Help me plan

[Arcwelder76]

So; I want to do a brisket and turkey for Thanksgiving. Is it possible to put a spatched bird on the smoker after the beef has stalled/been wrapped and back on? I think it all would fit but I don’t really want the 2 separate meats to funk each other up. Am I being crazy? Separate? Together? What to do….. thanks in advance for the tips.

 

[Greg Jones]

Assuming you have the space in your kitchen’s oven, I’d put the brisket in there once it’s wrapped. The meat doesn’t care what the heat source is once it is wrapped.

 

[SmokeOCD]

Unless both meats are smallish, I don't think you can do it - without a shelf. Wrapped, I don't think one could funk up the other. Greg's idea is probably the best unless all your sides are being baked in the oven.
-or-
Brisket needs to rest. A spatchcocked turkey takes ~3 hours, and only needs a short rest. So maybe you can still cook them separately with an adjustment to your brisket starting time and still serve them together.

 

[Arcwelder76]

Unless both meats are smallish, I don't think you can do it - without a shelf. Wrapped, I don't think one could funk up the other. Greg's idea is probably the best unless all your sides are being baked in the oven.
-or-
Brisket needs to rest. A spatchcocked turkey takes ~3 hours, and only needs a short rest. So maybe you can still cook them separately with an adjustment to your brisket starting time and still serve them together.

Hmmm; that’s a great point. I’m wondering if a 2 hour time would be too long for the brisket to rest in the cooler after I finish it off. That would give me plenty of time to finish the bird. Maybe start the bird on the grill for an hour to try to get crispy skin then finish it low and slow on rt?

 

[SmokeOCD]

Check the other turkey thread. 325* start to finish. It was great, did it this past Saturday.
Just follow the recteq video - with all the butter.

 

[Greg Jones]

Hmmm; that’s a great point. I’m wondering if a 2 hour time would be too long for the brisket to rest in the cooler after I finish it off. That would give me plenty of time to finish the bird. Maybe start the bird on the grill for an hour to try to get crispy skin then finish it low and slow on rt?

Two hours, or more, would likely be the perfect brisket rest time assuming it’s going in a cooler. I have a dedicated low profile cooler just for resting ribs and brisket. With brisket, I let it rest outside the cooler until it’s 180° IT, then it goes into the cooler until A) I’m ready to eat or B) the IT reaches 140°. If you put it in the cooler immediately after pulling it from the grill, the resulting temp overshoot is not your friend.

 

[Arcwelder76]

Great tip. Seems like the last one I did turned out too dry and ended up being a complete waste of 12 plus hours. I’ve honestly gotten away from doing brisket for several years now because of all hassles my last 2 smoker’s have been. Hopefully between all the pointers and the new rig I’ll be successful

Two hours, or more, would likely be the perfect brisket rest time assuming it’s going in a cooler. I have a dedicated low profile cooler just for resting ribs and brisket. With brisket, I let it rest outside the cooler until it’s 180° IT, then it goes into the cooler until A) I’m ready to eat or B) the IT reaches 140°. If you put it in the cooler immediately after pulling it from the grill, the resulting temp overshoot is not your friend

 

[SmokeOCD]

Two hours, or more, would likely be the perfect brisket rest time assuming it’s going in a cooler. I have a dedicated low profile cooler just for resting ribs and brisket. With brisket, I let it rest outside the cooler until it’s 180° IT, then it goes into the cooler until A) I’m ready to eat or B) the IT reaches 140°. If you put it in the cooler immediately after pulling it from the grill, the resulting temp overshoot is not your friend.

Another reason to have a separate wireless thermometer setup? Black Friday coming up...

 

[Jim6820]

Hmmm; that’s a great point. I’m wondering if a 2 hour time would be too long for the brisket to rest in the cooler after I finish it off. That would give me plenty of time to finish the bird. Maybe start the bird on the grill for an hour to try to get crispy skin then finish it low and slow on rt?

Brisket gets better with rest. I have rested brisket for up to 5 hours—well-wrapped in towels and in an insulated container—and it has still maintained a safe temperature at or above 140F. Resting 2-3 hours would actually be optimum.

 

[RezMonkeigh]

I see coordination as the issue, not funky flavors. I'd suggest do the brisket. When it's done (because stall knows no bounds....) that when you wrap and rest the brisket, should be plenty of time for spatchcocked Turkey.

 

[Arcwelder76]

I see coordination as the issue, not funky flavors. I'd suggest do the brisket. When it's done (because stall knows no bounds....) that when you wrap and rest the brisket, should be plenty of time for spatchcocked Turkey.

That’s probably what I’ll end up doing….. but the brisket is calling out to me….. I may not have the patience to wait a week

 

[SmokeZilla]

I have rested the brisket wrapped in a towel lined cooler for up 5 hours and it was still at serving temperature. As you decide, don’t forget the obvious. Poultry tastes better with a cherry, apple, almond, or other “sweet pellet/wood”. Beef does not taste very good with the sweet woods (hickory, oak, mesquite, competition blends or similar are preferred). The worst thing you can do to your guests is have the beef and poultry taste the same. I consider it to be one of the few sins of small batch, smoked meats. (BBQ joints get away with it because its‘s expected.) I like to take it to the next level and provide something they can’t get from the corner restaurant. Each protein should have a unique flavor profile (in my opinion). Since the brisket will be wrapped, it won’t be absorbing any additional smoke but the bark will take on the flavor if left unwrapped. If you are going to do both at the same time, wait until you wrap to change out your pellets.

Also, I don’t like well done beef of any kind. Don’t hesitate to spritz the flat often and double wrap it half way through the cook. This will slow its cooking while the point “catches” up. Then, when you wrap, remove the aluminum “heat shield”. This trick keeps the flat from drying as it finishes while wrapped where the moisture is at higher levels. Pro Tip: Make sure you “paint” the pink butcher paper with Wagyu or beef tallow. It will help trap the moisture and keep the brisket from drying out because it won’t allow moisture to escape as easily as the plain paper will. You can also capture your drippings using a disposable tray or baking sheet placed under the brisket while cooking if needed and add a little water to keep it from drying out or burning. Good luck and best wishes for a great cook.

 

[Arcwelder76]

I have rested the brisket wrapped in a towel lined cooler for up 5 hours and it was still at serving temperature. As you decide, don’t forget the obvious. Poultry tastes better with a cherry, apple, almond, or other “sweet pellet/wood”. Beef does not taste very good with the sweet woods (hickory, oak, mesquite, competition blends or similar are preferred). The worst thing you can do to your guests is have the beef and poultry taste the same. I consider it to be one of the few sins of small batch, smoked meats. (BBQ joints get away with it because its‘s expected.) I like to take it to the next level and provide something they can’t get from the corner restaurant. Each protein should have a unique flavor profile (in my opinion). Since the brisket will be wrapped, it won’t be absorbing any additional smoke but the bark will take on the flavor if left unwrapped. If you are going to do both at the same time, wait until you wrap to change out your pellets.

Also, I don’t like well done beef of any kind. Don’t hesitate to spritz the flat often and double wrap it half way through the cook. This will slow its cooking while the point “catches” up. Then, when you wrap, remove the aluminum “heat shield”. This trick keeps the flat from drying as it finishes while wrapped where the moisture is at higher levels. Pro Tip: Make sure you “paint” the pink butcher paper with Wagyu or beef tallow. It will help trap the moisture and keep the brisket from drying out because it won’t allow moisture to escape as easily as the plain paper will. You can also capture your drippings using a disposable tray or baking sheet placed under the brisket while cooking if needed and add a little water to keep it from drying out or burning. Good luck and best wishes for a great cook.

Thank you so much for the tips. I’ve been using a blend of bear mountain apple and pecan and so far so good. I do think I’ll run and get a few bags of bear mountain gourmet blend and cherry. The gourmet for the brisket and cherry for the turkey. I have a suspicion that as I cook more and more the smoker will only get better seasoning wise. The beef tallow is something I’ll look into. Thanks again

 

[SmokeOCD]

@SmokeZilla - I just did spatchcock turkey with recteq pellets. 325* the whole time. It was not unpleasant, in fact it was really good. Just a hint of smoke.

I do know what you're talking about though. I've done turkey on other smokers with heavier smoke and no fruit woods, and turkey can be hard to distinguish from pork without the visual cues telling you what you're eating.

 

[Arcwelder76]

@SmokeZilla - I just did spatchcock turkey with recteq pellets. 325* the whole time. It was not unpleasant, in fact it was really good. Just a hint of smoke.

I do know what you're talking about though. I've done turkey on other smokers with heavier smoke and no fruit woods, and turkey can be hard to distinguish from pork without the visual cues telling you what you're eating.

Just did a spatchcock chicken yesterday to experiment with how I’ll do the turkey and it turned out great for my first time doing a bird like that