Thank you for acknowledging that. If you stipulate as much I don't think the purists will whine very much. For some reason it makes me feel better. There's no shame in producing quality Q with a cheater rig but those who make out like it's legitimate BBQ irritate the guys who are using fire and steel.

I've been looking at the Weber Smokey Mountain for about 2 months now and finally made the plunge this morning and picked it up. I'm now smoking 3 slabs of baby backs and one 7 pound brisket flat.

I have had a Chargriller Smokin Pro with Side Fire Box for about a year. It is a really good starter smoker but pretty difficult (even after the mods) to keep the temperature consistent.

I fired up the weber this morning and it's been at 225 for 3 hours now. So far I'm LOVING it!

So, right now, I'm smoking on both smokers. Total of two 7 pound brisket flats and 6 slabs of Baby Back Ribs.

I'm practicing for a local KCBS BBQ Contest. will be my first one.

anyway, I'm extremely happy with the Weber Smokey Mountain and I see myself buying at least one more for future use and competitions.

Once you master it, I'd recommend smoking a turkey for Thanksgiving ...

my girlfriend insists on cooking the Turkey for Thanksgiving every year but I get to do it at x-mas. Last year I got a turkey fryer and decided to give that a try, I failed, but only because I was sold a Blue Rhino propane tank that was almost empty. I ended up having to fry the turkey on the stove. :(

If I smoke a turkey this year I want to brine it for at least 12 hours. I have smoked chicken but don't brine it...I'd like to though, but just not enough patience.

QFT

I want to smoke a brisket next week. I have a digital probe thermometer so I can monitor the temp of the brisket pretty well.

What is the ideal temp for brisket? What temp is best for the smoker?

Also, I forgot if you cook it with the fat side on top or bottom.

Any tips will be appreciated.

Buy the brisket whole in a cryovac. Open the cryovac and rinse the whole thing with cool water. You want the meat to have the fat cap remaining. I always leave 1/8 to 1/4 inch of fat on the back, so you'll probably have to do a little trimming. Try to find one that is roughly the same thickness from point to flat. You're not going to find one that is perfect, just get the best one you can find.

Season that bad boy up using whatever rub you have around, but make sure there's not a ton of sugar. The time it'll take to smoke it will burn the sugar. Wrap it up, throw it in the fridge for 12 hours.

When you're ready to smoke, bring the brisket out of the fridge and unwrap it. You'll want to take a paper towel and dry up all the moisture that's come to the top, and do another dusting of rub. If you have a box fan, put the brisket on a drying rack in front of the box fan and let it sit there while you get the coals for the smoker going. That 45 minutes will do wonders for the bark. That moisture will hinder the bark's formation, so make sure the brisket is dry on the outside, even if you don't have a fan.

Put the brisket on the smoker fat side UP. As that fat renders, it'll melt into the meat and keep it moist. Keep your temp between 200 and 225, and open the lid to the brisket as infrequently as possible for the first four hours. This will be a lot easier if you have an offset smoke box. Keep the thickest part of the brisket (the point) the closest to the fire, but as a whole you want to keep the entire thing away from the flame.

After that first four hours, turn the meat over and baste with apple juice or beer every couple of hours until it's ready (usually about 90 minutes per pound). If you feel at any point it's getting burned, pull it out and wrap a couple of times with a heavy duty foil. After that first four hours you're wasting wood, so stop burning it unless that's your heat source.

Once it's come to temperature, let it sit for 20-30 minutes under foil. This will make slicing a LOT easier. Trim off that fat cap now. I like to separate the point from the flat - there's a line of fat going between the two, so it should be fairly easy to do. I also will put the point back out on the smoker and make me some burnt ends.

Are you cooking it on the Matserbuilt Smoker? If so I wasn't sure if a packer brisket could fit in it. If so the only thing I'd add to FMB's advice is to shoot for a final temp of 190-200. Also if you're using the Masterbuilt I'd probably put the fat cap down since the heat is right under the meat.

Yes. I smoked it for the 1st time today. It ran a little hot as the chicken (5 lb roasters) and baby backs were done in 4 hours when set at 225.

I am planning on setting it 10 - 15 degrees under next time.

Do you recommend injecting the meat with apple juice? I saw a site that suggested wrapping it in foil and putting it in a cooler for 2 hours for after-cook. Anyone do this?

Can you put it in the stove after 4-6 hours if the smoke effect is gone at that point? Seems easier than cooking it in the back yard considering I am using an electric smoker?

I don't ever inject the meat. I baste with apple juice, most often. A made an apple ale (a homemade apple beer sitting around 25-30 proof) that I'm going to baste with next time.

Brisket should not just fall apart. If it falls apart, it's overdone. When all else fails, use the pull test. Brisket should pull apart with a little resistance, but still pull away easily.

I put an 8 lb pork butt on a couple of hours ago. Can't wait to tear into that bad boy.

Question on cooking times. I am going to be smoking a couple of 7-8 lbs pork butts this Thursday. I usually go 1 to 1-1/2 hours per pound. In this situation, should I figure total pounds for cooking time or can I assume each one will cook about the same as they would individually? Awesome thread by the way!

How big is the smoker? It shouldn't matter, but that's assuming the butts aren't crowded. If they're crowded, it'll be a little more time, but not 1.5/per pound. Probably more like an extra hour or two - again, that's only if they're really crowded in the smoker.

Your latter thought is correct - unless you've got them butted right up against each other. As long as you have about an inch of circulation between them you'll be fine.

It's a cheap wal-mart Brinkman charcoal smoker. Pretty basic set up but it's done well for me. I have a little trouble maintaining a constant temp if there is wind or cool weather but other than that, no problems. I should be able to get plenty of circulation between the 2 butts. Thanks for the help guys.