Smoking my first brisket tonight

[JohnFiz]

Greetings,

Well tonight is the night. I have been doing some reading to figure out how to get this thing started. I have about 10 hrs to get it figured out. Wish me luck.

Bagged
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I'll try to update as I go. Planning on putting it on about 9 tonight.

Enjoy,
John

[pjtexas1]

If you don't have a plan look up bludawg brisket. Simple and reliable.

[JohnFiz]

I'll take a look.

Thanks!

[Smoke on Badger Mountain]

Have fun!

[gun smoke]

it's going to be great! enjoy

[angryelfFan]

Good Luck. Get a good plan laid out, take notes and learn.

[aks801]

Best advice I've seen posted already: have fun. This is fun, man! I used to get really anxious and wound up: that ain't no way to bbq.

Second best advice already posted: look up Bludawg brisket. Do that.

Looking forward to seeing some pics!

[JohnFiz]

It's on! 34 deg wind 4 gusting to 10. Low should be 29. That should be acceptable.

Ready for smoke
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Time to relax
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I need to figure out why the pics change direction on here....

Thanks for looking
John

[DriverWild]

Cook until it probes like jello in the middle of the flat and everyone will be very happy.

[Titch]

Tuned in mate, All pictures here look upside down:becky:

[JohnFiz]

It's holing around 235. I'm going to bed.

Wish me luck,
John

[bbqwizard]

Game on! Nice trim. Can't wait to see it tomorrow.

[JohnFiz]

Well it was 180 in there when I got up at 7 :shock:

Stuck the probes in for monitoring. Didn't want to leave the unit out over night. I might do that next time.

Appears to have a fair amount of charcoal left.

Opened vents a bit and it's holding around 235.

Receiver
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John

[Big George's BBQ]

Looking good so far How is it coming aloing

[electron_si]

Are you planning on wrapping. Butcher paper works great.

[scp]

Last time I ran at 235 it took 14+ hours...just be prepared...and don't pull it until probe tender and wrap and hold for a couple of hours....you will be blessed with awesomeness.

[JohnFiz]

Thanks for all the input!

I can see without my headband flashlight now.

Not planning on wrapping until done. Trying to keep the first one simple for a baseline. Pretty sure I have just entered the stall. Not much woof either.

This is the second time the lid has been off in 12 hrs :wink:
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Status
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Thanks for looking,
John

[JohnFiz]

I haven't had the lid off again yet. I guess I should take another peek at some point.

15 hr mark. Making progress
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John

[smokingmeats]

I see your meat temp alarm is set to 185. I'd plan on the brisket being done around the 200-205 temperature area

[JohnFiz]

I upped it to 198. I'll take a look at it then to see if it's starting to act like butter ;)

[JohnFiz]

Pulled at 205 basically. Probe butter everywhere except the very center. That was pretty easy probing to though. It's sleeping while I grill the abt's. I'll let it rest for a couple hrs.

[FreeDivr]

Doing my first one next week so I am eagerly awaiting your report on how it turned out!

[JohnFiz]

Finally! LOL

To hold over the guests we made abt's.
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As said, pulled at 205 after 19hrs. It rested for 2 hrs in foil and towels in a cooler while the sides were finished.

Finished
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Sliced
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Meal: 3 cheese baked mac n cheese and roasted brussel sprouts.
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Plate
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So, It was fairly moist, but not as moist as I would have liked. It could almost pass the bend test but not quite at 1/4" slices. It pulled apart too easy. I did smoke this cap down.

Flavor was great. The neighbors said it was amazing.

I am thinking that it sat to long in the cooler for the temp it was removed from the smoker. Maybe I should have pulled it from the smoker sooner for the time it sat in the cooler?

If you read earlier, when I woke up the smoker was around 180. Could the 6 hrs overnight have played a role in the outcome?

I didn't want to wrap it on the smoker, but maybe that would have been the thing to do..

Whats your thoughts?

Next time the only thing I would do differently would be to pull sooner for the rest. Maybe try fat side up. I don't like to change more then one variable at a time though.

Don't get me wrong, it was tasty, but I would rate it about a 7.5/10

Thanks for looking,
John

[Mrs B]

Congrats on your first. Looks great

[Burnt at Both Endz]

1... the low overnight temp had zero effect on the cook.

2.....the rest period had no negative impact on the result.

3....it could have used just a little more cook time, if it didn't pass the bend test.

4....my thoughts? You should have ramped up the heat when you got up in the morning, why miss supper?

Looks good for your 1st brisket.

[pjtexas1]

If it was falling apart it was in the cooker too long or it was wrapped without venting for a few minutes. In my experience cooking at 225 the temps are most often below 200 when done but temp isn't a good indicator.

[JohnFiz]

Burnt at Both Endz
As for not passing the bend test, it would break. I figured that meant I overcooked it. Not a big deal. I was just trying to have something to gauge with.

It wasn't as moist as I would have hoped for. That's also why I was questioning my removal tenderness and rest time. Probing, it had just a bit of resistance in the middle of the flat. Everywhere else it was quite tender.

pjtexas1
I pulled it off the smoker and carried in in the house and wrapped it. Probably 2 min in between. Do you think that resting a bit before wrapping could have improved this? How long do you vent before wrapping?

I am happy overall with my first brisket :grin:
I am just trying to gather info on my technique and end results.

Thanks for all the help!

John

[Novass]

Before you wrapped it you should let it rest for 15-20 minutes. If you wrap right away the carryover will bring the temp. Up 7-10 sometimes 12 degrees. That might have been the problem with the bend test breaking.

[Burnt at Both Endz]

Burnt at Both Endz
As for not passing the bend test, it would break. I figured that meant I overcooked it. Not a big deal. I was just trying to have something to gauge with.

It wasn't as moist as I would have hoped for. That's also why I was questioning my removal tenderness and rest time. Probing, it had just a bit of resistance in the middle of the flat. Everywhere else it was quite tender.

pjtexas1
I pulled it off the smoker and carried in in the house and wrapped it. Probably 2 min in between. Do you think that resting a bit before wrapping could have improved this? How long do you vent before wrapping?

I am happy overall with my first brisket :grin:
I am just trying to gather info on my technique and end results.

Thanks for all the help!

John

Reference bend test......I'll just give you a couple thoughts. The ends of the slices and very ends of the flat is not crumbling, like it was over cooked. It looks dry with very little juices coming from the slices. I tend to think it was under cooked, by the looks of it, which would result in dry brisket. Also looks like marbling in one of the slices that hasn't rendered?

From my experiences, i can't see where it would have kept cooking when you wrapped it. The product was being cooked at 235* and you didn't wrap during the cook, so there's not a lot of hot juice to help with the continuing cooking. I could be wrong though.:roll:

Instead of trying to chock your smoker down, find where it likes to run 250-75* and cook brisket at those temps.


With all that said, sometimes the quality of the brisket can result in less than a desirable brisket.

[aawa]

So, It was fairly moist, but not as moist as I would have liked. It could almost pass the bend test but not quite at 1/4" slices. It pulled apart too easy. I did smoke this cap down.

Flavor was great. The neighbors said it was amazing.

I am thinking that it sat to long in the cooler for the temp it was removed from the smoker. Maybe I should have pulled it from the smoker sooner for the time it sat in the cooler?

If you read earlier, when I woke up the smoker was around 180. Could the 6 hrs overnight have played a role in the outcome?

Whats your thoughts?

Next time the only thing I would do differently would be to pull sooner for the rest. Maybe try fat side up. I don't like to change more then one variable at a time though.

Don't get me wrong, it was tasty, but I would rate it about a 7.5/10

Thanks for looking,
John

You didn't cook it enough. If it didn't pass the bend test, and the center did not probe tender, it was still undercooked.

At pencil thin slices, it should bend right over your finger without issue. And then another test is that you can hold one end inbetween your fingers. It should remain intact, and then give it a light pull and it should pull apart easy. If it takes effort to pull it apart, you were undercooked.

[JohnFiz]

Just to be clear.

I couldn't pick up a piece without it breaking. No pulling required for it to break apart.

Bend test failed because it would fall apart.

It didn't shred while cutting but trying to move it to the plate it wanted to break apart. I used a spatula and my hand to move it to the plate for presenation.

I agree with under cooked when I pulled it off the smoker because the thickest part of the flat wasn't as soft probing.

The fact that it fell apart trying to move or pick it up is why I figured overcooked.

I agree with the marbling not being rendered in some of the pieces. So under cooked in that respect.

Unwrapping it from the foil I cut it within a couple minutes. It was steaming hot when I opened the foil.

SO... falling apart over cooked?
thickest part of flat not quite butter Under
marbling not rendered under
I guess im 50/50 on the quick move to the cooler continuing the cook

I really appreciate all the input!

John

[aawa]

Ahh. If it was falling apart on you, then yes you overcooked it.

[frognot]

I'm one of the "wrap em when they hit around 160" group and believe it really helps with moistness and tenderness.

[aks801]

First: congrats on your first brisket! No one is Aaron Franklin first time out.

Unsolicited thoughts: cook at a higher temp next time, maybe 250 to 275. If the center of the flat is not probe-tender, leave it in the smoke longer. Once you pull it, let it rest on the counter uncovered for about 20 minutes. Then wrap it in foil, then wrap a few beach towels around it and put in an Igloo for an hour or two (depends on timing of meal). You do those things, I bet you'll be real happy with the results.

Wrapping during the cook: people smoked brisket for a century or so without wrapping, and they turned out great. But I am all for progress. For mine, I wrap it in butcher paper once the color is almost where I want it (dark brown and black).

You have done well.

[Mikhail]

I think also that brisket flat is normally a bit dryer than some other cuts anyway, so part of this may be expectation. It is not going to come out like a prime rib.

Looks great - had I known I could have been there in an hour and a half.

[SDAR]

^^^^this. Quality of brisket and amount of marbeling plays a big role in how moist a non injected brisket flat ends up.

[JohnFiz]

Thanks again all!!

I will up the temp to 250-75 next time. The WSM did seem to want to run higher.
I will bp wrap ~160 when the bark looks close to what I want.
I will make sure that the whole chunk probes tender.
I will let it rest before putting in the cooler.
I will look for better marbling on the next packer.

Leftovers were great toinght for a sammy :)

John

[ITBFQ]

it was wrapped without venting for a few minutes

My exact thoughts. Let it vent for 10-15 minutes, then put it to bed in the cooler. It'll still be piping hot when you take it out.

[PoppingSmoke]

First - congrats on a good looking piece of meat. Sounds like you have the basic idea down.

Went back and looked. Didn't say if you injected or brined it. I inject mine and find it does tend to make it moister.

I watch the temp, and if I hit the stall - then I wrap in tinfoil. I will add about a 1/4 cup of beef broth to the tinfoil too. The meat will absorb it as it cooks.

I do the same thing on the final wrap - usually adding some of the left over injection into the foil that I let it rest in. I wrap in foil with the warmed injection/broth, wrap in towels, then put into a cooler for about an hour.

I also pull it at about 195 - 200 IT if it has a buttery feel to most of it. The wrapping and placing in the cooler it will tend to continue to cook a bit.

Just the views from my foxhole and what works best for me.

[lankster35]

If it was falling apart it was in the cooker too long or it was wrapped without venting for a few minutes. In my experience cooking at 225 the temps are most often below 200 when done but temp isn't a good indicator.

This is what I have found too.....If you cook hotter then the temp seems to be 200+ but if you cook 14 hours at 235-250 then I find 195 or so is generally when it probes good. Not sure why the difference but it seems to be pretty consistent. I do wrap when taken off and let sit on the counter for about 1 hour.

[Pitmaster T]

If you don't have a plan look up bludawg brisket. Simple and reliable.

et tu, brute?

[pjtexas1]

et tu, brute?

Sounds like you're upset you didn't think of this hot and fast brisket fad like a decade ago. :pound: