First time smoking a whole brisket. Got a 13 pound prime cut from Costco and watching videos all week. Using my old Weber with some new mods. My wife thinks I'm crazy for waking up at 4am but apparently thats just what you do. Anyone here smoke brisket regularly? How do you know when its actually done? I keep seeing different temps online.
That 13 pounder is going to be amazing. Make sure you're wrapping it around the 8 hour mark or it'll dry out. What temp are you going for?
Good luck! That's a serious undertaking. I smoked a brisket about a year ago for the first time and underseasoned it like crazy. My advice: season it more than you think you need to, keep your temps steady, and don't panic when the bark looks dark. You got this.
This is the kind of weekend project I'm here for. Just remember the brisket doesn't care about the videos you watched, it's got its own timeline. Grab a cooler, some beer, and settle in for the long haul.
14 hours sounds about right for a 13 pounder. Make sure you have a comfortable chair and maybe some good podcasts queued up because you're gonna be out there a while. First time is always a gamble but that's part of the fun.
Nice! Did you wrap it or doing the whole thing unwrapped? That's usually my first question when someone's doing their first brisket.
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14 hours is going to test your patience but man, the payoff is worth it. I smoked a brisket for the first time last fall and I was checking on it every 20 minutes like an idiot. Pro tip: set a timer and actually walk away. The meat knows what to do.