Frustrated

[Shan]

So, I ordered an oven thermometer and will do biscuit tests and stuff after Christmas, but I have briskets to cook for a big dinner tomorrow. I've been cooking on the upper rack but put two briskets on the bottom grate two hours ago and they're already at 130, so I think I've at least partly solved my problem. Thanks everybody!

 

[Shan]

i started a couple of 12-lb briskets at 180 for an hour, turned it up to 225 and the briskets were at 160 degrees three hours later. Turned the pit up to 275 and three hours after that took the briskets off, wrapped in foil and rested at 150 until 6 pm. Juice was running and the meat was melt in your mouth tender. Hands down the best brisket I've ever cooked. Pepper and Sucklebusters Tailgaters BBQ Party Rub is my brisket seasoning from now on. And a word about LSG pellet grills: They are impervious to cold. It was 20 degrees here last night and my LSG 42 didn't drop a degree. No blanket needed.

 

[chichas01]

What kind of probes do yall use to test the zones in your cookers?

Thanks for all the great advice!

I use a Thermoworks Smoke X 4 to monitor pit and meat temps. You can attach multiple pit probes and meat probes. I use a Lavatools Javelin Pro duo for confirming meat temps and testing for doneness.

 

[1911Ron]

300* is the New 225*…………

Yer crazy! Wait.....*sigh*

 

[BDAABAT]

300* is the New 225*…………

Ha! On my current chitty cooker, it's nearly always 300 no matter what temps I would like.

 

[JCBII]

I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos, trying to perfect my brisket cook, but I'm just getting more and more frustrated. I'm using a 42" LSG pellet smoker and while all the dudes in these vids are setting their pits at 190-225 and seeing briskets at 165 or so in eight hours, I cook at 225 and increase to 250 and never see a brisket hit 160 inside 14 hours. I have a pork butt that's been on for 13 hours now at 225, then 250 and now 275, and it's at 151. Anyone have any idea what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks!

I'm on my 8th or 9th brisket using Matt Pittman's (Meat Church) method on his Youtube video titled "Weekday Brisket 1.0". It has worked every time for me to make tender and juicy briskets. What I enjoy about this method is that other than placing the brisket in the pellet grill and setting the temp to 190° (and setting "super smoke" on), I don't need to do anything for the next 12 hours (I don't even check it). He placed his brisket in the grill at 7pm, but I chose 9pm so I wouldn't have to check the brisket until 9am the next morning. Per his video, the brisket should be at 165° after the 12 hour cook, but I've found that my briskets are usually around 152 to 155°. No big deal, as I bump up the temp to 225° for another hour to push the brisket temp to 165°. At that point, I wrap in butcher paper, place back on the grill, and bump the temp up to 250° until the brisket is done. I've finally reached the point where this has become routine, so I'm ready for my next challenge, which is to smoke a brisket on one of my WSMs or Hasty Bake. The photo is of brisket flat from my last cook. Btw, my favorite Youtube videos for smoking food are usually by Malcom Reed (HowToBBQRight), Matt Pittman (Meat Church), or Cooking with Ry. These 3 gentlemen know what they're doing, and I haven't gone wrong following any of their videos.

 

[TuscaloosaQ]

last week i cooked a 23# Brisket in 9 hrs running 300/350 degrees on my Shirley.... it was perfection!!!

 

[Shan]

Pretty brisket! I used to wrap in butchers paper. Then I tried Goldee's method and now usually cook to done unwrapped, then wrap with tallow in foil for the hot hold.

 

[Nevada Paul]

I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos, trying to perfect my brisket cook, but I'm just getting more and more frustrated. I'm using a 42" LSG pellet smoker and while all the dudes in these vids are setting their pits at 190-225 and seeing briskets at 165 or so in eight hours, I cook at 225 and increase to 250 and never see a brisket hit 160 inside 14 hours. I have a pork butt that's been on for 13 hours now at 225, then 250 and now 275, and it's at 151. Anyone have any idea what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks!

You've been given some good advice here about checking the temps of your cooker and calibrating if needed.
But just wondering, any chance the meat you're putting on is still partly frozen or very cold when you throw it on the smoker?

 

[Shan]

You've been given some good advice here about checking the temps of your cooker and calibrating if needed.
But just wondering, any chance the meat you're putting on is still partly frozen or very cold when you throw it on the smoker?

Nah, no chance. I have solved my problem. Thanks, though!

 

[Fillmore Farmer]

You're cookin' on a smoke microwave. A real smoker doesn't plug into an outlet and anything worth having in life doesn't come easy!

Sorry, ignore me....I'm just practicing for becoming an old grouchy BBQ guy. For years I thought being 'bi' meant you wrapped in foil or butcher paper!

 

[Shan]

You're cookin' on a smoke microwave. A real smoker doesn't plug into an outlet and anything worth having in life doesn't come easy!

Are you offering to bring me wood and tend my offset?