one wich brings me to my following question.
I have an 18 pounder and from what I've experienced so far
with cooking /resting times, this bad boy will take approx 24 hrs. How do you manage a long smoke like that?

Foil and paper do produce different results.   Foil will create more au jus and retain moisture.  Your bark may get mushier with foil.  Paper yields better, smokier bark, but may lack moisture.   If I cook choice grade brisket, I use foil.  If I cook prime grade, I'll use paper.    It's a moisture consideration driving my decision. 

I would not expect a 24 hour cook and rest.  If you wrap and bump you temp up a bit, you'll cut time off significantly.   Most of my packer briskets in the 13-18 pound range take 12 hours or so, excluding the rest.  Each one is different. 


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[1st timer]

Isn't lower and slower better?

[AZ2FL]

Well, the last one turned out great. Juicer and more tender at 260-270F. Wrapped it in foil at 160 and then removed it at 197. I let it drop to 190 then put it in the cooler for 2hours.
I have a feeling an extra hour of resting would've been better.
Does it make a difference if it's wrapped in foil or butcher paper?
I'll aim for 220 for the next one wich brings me to my following question.
I have an 18 pounder and from what I've experienced so far
with cooking /resting times, this bad boy will take approx 24 hrs. How do you manage a long smoke like that?

Don't aim for an IT of 220 or you'll have brisket that taste like a chuck roast. Probe tender is the best method. Most of the time I don't even use a thermometer for IT.


An 18lb brisket will trim down to 14-16lbs. It might take 10-14 hours to cook. Each brisket is different. In the past I've cooked two briskets in the same WSM. The 16lber was done before the 12lb brisket.

If your concerned about time, run the pit at 275-300 degrees.

[1st timer]

Sorry, I meant smoker temp will be 220.

[1911Ron]

Sorry, I meant smoker temp will be 220.

Bump your temp to 250 and it will cut your time some.

[1st timer]

Won't smoking it longer yield a more tender meat?

[kettlebb]

Not necessarily. Don't get so caught up in 220 or 225 for your smoker temp. You can cook at a higher temp and still get excellent results.

You'll have more fun if you aim for a temp range. Say 240-270. As long as you are in the range just watch the smoke roll and enjoy.

Be sure to pick a good brisket. If it's a full packer give if the bend test in the store. If it's stiff and doesn't bend much pick one that does. Then when you get home, trim it well. Get all the hard fat off and get the cap down to 1/4". Then put your rub on and leave it on the counter while you get the smoker ready.

Main thing is probe tender. Some can be stubborn. Just wait for the probe to slide in like butter. Then you've rendered the fat and can give it a rest.


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[1st timer]

Thanks for the tip.

[Lightning]

Not necessarily. Don't get so caught up in 220 or 225 for your smoker temp. You can cook at a higher temp and still get excellent results.

You'll have more fun if you aim for a temp range. Say 240-270. As long as you are in the range just watch the smoke roll and enjoy.

I'll second this advice.  One of the learning experiences I had along the way is that it's easy to get caught up by the whole 225 degree temperature that's listed everywhere, and I did too when I started out.  What I discovered was that for a given barbecue burning a given charcoal, with a reasonable vent opening that's not at an extreme end of the range so you have room to adjust more open or more closed, all in the particular environment it's in, there'll be a window or a range of temperatures it'll settle in and run at easily.

What I've found with my WSM with Weber briquettes or Royal Oak lump charcoal with the vents partway open is that it settles in and runs around 250 degrees.  Getting it to run hotter than that can be done but the vents have to be wide open and it'll only go so high before it tops out.  It eventually got up to 290 degrees for the last 25-30% of a hot and fast cook I did on it tonight with a prime rib roast but it was almost completely opened up to pick up the extra 40 degrees.  Getting it down to 225 and having it stay at 255 without creeping back up or snuffing out the fire from shutting all the vents down too far has always been nightmare of watching it like a hawk and constantly adjusting the vents with that thing.  Ever since I found it settles in and runs at 250 on its own once it's set up, I've been enjoying far better food with far less effort.

I guess what I'm saying is for your particular barbecue with the charcoal that you happen to use with your local climate that it's working in, there'll be a naturally occurring operating point, a sweet spot, that it'll settle into for long low and slow smoking.  It might or might not be 220 or 225 degrees, but the important thing is to find out what is is and then let it run there when you're doing long smokes and it'll be much easier to let it run where it runs best and easiest.