Brisket cooking too fast!

[Sweet Baby Ray]

My name is Ray and I'm from Texas, actually born and raised in England but moved to Texas 17 years ago so kind of from Texas!

Anyway I have a 15lb brisket, brined for around 50 hours, then seasoned with Jim Baldridge's secret seasoning for 10 hours and put in my Little Guy, #1 Smoker I had to squeeze it in and it was touching the sides.  Put a temp gauge in the thickets portion of the brisket about 1.5 inch deep.
4:30am  41 degrees - starting temp.
5:30am 125 degrees
9:30am 194 degrees
10:20am 194 degrees

I was thinking this would be a 12 -14 hour smoke, but 5 - 6 hours in and its almost done, what should I do???

Please help!

much appreciated..

ray

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[Sweet Baby Ray]

I'm cooking at 225

[Pork Belly]

Did you cram that whole chunk of meat on a single shelf? I have a #3 not a #1 so I dont know where your thermostat is in relation to your shelving. I say that because you stated "I had to squeeze it in and it was touching the sides." Is your brisket blocking the majority or possibly all the heat from rising past it? If the heat is not getting to the thermostat the element will be running full tilt and roasting the underside of that brisket. You should open the door and look if you have doubts.

[Sweet Baby Ray]

will check right now!

[Sweet Baby Ray]

actually Brian I have probe thermostat I stuck through the hole at the top, the number 1 doesn't have a built in thermostat..also I believe there was room at the sides.  I stuck it in the mid level shelf and it was touching the door and the back wall, not the sides..

[Sweet Baby Ray]

Oh sorry you are referring to the one that monitors heat internally, OK will open to see what's going on. 
it does now appear to be going between 192 and 194 whenever I look at it, it's been like that for an hour or so..

[Sweet Baby Ray]

OK so we are 10 hours in and it's still stalled at 194..

[SuperDave]

What's your next plan?  At 225, your meat will never reach your box temperature, so you might just be drying out your meat if you are really at 194 IT.  I think you ought to take a sample. 

[Pork Belly]

You weren't really clear what your goal is, what temp are you trying to get to?

[DivotMaker]

It has to be a probe placement, or probe, problem!  There is NO way that a 15 lb packer is going to hit 194 in 5 hours, at 225!  It shouldn't even be close to done now, 12 hours in.  Need to verify temp with another thermo, or make sure it's in the thickest part between the point and flat. 

[Sweet Baby Ray]

Oak after 11.5 hours it reached 200 so I pulled it out, it was VERY tender, so much so that when I took it out it broke in half.  I quickly put it in a big foil tray and covered and put it in my cooler.  Will take it out in a while and slice.  Will post pics.  The stall of 194 lasted from 9:30am to 3:30pm! 
Bark is not black, more dark brown and not heavy.  Will let you know how it tastes!

[DivotMaker]

Wow, 46 min per pound on a brisket is really fast!  Can't wait to see the pictures and hear the results.

[Sweet Baby Ray]

Here are two pics, wanted to take more but was too excited to get any decent ones.  The bark was not very dark, but it was all very tender.

[Sweet Baby Ray]

Additionally I didn't notice too much of a smoke ring so I will put 6 ounces in next time, this time I did 5.2 ounces..

[Pork Belly]

There is a good bit of science with smoke rings. the short version is, you will not get one ever in an SI. You can chemically create one but why bother.