RT-1250 Extra long cook with 3 racks of ribs and a 14 lb prime brisket

[jtice]

I was wondering if having a 14lb brisket and 3 racks of ribs on the top shelf normally slows the cook down a lot? Ribs I added at noon and were done using the 3-2-1 method and the brisket took 16 hours. My briskets usually take 12 to 13 hours. It seems that adding the ribs really slowed things down. Is this normal? Outside temp was 80.

 

[Waterboy]

I wouldn’t think 3 racks of ribs and one brisket would change cook times too much. I’ve done six pork butts at the same time and didn’t really notice any difference in cooking time.

You don’t say what cook temp you used or how big the brisket was. I’ve had brisket take up to 18 hours. If the ribs got done in your normal time (and when you had the largest load in the cooker) I’d say you just had a brisket that took more time.

 

[jtice]

It was a 14 lb brisket. I did mention in the title. As to temp I forgot to save the graph so I don't have the exact data. Started at 4am at 180. boosted to 225 at around 9am, up to 240 at 3pm. Brisket finished at 8:00pm. Rested for 4 hours. It was one of my best briskets. First time I've used the upper shelf so I just wasn't sure. Normally I cook my briskets at 180/225 so this was quite different. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Waterboy]

Sorry I missed the weight in the title. At 225 a little over an hour per pound sounds about right.

That rest time is a huge factor in the final product IMHO. 4 hours vs. 1 or 2 makes a big difference. Glad it turned out good for you.

 

[jtice]

Just an update. While I was smoking an 18.5 lb brisket the other day and watching the temps and stall time it suddenly dawned on me why the cooks were so different on this 1250 VS my two Traegers. The briskets cooked faster on the T because of the constant temps shooting up. There was nothing like stability with my T. You could be sitting at 180 one minute and the next minute it would be 250-275-325. It would then cool back down till it decided to shoot up again. That pushed my average temp up, hence the quicker cooks. When I set the 1250 at low (180), it stays there! The stability of the Recteq is just amazing. I just was not used to such stability. I love my two Recteqs. They are proving to be very much up to the task.

John