Brisket benefits from long slow cooking, so I'd go with the overnight/8 hour timing. It would be done in the shorter time, but it wouldn't be tender enough to shred the way you want it to.

I've not done brisket, but I do chuck pretty regularly, then shred it and mix with BBQ sauce for sandwiches and 10 pounds of chuck gets a minimum of 6 hours at 225F, usually more, so I think you'd be good with 8 hours at 250F, although longer probably wouldn't hurt it as long as you have enough liquid/juices. I'd probably get up during the night and check it too, because I'm always sure disaster will befall me when I'm having company, LOL.

Have fun!

Annie

I'd do it at a lower temp for an even longer time.....Like just under 200 if your thermostat will do that accurately, for 10 to 12 hours.

Thanks Annie and Linda. Very helpful info. I can definitely do it for longer, so I will do that and keep an eye on the liquid during the night to make sure it stays juicy. Thanks, Matt

You are welcome, Matt. I hope you come back and tell us how delicious it was!

Annie

It really doesn't matter that much. All you have to do is to do taste tests once in a while to check if the meat is tender enough. If not, just keep cooking.

In general, the high the temperature, the more weight (juice) loss (shrinkage = dry meat).

In my sous vided brisket, I cook it at 131 F for 48 hours. There is considerable less weight loss.

dcarch

Quick update. I've been cooking the 15 lbs of brisket at 200 for 12hrs now. Still plenty of liquid, but the meat doesn't seem close to falling apart. I have about 5 more hrs to play around, so hopefully a little more time will make a difference. I upped the temp to 250 too. Crossing my fingers!

The last hour, if it still has not gotten tender, put it in the pressure cooker for 45 minutes.

dcarch

Wow, still not tender? I thought maybe 200 was a bit low for that large a piece of meat, and brisket too, which takes a while to "fall apart".

Hopefully it's perfect on time for guests...

It's too late for any more suggestions, but I was going to suggest cutting it into smaller pieces and upping the temp a bit. I don't think 15 pounds of brisket would fit in a pressure cooker, it would take one of the big canners, which many people do not have.

Annie

I am so curious how did the brisket come out ? This is like a cliff hanger.

I am back from an awesome family reunion, but back to the topic... After 6 more hrs and the temp bumped up to 250, the brisket was extremely tender and shredded easily. The entire meal was a big hit. I just wish I had some leftovers!

Thanks again for all of the suggestions.

Ohhh that is wonderful news..makes me want to do the same thing.
Thanks for the update.

june

Them Nescos is wunnerful things... :)

Cynic, you just said it all. (grin)

I'm glad it came out all good in the end. And they lived happily ever after, eating brisket and having a reunion!

Annie

I also thought that 200 or below was not high enough heat for that size of roast. But, you were able to fix that and glad to hear that all went well. I love brisket.