WSM and Brisket quick question
 

Hey guys: quick questions

On a WSM I cook packers fat side upwith water pan filled with water up 225-250 degrees, till probe tender. Problem is the bottom becomes burnt. Will cooking fat side down prevent that since fat cap will absorb the heat?

With that said.....some flat parts are dry, pull tender but dry...my last brisket I ran to 205 and was jello and like butter, no wrap, water in pan low n slow...but like I said dry-ish. Will wrapping it tightly in butcher paper (i have a big roll of it) help retain the moisture so it doesn't dry out????

Thanks guys. -Jason from Chicagoland

Ps. Got back from austin and had a chance to chit chat with Aaron Franklin from Franklin bbq for a while, even showed me his pits and took me around....best Q' I've tasted yet

Fat to the fire amigo.., Fat to the fire always! Roll that sucker over.

Yep, like Bludawg says. Fat cap helps protect from burning and also, having it down keeps the rub and bark intact on the top. Additionally, most of us don't think the rendered fat from the top adds any moisture to large pieces of meat below anyway.

Ahhhh I figured haha thanks guys!

Now about the moisture being kept in the brisket, what would you say??

Did you ask Aaron? I would have peppered him with a list of questions...nicely of course...:mrgreen::mrgreen:

If it was dry you didn't cook it long enough. I have one thermo it is on the door of my pit. meat temp is a cheap tool. Probe tender in the thickest spot on the flat is never wrong.
Butcher Paper works the same as foil with a few exceptions, it allows smoke to make it to the meat, it maintains a moist climate around the meat while keeping your bark intact. The moisture comes from the meat it's self. Once it drives off the internal water locked in the mussel fibers and the internal temp gets above 195 the collagen will begin to melt between the fibers when it melts it turns into gelatin it is the gelatin that is the moisture that your seeking. This break down starts on the pit and finishes during a long rest with a gradual cool down.
It is no secret that I wrap mine in Butcher Paper, once it is probe tender I let it sit wrapped in the same paper on my counter top until the IT drops into the 150's. This drop in temp takes about 2 hrs. My briskets are not dry.
http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...1/DSCF0085.jpg
slice of flat
http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...1/DSCF0087.jpg
hot point action
http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...1/DSCF0089.jpg

Moist comes from the marbled fat or connective tissue in the meat rendering not the fat cap --either it didn't render and needed cooking more or you sliced it too early, not rested long enuff or fat cap up let if all drip out....:shock:

Blu - trying my first brisket this weekend...going off your expert notes (ie, let smoker run at the temp it wants to run at, wrap in parchment (no butcher paper), probe tender and let rest)

Curious how the bottom could get burnt running in a WSM with the water pan full.

Regarding you burning the bottom at fairly low temp with water in the pan... what kind of rub are you using?

I let my brisket rest for an hour or so, and I split the point from the flat and missed the deckle a little bit and literally started seeing juices run out. I was trying to do burnt ends. But this time I won't, I'll wait until serving time or close to it and I'll do how franklins, la barbecue do it in Austin.

As far as the burnt portion. I'm not sure, I think because I had fat cap up and the heat coming from the bottom up for 12 hours literally charred it. Heat was 250ish give or take.

SO I'll probably run it at 225 next weekend, I'll take pictures and post them for y'all. Fat cap down, water pan full, wrap in butcher paper at like 160-170ish and run it till it's like jello.

ALSO I'd like to point out a couple things.

1) this forum rocks, I've come to y'all for a few questions in the past and within minutes you guys answered....very awesome community over here....don't see much of it nowadays

2) along with the brisket I'll be doing a pork butt and when I wrap it I'll add some maple syrup and spray with Apple juice as well....which I heard tastes amazing!!! Figure if grate is 225 lower grate on the wsm is probably 250-275 give or take so it should be good...with no probe neither just by look and feel! I'll take pics and post them!

Also in addition I'd like to point out my last brisket I didn't wrap at all! So the burning combined fat cap up and the way the wsm is designed probably worked against me. But I tried it out, now next weekend I'll try fat cap down...excited!

There's nothing wrong with going the whole cook w/out wrapping, however be careful not to use too many wood chunks or you could over smoke your brisket IMO. Especially true if your cooks go over 8-9 hours. BTW there's nothing special about 225*, crank it up to 275-300*.

Longer time on the pit at lower temps leads to surface drying( ever had Beef Jerky) run that WSM up to 275 or 300