Beef Christmas Brisket

[CMTiger]

I “may” be attempting a Christmas Day brisket. Moms request. I’ll need to have it off, wrapped and in cooler for transport at around 3:00 Christmas Day. In recommendations on a game plan? Gonna need to feed 9 adults, 1 teen and two kids that may or may not eat a bite.

Also….how long ahead of time can I buy, trim and season? I have never done a brisket so it’s exciting

 

[MidwestSmoker]

There is bit of a learning curve for briskets. I suggest you try one first for yourself before doing it for Christmas. I think it took me 3 cooks to master it. Of course YMMV.

 

[BobbyQ]

I've only done weekday briskets on the Traeger. They take about 18 hours because you start them out at about 190. I'm guessing if you went to 250-270 to start out you could get it down to about 9-12 hours but it’s all about IT right? 155-165 to wrap 205 done. If you buy it early and freeze it allow at least 4 days to thaw out in the fridge. I have trimmed it and left it overnight in the fridge. Some season night before, I season about 1 to 1-1/2 hours before it goes on the grill while it’s heating up. Brisket is really tempermental when it comes to the stall. I’d start at about 9 PM. Sounds like a fun Christmas eve babysitting the packer. You can keep it in the cooler for quite a while even if it’s done early. Thanks Enjoy!!

 

[midwest]

I follow Malcoms recipe (you can find it on youtube,How to BBQ Right). Start it around 10:00 pm the night before, at around 190 degrees. Then you can go to bed and forget it. Wake up and it should be around 150-160. Wrap it and turn the heat up some. I have done several this way and they always finish between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. Once wrapped and in the cooler it will be fine to rest for several hours, or until your ready to eat.

 

[RayClem]

Since brisket (and pulled pork) are cooked to rather high internal temp (often 200+ F), the meat freezes and reheats quite easily. Try cooking the brisket a few weeks ahead of time and see how it turns out. If it turns out well, freeze it and then reheat it for Christmas. If it did not turn out quite the way you hoped, you can still freeze it for personal use and then try to adjust your cook plan before the Christmas feast. I know briskets are expensive, so you do not want to mess one up; but you also do not want to disappoint your guests. If you do your research, you should be able to get a decent cook, even if it might take a few such cooks to hone your skills.

 

[CMTiger]

What about size? It’s definitely going down this year.

 

[traeger860]

I'd prob get a 10-12 pounder for that many people. 12-14 if you want some leftovers.