Smoking brisket at 300 degrees tomorrow.... crazy?

[Nuco59]

Like others, I will run 300 all day long- drum or cabinet- I prefer that temp. That being said, there is nothing negative about running 250- if you can't cook a brisket at 250, then going 300 is not going to magically make it great. Cook it until it's done. Foil, paper or naked you are looking for probe tender in the thick of the flat- you will be fine. Don't worry over it- and have some fun.

 

[WilliamD]

For me it depends upon what cooker I'm using. On my cabinet, I cook it at 260-270...it's just the sweet spot where she likes to sit at with the least amount of fussing, and they come out fine...If I had a drum, I would be at 300-325. I as well will only cook Choice or Prime Grades. I know others have cooked Selects, but where I am located, Selects are TERRIBLE. Up here, I find BBQ is much like computers in that Junk In = Junk Out!

 

[quamdar]

Temp of the meat >>>>> temp of smoker

I vary smoker temp based on when I want to finish. I have found it doesn't make as big of difference as I thought before I started BBQing. Main reason I even monitor smoker temp is to make sure something isn't going seriously wrong like it went out.

 

[sleebus.jones]

I'm surprised the Edict hasn't put in an appearance yet.

 

[Stlsportster]

I'm surprised the Edict hasn't put in an appearance yet.

Tru dat!

 

[pjtexas1]

I like Smoke flavor. So can anyone say with certainty, that the 300+ temps from beginning will give as much smoke flavor?? It just doesn't make sense to me.

i'm beginning to think there is no way to satisfy you when it comes to smoke flavor. :heh: i cannot say if the way i cook at 300 will make you happy. i do know that some of the oldest bbq joints cook hotter and it seems to work for them. if i were you i would cook the first hour or 2 at 200 and then maybe bump it up. for me i am just way over cooking something for 10-15 hours especially if i am using a stick burner. i really cannot tell the difference. i think only you can answer the question as smoke flavor is a personal preference. in my mind what you are describing almost sounds like you want it cooked on a really dirty fire so that the smoke flavor is all you can taste. or maybe you and i like the exact same level of smoke but describe it differently.

 

[DaveAlvarado]

i'm beginning to think there is no way to satisfy you when it comes to smoke flavor. :heh: i cannot say if the way i cook at 300 will make you happy. i do know that some of the oldest bbq joints cook hotter and it seems to work for them. if i were you i would cook the first hour or 2 at 200 and then maybe bump it up. for me i am just way over cooking something for 10-15 hours especially if i am using a stick burner. i really cannot tell the difference. i think only you can answer the question as smoke flavor is a personal preference. in my mind what you are describing almost sounds like you want it cooked on a really dirty fire so that the smoke flavor is all you can taste. or maybe you and i like the exact same level of smoke but describe it differently.

Rub with ashes, inject with liquid smoke, chuck it on the stick burner at 200F for 20 hours. Plenty of smoke flavor.

:laugh:

For the OP, 300F is fine. Dry brisket isn't a temperature problem, it's a doneness problem. Dry and tough is undercooked. Dry and crumbly is overcooked. It took me half a dozen briskets before I could hit edible every time and awesome half the time.

Oh, and if you're cooking at 300F, expect to rest the brisket for at least a couple hours in a cooler or something.

 

[daninnewjersey]

I like Smoke flavor. So can anyone say with certainty, that the 300+ temps from beginning will give as much smoke flavor?? It just doesn't make sense to me.

Yup....I can say that with certainty. I've smoked a lot of briskets at 300+. They always have enough smoke flavor even when you're producing the thin blue smoke.

 

[aawa]

Or start Low and Slow until the stall (160* ish is where I do), wrap or not, then just ramp up the temp in the smoker to even higher (300-350) to help it finish off fast.

I just feel that the smoke penetration will be better with low / slow in the beginning. I maybe wrong, but if meat doesn't take on more smoke after around 140-160*, the my common sense would tell me the longer it stays in that temp range the better for smoke flavor.


I like Smoke flavor. So can anyone say with certainty, that the 300+ temps from beginning will give as much smoke flavor?? It just doesn't make sense to me.

Meat will take on smoke flavor for as long as the meat isn't wrapped. Now what does happen at the 140 internal temp mark is that the smoke ring will no longer form.

If you want a more smoke flavor, smoke longer with no wrapping. The smokiest flavor you will get will be cooking low and slow on a stick burner with no wrapping. Also using greener stronger woods like mesquite and hickory.

IMHO there is diminishing returns when it comes to smoke flavor (unless you are running a dirty fire) After 4-5 hours in the smoke, you really won't taste much more. Another way to ensure you are tasting smoke is to take a hot shower, clear out your sinuses, brush your teeth, and change your clothes prior to eating. When you are sitting around your pit, your sense of smell gets over saturated with the smell of smoke, which in turn makes it so you can't taste it as much. This is why if you eat your bbq the next day, you can smell and taste the smoke much better than you do the day you cook it.

 

[Big Swole]

i'm beginning to think there is no way to satisfy you when it comes to smoke flavor. :heh: i cannot say if the way i cook at 300 will make you happy. i do know that some of the oldest bbq joints cook hotter and it seems to work for them. if i were you i would cook the first hour or 2 at 200 and then maybe bump it up. for me i am just way over cooking something for 10-15 hours especially if i am using a stick burner. i really cannot tell the difference. i think only you can answer the question as smoke flavor is a personal preference. in my mind what you are describing almost sounds like you want it cooked on a really dirty fire so that the smoke flavor is all you can taste. or maybe you and i like the exact same level of smoke but describe it differently.

LOL Well, I'm not sure how to describe it either but I just know I love a "smokey" flavor. Not the dirty smoke flavor though.

I'll start playing with the temps a bit then and see how it works out for me.

Meat will take on smoke flavor for as long as the meat isn't wrapped. Now what does happen at the 140 internal temp mark is that the smoke ring will no longer form.

If you want a more smoke flavor, smoke longer with no wrapping. The smokiest flavor you will get will be cooking low and slow on a stick burner with no wrapping. Also using greener stronger woods like mesquite and hickory.

IMHO there is diminishing returns when it comes to smoke flavor (unless you are running a dirty fire) After 4-5 hours in the smoke, you really won't taste much more. Another way to ensure you are tasting smoke is to take a hot shower, clear out your sinuses, brush your teeth, and change your clothes prior to eating. When you are sitting around your pit, your sense of smell gets over saturated with the smell of smoke, which in turn makes it so you can't taste it as much. This is why if you eat your bbq the next day, you can smell and taste the smoke much better than you do the day you cook it.

Yes, I've found that not wrapping does make it taste more like I want, but I run the risk of overcooking some of the thinner areas of the meat (edges).

Smoke ring is nice to have but not important as long as the smoke flavor shines though.

I 100% agree about the smoke while cooking affecting taste. Senses overload until you shower and do all the things to get it out of your system you said.

As for wrapping, I'll be trying butcher paper for the first time soon. Hoping I'll like it better than using foil.

 

[sleebus.jones]

***NERD ALERT***

Stay with me on this one, the payoff is worth it...

I never really understood how "thin blue" worked, other than it worked. I ended up reading a post on another site that talked about what really gives smoked food its smoky taste and aroma. There's been a LOT of research done on this by people waaaay smarter than me (honest to God food scientists) for the mass production food industry.

Short answer is two phenols: Guaiacol (smoke flavor) and Syringol (smoke aroma). They're formed by the breakdown (burning) of Lignin, which is what gives wood its strength. A combustion temp of ~700° (NOT your pit temp!) is what you should aim for to get the best production of the above phenols. Realizing that's hard to find something that can measure that, aim for a dull red glow from your coals. Lots of dull red coals should make lots of smoke flavor and smell, even tho it doesn't seem like it's doing much. This is where the "thin blue" comes in. Lots of people know about it, I hazard a guess that fewer people actually know what it takes to get it.

So here's the part where I got smarter: When I'm cooking on a big stick burner, I can get loads of smoke flavor (too much sometimes!) even when I hardly have any unburnt wood in there...it's just all dull coals. Well, that just happens to line up about the right temp to get good production of those phenols. After I read that post, it all clicked for me...of course I get tons of smoke flavor and smell, I have an enormous pile of coals doing it for me.
It's not the wood that's just starting to catch...that's probably more creosote than anything. Green wood may help, not from the wood itself (that's a dirty smoke) but more from cooling the other coals down. No proof on that, but thinking out loud.

Anyway, a bit of a ramble here, hopefully y'all get something out of it.

 

[Shagdog]

I second the part about doneness. It sounds like your problem is more in knowing when the brisket is done than at what temp you cook it. 200, 250, 300, 325. Any/all will produce an end result that is virtually the same (even the amount of smoke flavor) The big difference will be how long it takes you to cook. Lower temps will result in a more even product (at 300 you will find some overcooked parts on the edges when the center is perfect) Lower temps will also give you a bigger window of when a brisket is "done" Which is why most cook books and beginner manuals recommend low and slow temps. Its much easier to get it right at 225, you just have to wait twice as long. If the perfection window at 225 is 2 hours, its probably 30-60 minutes (or less) at 300.

Tough and dry, you didn't cook it long enough. Crumbly is overcooked. Take your instant read thermo,and start poking the brisket in the thickest parts of the flat. Heck, I poke mine all over to get an idea of how far along it is. You will start noticing it in the point and outer edges of the flat first. The probe just slides in, no resistance. When you have a feeling like this throughout the thicker parts of the flat, the brisket is done. don't worry about the temp. Finish temp will vary depending on what temp you are cooking at. at 225 it will finish around 200-205, where at 300 it can be at 212-218. Just go by the feel. When you can slide that probe through the meat at the thick part of the flat without any resistance, you're there. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes, longer is better.

 

[PorkinButts82]

Is that from Wally world?!

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[aawa]

LOL Well, I'm not sure how to describe it either but I just know I love a "smokey" flavor. Not the dirty smoke flavor though.

I'll start playing with the temps a bit then and see how it works out for me.




Yes, I've found that not wrapping does make it taste more like I want, but I run the risk of overcooking some of the thinner areas of the meat (edges).

Smoke ring is nice to have but not important as long as the smoke flavor shines though.

I 100% agree about the smoke while cooking affecting taste. Senses overload until you shower and do all the things to get it out of your system you said.

As for wrapping, I'll be trying butcher paper for the first time soon. Hoping I'll like it better than using foil.

Try using wood that is a little bit greener than you are used too if you like the stronger smokier flavors without scorching the edges of the meats. Also use wood such as hickory or mesquite since they produces a more pronounced smoke.

 

[m-fine]

I usually do briskets between 250 and 325. I like to start lower which helps with smoke ring, warming more evenly and extending time in smoke. I then raise the temp to get it done without too much time expiring. I like to try and keep the time on the fire under 12 hours in the stick burner, so bigger pieces means higher temp. If I want it done well under 12 hours that is another reason to go hotter or start hotter.

 

[daninnewjersey]

If you wrap, that's the only way to do it...in my opinion. It keeps the bark happy and you don't get that pot roast effect that foil can sometimes produce....

 

[smoke ninja]

Every time i hear start low and finish high i cry on the inside. Ive put alot of effort into brisket and have determined the opposite to be more effective at producing good, consistent results. :sad:

 

[m-fine]

Every time i hear start low and finish high i cry on the inside. Ive put alot of effort into brisket and have determined the opposite to be more effective at producing good, consistent results. :sad:

Definitely not my experience at all. What exactly are you seeing as a difference that you don't like?

 

[jasonjax]

If you wrap, that's the only way to do it...in my opinion. It keeps the bark happy and you don't get that pot roast effect that foil can sometimes produce....

Retaining the juice to lay the slices in has become a big part of my process so I'm not sure how butcher's paper would work for me unless I wrapped in paper and kept the meat in a foil pan.

 

[pjtexas1]

Retaining the juice to lay the slices in has become a big part of my process so I'm not sure how butcher's paper would work for me unless I wrapped in paper and kept the meat in a foil pan.

if you don't poke a whole in the bottom of your bp there should be some juices in there. not as much as foil. i say keep using the foil. don't let us break something that works for you. foil can work without making pot roast if you do it right.