first smoke

[kellyman]

Well I did my first smoke adventure this past weekend. I had a blast.... I started at 9pm Friday night. I smoked two 12 lb briskets. First one smoked about 21 hrs, the second one went on about five hours later and came off at the same time.

Also bbq'd a couple of beer can chickens. What a great way to cook chicken!

The stuff was delicious, had a great time, and thanks for all the great advice and for a great website!

-kellyman

[tommykendall]

Way to go. Nothing much better than delicious brisket.

[Stucue74]

What are you, nocturnal? Nice feat, smoking two briskets for your first date with your smoker.

[BBQchef33]

you one brave soul doing briskets first time out.. those be the most difficult to get right.. you think trhis batrch was good, wait till ya get 20-30 under your belt. Nothing better than a brisket you can spread like butter.

[kcquer]

kellyman, way to go Bro. Brisket is the shiznit. I like piggy parts too but brisket is bbq to me. Can't get good at brisket cookin' ribs. I admire your brass in trying the hardest thing to get right the first time out.

[Arlin_MacRae]

Dude! Nice goin'! Twenty-one hours, though...wow--how big was that thing???

[BigAl]

WAY to go!

[kellyman]

I've been thinking today that the next one is gonna be better. It was really good, mind ya. And I only had the courage because of some pretty good luck doing brisket on a gas grill, indirect heat. That was a 6 or 7 hour thing, vastly insuperior to the smoking adventure!

I may have gone a little long with them, and my hondo is unmodified, except that I let the meat rack just rest down on the chamber sides. Made it about two inches lower then if I had hung the racks where the mfg says to.

I seriously want to make a better one next time, and hoping that time is this weekend. I'm gonna put the racks back where the mfg said to, slow it down a bit, but still cook it less, do a little spraying and spritzing of whatever instead of just mopping the heavy sauce on, and just maybe foil for the last couple hours. Also I want to know what this putting it in the cooler is all about... I'll be reading.

Thx again, and happy days.
kellyman

[Jorge]

The cooler concept is about giving the meat time to rest. The meat is still cooking, and getting hotter when you first pull it out. The cooler acts as an insulator that allows it to gradually cool and retain a lot of the juices that would be lost if it was sliced immediately.

That's my philosophy anyway, and it hasn't failed me yet.

Edited this to add that I never used a cooler until I found these guys on the internet. Made a positive difference.

[kellyman]

I saw a clip on tv of someone (at the lynchburg contest) searing a huge slab of something. Got me thinking about searing a brisket before smoking. hmmm

[markbet]

BigAl, Hi Big Al, I am brand new to smoking, I just got a Bandera smoker and I see that it needs mods done to it before I try and use it. Will your fire basket take care of the mod needed for the firebox? Please send me info on it at: markbet@sbcglobal.net

Thanks

[markbet]

Getting back to the subject, I smoked a brisket for the first time using one of those dome smokers, it turned out real good, I sliced it up and used it to re-sole my boots with it, and that has been a year ago, shoot they still do not show any wear...lol. I have so much to learn about the art of smoking, I just hope I can get a forth as good as some of the people on this site.

[BigAl]

BigAl, Hi Big Al, I am brand new to smoking, I just got a Bandera smoker and I see that it needs mods done to it before I try and use it. Will your fire basket take care of the mod needed for the firebox? Please send me info on it at: markbet@sbcglobal.net

Thanks

Yes. With the dividers removed, you can also use up to 15.5 inch long logs. I am currently sold out. Read some of the user comments in the For Sale.... Forum.

[willkat98]

I saw a clip on tv of someone (at the lynchburg contest) searing a huge slab of something. Got me thinking about searing a brisket before smoking. hmmm

Saw that too. Think it was a big ole brisket being flipped in a giant cast iron fry pan.

I thought that would seal "out" the smoke.

But if you did that after the smoke, thing might crisp up the outside a bit.

[BigAl]

Saw that too, is that the one where the Women won the Brisket first place using the WSM cookers(7 or 8 of'em and multiple briskets in each) with the mustard rub?

[Solidkick]

I think it was Al.

[BigAl]

I wish!