- Aug 11, 2011
- 7
- 10
Okay, so after absorbing tons of advice from this and other smoking meat sites, I was finally ready to smoke my first brisket. Decided to do it without any special event in mind, in case I screwed it up, so it was just hubby and me. But dummy me, forgot to get hickory chunks and had only two large chunks and a bunch of hickory "bisquettes" to work with. Decided to proceed anyway. Here's the Qviews:
This is a 5 lb (after trimming) mostly flat portion bought from Samsclub. Scored down to the meat layer.
The rub is a mixture of paprika, kosher salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, celery seed, oregano, thyme, and garam masala (which is mostly coriander). Wrapped in plastic and stored in refrigerator overnight.
Thin blue smoke! This is my new smoker, a GOSM 34" single vent purchased from Walmart. I'm using a Maverick ET732 dual-probe thermometer, which I unfortunately placed poorly in the meat, and it was reading high I found out later.
Put in foil pan, added beef broth, and wrapped in foil after internal temperature reached 150F. The temperature immediately shot up to 176F, which clued me in to the poor placement. After about an hour I took out the thermocouple and replaced it in a better location, which read about 10 degrees cooler and hopefully more accurate. By this time the meat had been in the smoker for 8 1/2 hours, which seems kinda long for 5 lbs of meat. Probably didn't place the external thermocouple well either. It was reading anywhere from 180 to 215 sitting right next to the meat, all during the smoke.
Pulled it out after 11 hours, and the internal temperature was still only 187F, but we were tired and hungry so we called it done. Looks pretty good.
Well, the smoke ring is pretty small (I continue to have issues with consistent smoke, will have to keep working on it) but wow! The flavor and tenderness were great! We buttered up and toasted some whole wheat hot dog buns, soaked them in the juice (not shown), and layered in the brisket slices. It was fantastic! I'm kinda glad we didn't have company, because that means we get to eat all of it ourselves. Selfish, I know. But after all, it was only 5 lbs.
Things to work on for next time:
--Get more wood chunks! They gave me the best, most consistent smoke.
--Place the thermocouples better.
--Start earlier!
Thanks for your patience--enjoy your day!
"CK"
This is a 5 lb (after trimming) mostly flat portion bought from Samsclub. Scored down to the meat layer.
The rub is a mixture of paprika, kosher salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, celery seed, oregano, thyme, and garam masala (which is mostly coriander). Wrapped in plastic and stored in refrigerator overnight.
Pulled it out after 11 hours, and the internal temperature was still only 187F, but we were tired and hungry so we called it done. Looks pretty good.
Well, the smoke ring is pretty small (I continue to have issues with consistent smoke, will have to keep working on it) but wow! The flavor and tenderness were great! We buttered up and toasted some whole wheat hot dog buns, soaked them in the juice (not shown), and layered in the brisket slices. It was fantastic! I'm kinda glad we didn't have company, because that means we get to eat all of it ourselves. Selfish, I know. But after all, it was only 5 lbs.
Things to work on for next time:
--Get more wood chunks! They gave me the best, most consistent smoke.
--Place the thermocouples better.
--Start earlier!
Thanks for your patience--enjoy your day!
"CK"
