first cook ever, brisket ...

[grantmichaels]

greetings ...

i bought a sn/hg to dip my toes in the low and slow pond ...

i was working on an arduino project to manage bbq, but ran out of care and bought an et-733 and party q and FINALLY tried my hand at smoking meat ...

you can lol, but i didn't know otherwise, and picked up a 2.85 lb usda choice brisket from the market to throw on the Weber (after tapping it) as my first attempt ...

it took two lithium battery charges to drill the 1" hole for the party q, and the second charge ended at 15/16" in truth, lol ...

so, my brisket sat in the oven with a little mustard and s&p for FOUR HOURS (nobody dies) before getting loaded up ...

this was my first time using wood, first time using an maverick, first time drilling a kettle or even using a unibit, first time cooking brisket, and first time using a party q ...

because the party q adapter setup took so long, i tried cooking without reading about sn ...

i cooked w/ the lower vents of my 22.5 closed, party q installed, upper vents wide open, and 3x prob wires between lid/kettle ...

i didn't count the coals to launch my minion, but it was probably 15x ...

i used a larger reservoir for water above the sn, and put a pan under the cut to catch drippings ...

i did some things right, without knowing, at least, i turned the cut 180deg 1/3 through (thought it was half-way point, lol) ...

party q almost never ran, because the sn wanted to sit between 230-250F by Mav on it's own, and party q was set at 225F ...

unfortunately, i stressed for 9.5x hours because i thought 240F was *clearly too high*, but my results were mostly great despite this ...

i kept temp logs, which i can share later (when i'm a desktop machine) ...

i stalled at 165, and then i noticed internal dropped two points after an hour and a half at 165, so i checked and found i was suddenly pretty low on fuel!

internal dropped to 151, and fire took some time 30m to come back after dumping so many black briquets on the remaining coals ... lots of white smoke coming out everywhere etc ...

but, it came back and ran a little hot for a while (255) and i got to 167, and then it dropped a little so i added a good amount of apple wood and that brought it back up and i finished out the cook over a couple more hours ...

it was a LONG Sunday, and we ate finally at 1:45am ... but, it was awesome.

so, i managed, despite everything ...

i'll attach some pics here, now ... and save the ?'s i have as a reply so i don't lose all of this (iOS) ...

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[grantmichaels]

output.

i have a 6 lb in the fridge, for this weekend, so i wanted to get some advice ...

it seemed like it took the periods in the 245F area to keep the internal rising, but i'm willing to believe that was just a matter of perception being anxious about my first cook, not even knowing there was a 'stall' until i googled for why my brisket wasn't cooking, lol.

anyways ...

i'm going to try only using 8 briquets next time to start the minion going, to see if i can avoid the early heat i had last time ... figuring the party q can carefully try to get it up to 225F ...

what is a good estimate for the opening of my upper vent, in Florida?

will the 6 lb keep it's internal temp better through the occasional water/briquet refills?

if i fill my lower pan for drippings with water initially, will that help maintain temp through lid-off's? ... i think it might do well to absorb the initial higher than usual heat when the new fuel burns in the beginning ...

i had an alligator clip probe on one end of the brisket, 2-3" away, and a Mav probe on the grate-clip on the other end ...

the two probes didn't always agree, and the max spread was 20 points ... i found that rotating the lid so the vents were closer to the lower of the two, brought end to end balance as i continued to subtly change the rotation ... i guess it changes the convection ...

i'm not going to use wood after the beginning couple hrs for the 6 lb, all of the apple last time made the brisket taste like bacon, lol. tasty, tasty bacon ... but still.

i have cherry, mesquite, and hickory now, and peach was avail ...

there was no pecan or oak, which i think they sound like i might like them ...

any tips for 6'r?

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[grantmichaels]

oh yeah, i pulled it at like 9 hrs, a bit long for 2.75 lb ...

i considered the oven at the stall, and probably could have had a better, less smokey result ... sooner, by A LOT ...

i didn't inject, but i'll have an injector avail this weekend? should i? it WAS a little bit dry when reheated last time, hence the sticky fingers shown ...

i didn't mop or spray, but i have some apple juice now ...

tips?

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[whiskeycharlie]

Hi Grant,

Welcome to the fire.

We were just talking about PartyQs the other day, wondering what would be a good initial setting for the vents. I was thinking about 3/8" on the bottom and 1/2" on the top as a starting point, just enough to get the PartyQ to cycle on and off. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Whiskey Charlie

[grantmichaels]

oh wow, i had the lower vents closed entirely!

[ncsmoker]

Hi Grant, you have a nice set up with the Party-Q, the 733 and the Smokenator. You started out trying to do one of the harder pieces of meats to do in a brisket but that is okay. You will only learn from here on.

Let's try to help you for your 6lb cook this week end.

1.Load the SN with as many coals as possible using briquettes. Take out 12 and using a Weber chimney light 15-20 when white put back in the 12. Put in a piece of wood I use a brand that is about 3x3x1, they burn about an hour which is ideal, as it lets me stir the coals add water and a new piece of wood at the same time.

2. Open the bottom vents about two holes. This is about 1/2 open for the vent. When I smoke my bacon which I am getting ready to do I close it down to 1/2 a hole. If you close it down to much you start stalling out the charcoal. Even the Party-Q can't keep it going. Set the Party-Q to 225-240. It is not critical. The top vent should be open about 3/8", which is the normal setting. Then let the Party-Q take over. The SN requires stirring the coals about every hour this just means knocking the ash off with the wand that came with it. Then push the lit coals up against the black coals. Wood needs to be added when you no longer have no smoke coming out for me that is about every hour. I add wood for brisket for 10 hrs. for a packer of all the time I do a flat. I like a good smoked flavor, but I use mild woods like oak and apple on it.

Now for the brisket trim off all but an 1/8-1/4 inch of the fat. I put my rub on the night before and put it in the refrigerator and pull it out as soon as I get up. A couple of hours setting on the counter will let it warm up while your setting up the smoker. Here is a guide to doing a packer brisket, just do the parts for the flat. bbq.about.com/od/brisket/ss/aa092708a.htm?nl=1 I don't do the injection and it still comes out fork tender. I can slice it 1/8-1/4" thick once it cools down. The stall is always going to happen in beef and pork. It has to do with the amount of water that makes up their musculature. It has to be evaporated and will be done between 155 and 165 degrees. The amount of time it takes will vary depending on the cut of the meat.

I always take my brisket off when it reaches 175 and wrap it in foil, close down the grill and let it rest back on the grill for an hour or two before unwrapping and eating.

I am sure I am not covering everything you want to know, but don't be afraid to ask more questions.

Tom

[grantmichaels]

thanks for the advise, i'll read the link with my morning coffee tomorrow. definitely will partially open the lower vents this time, and i plan to use a little apple juice ... i'm also going to pull it sooner too, i think ...

i'm seeing 185, 190, and 203 as common temps to pull it off, but i think the difference is whether or not the person is going to wrap it afterwards ...

looking forward to my second round, with less fear of failure!

cheers!

any opinions on cherry, mesquite, or hickory? ... i'm unfamiliar and apple made it seem like bacon

[ncsmoker]

Hickory and oak are common woods used in Texas. Mesquite also in small doses as it can be very strong, and it burns very hot. You have to get used to using it. Cherry is very sweet and my favorite for turkey and duck. Hickory for pork and bacon and anything you want to smoke with a heavy smoke taste to it.

Since you are just starting out just go slow and easy. I have been doing this since the 1970's on a Weber and feel I'm never sure of what I'm doing. LOL I use various woods in combinations or individuality depending on what I'm smoking. Apple, cherry, hickory, maple, oak Most important advice I can give you is keep a diary of what you do for each smoke you do for a while. Setting of vents, Party-q, temp outside, cloud cover, wood used, length of time you used wood. time of smoke. When you stir the coals and sweep and add new coals. This will help you learn faster and make using your SN more enjoyable.

Take care have a good smoke this weekend and always remember to have fun when doing this dang thing we call BBquing. LOL

Tom

[grantmichaels]

yes, big fan of the scientific method in these parts ... small, reproducible changes ftw!