Brisket on Kettle

motoeric · May 12, 2013

Hey,

I'll be cooking a brisket on a kettle at a competition soon and I was wondering what your thoughts were on separating the point and the flat and cooking them apart.

Would that cut down significantly on the cooking time? It's the same volume, so I realize that the difference wouldn't be THAT dramatic, but every little bit helps. We will have two 22" kettles to cook with and we have to cook four categories on there.

Thanks!

Eric

jmoney7269 · May 12, 2013

Watch the BBQ pit boys video on brisket cooked on the kettle. Then practice it and cook it a little hotter. I did this a few times at a friends house with fabulous results. Good luck! Remember with wood, less is more, just a chunk at a time, thin and blue!

landarc · May 12, 2013

I have cooked a lot of packers on my kettle, I never separate them, but, I can see what you are thinking, I would think it would work fine. Not sure how much time you will save.

You definitely want to use smaller chunks and less wood, kettles intensify that wood smoke. I use a ring of fire method for the burn, and block the middle of the grate with a cast iron skillet. I fill it with water, for moisture, as the kettle cooks better with some water in it. The bark is more tender that way.

If you can bring along a auxiliary grate, you get more cooking space, remember that the dome temp is going to be a little hotter than the grate. Or use rib racks which work great on the kettle.

Big M1ke · May 12, 2013

Good luck with the comp! Kettles can do it all :thumb:

motoeric · May 12, 2013

Is the ring of fire method the same as the snake method?

Thanks,

Eric

landarc · May 12, 2013

yes, let me find a pic of what I do.

this minus the foil balls...

the reason for the foil balls...

I find that blocking air flow where there is no charcoal is important.

motoeric · May 12, 2013

Thanks,

I haven't seen a full circle of charcoal used before, I've only seen a sort of extended 'U' shape (the charcoal going maybe 3/4 of the way around).

I'll also be using Kingsford blue.

How long of a cook do you get off that setup?

Eric

landarc · May 12, 2013

I don't know how long, I got a good 6 hour burn out of about half the ring, it ran at 275F or so for that time. The large chunk of lump at 4 o'clock was my shut-off, I lit the end and burned it counter-clockwise. It burned to 10 o'clock. There is a lot of charcoal in there, so there was enough fuel, I would guess for an easy 8 to maybe 10 hour burn.

Oink Oink · May 12, 2013

jmoney7269 said:
Watch the BBQ pit boys video on brisket cooked on the kettle. Then practice it and cook it a little hotter. I did this a few times at a friends house with fabulous results. Good luck! Remember with wood, less is more, just a chunk at a time, thin and blue!

I hope this isn't hijacking the thread... If it is I would be happy to start a new one.

I watched the the pit boys video and I noticed that he doesn't wait for the smoke to clean up before he put the meat on. I usually use the 'snake' when doing longer cooks and wait until I see only 'thin blue' smoke to put the meat on... This takes an hour sometimes. I was wondering how long ya'al usually wait when using a kettle (if you wait at all). Does it really matter? I had convinced myself it matters.

landarc · May 12, 2013

I like to wait. If you are headed to a clean fire, then a little smoke won't hurt. But, I typically cook hotter now, but, will put the meat on at 225F, even down to 200F, and let it run up to 285F to 300F. I prefer to wait until the smoke is light blue.

Oink Oink · May 12, 2013

Oink Oink said:
I hope this isn't hijacking the thread... If it is I would be happy to start a new one.

I watched the the pit boys video and I noticed that he doesn't wait for the smoke to clean up before he put the meat on. I usually use the 'snake' when doing longer cooks and wait until I see only 'thin blue' smoke to put the meat on... This takes an hour sometimes. I was wondering how long ya'al usually wait when using a kettle (if you wait at all). Does it really matter? I had convinced myself it matters.

are those dome temps? I have noticed a pretty significant difference between dome and grate on the kettle. Thanks for the insights. btw I enjoy your brew-n-que.

landarc · May 12, 2013

I use grate temperatures, I don't have a dome temp on my kettle.

To be honest, unless I am cooking for the blog, I rarely temp my kettle anymore, I kinda know where it should be.

Brisket on Kettle

motoeric

Babbling Farker

jmoney7269

Guest

landarc

somebody shut me the fark up.

Big M1ke

is one Smokin' Farker

motoeric

Babbling Farker

landarc

somebody shut me the fark up.

motoeric

Babbling Farker

landarc

somebody shut me the fark up.

Oink Oink

Knows what a fatty is.

landarc

somebody shut me the fark up.

Oink Oink

Knows what a fatty is.

landarc

somebody shut me the fark up.

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