Here's the projected chronology of a hot and fast brisket cook–

Trim & season    0.75 hr.
Refrigerate         2.0 hrs.
Smok                3.0 hrs.
Wrap                 0.5 hr.
Bake in oven      3.0 hrs. minimum
Rest                  1.0 hr. minimum
Total                10.25 hrs. minimum

My schedule won't allow for it so I need to divide it up into two days.  Do you think it's advisable to put it into the refrigerator after smoking and wrapping?  That would allow me to finish it the next day in five or six hours.

That is the method that I use, but I put a thermometer in the brisket while it is in the 300-350° oven and remove at IT of ~203°. I do not think that it takes 3 hours. I separate the point from the flat and remove all visible fat, I think that may shorten the cook time somewhat. I also use foil pans covered tightly instead of foil wrap. I add beef broth to the pan. I think that using a two-step process would work just fine. I've done that several times while making pastrami.

Why don't you trim/season and refrigerate it overnight?  I do overnights in the refrigerator on all my briskets, dino ribs, pork butts and ribs.

Why don't you trim/season and refrigerate it overnight?  I do overnights in the refrigerator on all my briskets, dino ribs, pork butts and ribs.

I'm visiting extended family.  This is what we decided on.

Thanks to the two of you for the validation.

Is it a Packer brisket?

Yeah, it's a packer.  But it's very small.  It's from SWMBO's (Linda) heifer that she had fattened and slaughtered on her brother's land in Idaho.

We're visiting him and his family.  I brought my Karubecue C-60 along to give to him.  He's never smoked a brisket nor used the Karubecue but he insisted that we change the plan I had chosen for his first cook on it.  He insisted that we cook it low and slow.  We didn't have a lot of time so we smoked it at 225°F for four hours yesterday and wrapped it and put it into the refrigerator to finish today.

I'm sailing in uncharted waters here.  So...what do you recommend for finishing it in the oven today?  What temperature and approximately what time until it probes like peanut butter?

Did you happen to note temp after phase I?  I guess it is all about tenderness at this point.  350° till it is where you want.  Are you going strictly dry heat?  Are we finishing by braising?

Here's the projected chronology of a hot and fast brisket cook–

Trim & season    0.75 hr.
Refrigerate         2.0 hrs.
Smok                3.0 hrs.
Wrap                 0.5 hr.

I'm sailing in uncharted waters here.  So...what do you recommend for finishing it in the oven today?  What temperature and approximately what time until it probes like peanut butter?

No, I didn't temp it when we took it out of the smoker.  I was working as fast as possible to stop the constant flow of BIL advice.

It was wrapped in butcher paper with a bit of melted tallow and then aluminum foil.  But I guess that I'd consider it dry heat.

I could open it up and add a bit of beef broth, butter or whatever is recommended to convert it to braising if that seems like the best choice.

Naw.  I think to truly braise, you would need to be in a sealed vessel!  It sounds like you have it well in hand.

Okay, 350°F it is.  I'm thinking that it'll take ≈five hours and open the wrap to rest an hour.  Does that seem reasonable?

I would watch the internal temperature. It may dry out if left at 350° for too long. No solid basis for this position other than my opinion. I frequently sous vide after smoke.

You're certainly correct, Hugh.  I thought that I'd check the internal temperature at the two-hour mark.  I just did and it's 198°F in the thickest portion.  It's cooking waaaaay too fast so I shut the oven off.  The soonest that we can eat is 3½ hours away (6:45 Idaho time).

I'm a bit worried that we didn't gelatinize the collagen and that we're just drying it out.

Sorry I am late to the party and if I steered you wrong.  I would probably have advised lower temp if I had know you were cooking for 5 hours.  I guess another reason I like to braise is much less risk of drying out!

You might try FTC, that would keep it warm and should not dry out. Again, just an opinion, no factual data.

I was rather peeved at the BIL's interference and simply let it sit in the turned-off oven.  It eventually probed fine so I took it out to open the wrap and let it rest.  It sat, opened, for about an hour.

It was, maybe, the best brisket I've cooked.  There were 10 of us and everyone absolutely loved it.

I breathed easier.