Homebrewed Q
Take a breath!
Hi all, I've done 3 comps total so far, 1 last year and 2 this year. The 2 that I've done this year I've used my new Fatboy smoker. I practiced on everything but brisket for 4 cooks at home. The two comps that I've done so far my brisket has not met my standards, although I did get a 9th place call in Marksville, La (IBCA). I cook all of my meats (half chickens, St. Louis ribs, and brisket) on the one Fatboy smoker. I run the temp at about 230. My chicken and ribs have met my standards, but I've only received a 12th and 8th place on chicken so far, no calls on ribs. My problem with the brisket is that I'm not getting the color on the outside that I want, no bark, and not much of a smoke ring. The 9th place brisket was borderline as far as juicyness, it was on the verge of drying (14lb angus brisket smoked for 6 hours, foiled for 4 hours, coolered for 2 hours, unwrapped and back on smoker for last hour, then rested for 45 minutes before slicing). I use a generous amount of a dry rub, no injection. The second comp brisket was a 12.3lb angus cooked for 11 hours with the same percentage breakdown as the previous brisket cook style, and it came out super dry on the flat but with flavor, super moist on the point but with no flavor. I have a 12 lb brisket that I am going to practice with this weekend. Any suggestions on how to get the color and smoke ring, and juicyness I desire? Also, another note, I do keep the water pan full while smoking, and I use a 3 to 4 large chunks of wood for smoking when I first put the meat on. I was warned not to use too much wood on the Backwoods because it would be too intense.