First Brisket

kettle man · Oct 28, 2012

brisket.jpg

kettle man
Oct 28, 2012

Just smoked and ate my first brisket. After a lot of fretting and a big temperature spike it actually ended up pretty good. A little tough in areas but good flavor and a good smoke ring. When I took it off the grill I swore I wouldn't try brisket again but after eating it I decided I'll work to perfect it.

I cooked it on the kettle via the minion method. Temps required some work but for the most part stayed at acceptable levels. I still want a smokenator, WSM or egg but will keep on truvking with my warhorse kettle.

bama bbq · Oct 28, 2012

What temp did you take it to? You might start your perfecting with taking to a higher temp testing with a probe thermo to see how easily it slides in.

kettle man · Oct 28, 2012

Dumb question what is a probe thermo? Is that something like the Maverick? That is on my Christmas list. My temps were between 235-270 with one crazy spike of about 350. It was short lived. I added some hot coals because I thought I had lost my burn. I will admit I was very nervous cooking brisket and trying the minion method for the first time. Also I could have put the meat on later in the day. The early finish added to my anxiety.

I am eyeing a WSM (wooden handle no therm) from a guy. He wants $150.00 but I only want to pay $75.00. At some point I want an egg (I think) so I don"t want to pay a lot for a smoker.

JckDanls 07 · Oct 28, 2012

good job... just keep working with the kettle.. you'll get it.. it really is easy to control with the minion method... tell me a little more about how you did your minion method (pictures of setup would be nice)... we'll get ya up and running without all the anxiety... the kettle will go for a good 8-12 hrs without adding more coals...

kettle man · Oct 28, 2012

016.JPG

kettle man
Oct 28, 2012

kettle man · Oct 28, 2012

Oh I also did the Texas crutch.

JckDanls 07 · Oct 28, 2012

How long of a burn did you get out that pile of coals ? How many lit coals did you put in ? Were they red hot when you put them in ? How long did your brisket take ? What was your final IT (internal temp) ?

kettle man · Oct 28, 2012

My burn got a little of kilter. After my spike I took off 12-15 coals to cool it down. Even then I got north of five hours. I put 10-12 red hot coals in the corner to start it. I had the brisket on the grill for six hours and did 45 minutes in the oven after a 2 hour rest. At one point my meat temp read 194 but it regressed. I took it off at 178 to rest. Kept it wrapped in a cooler. Dropped to 148 that is when I put it back in the oven.

kettle man · Oct 28, 2012

took 12-15 coals off to cool it down. My wife said brisket was a little dry but very flavorful. I think if I hadn't added the four lit coals when I thought I lost my burn I would have been ok.

JckDanls 07 · Oct 28, 2012

ok then... if you need a longer burn, it looks like you coulda added a LOT more unlit coals... next time when you start, go with the 10-12 coals but put them in when they are only about half lit instead of red hot... keep ALL vents wide open until it gets around 200` then start to close down the intake vent... it should hum along at 225-235 with the intake only open about 1/8-1/4.. exhaust vent wide open....

you say it only took 6 hrs to get IT of 178` ? that would make me think the kettle was running a little hotter than what you think... what do you have for therms ? how big was the brisket ? when you took it off to rest, did you put it in a dry cooler with towels piled up around it ? Usually it will stay HOT for hours when held like this...

ok then.. we're doing good here... that was a very good learning experience being a first for minion and brisket...

kettle man · Oct 28, 2012

It was a dry cooler, wrapped in foil and covered with a towel. I have a digital therm I put in meat to check. I have an overn therm on grate and meat therm I put through the vent. I think if I had never messed with the coals it may have played our perfectly. All and all I think the finished product was ok for the first time. It was messy getting there but I learned a lot. I am asking my wife for a Maverick for Christmas. Would you mess with buying a smoker if you could get WSM 18.5 for less than a $100 or keep rocking the kettle. At some point I do want an egg. Can't decide if putting $75 into a WSM is taking away from my egg fund.

JckDanls 07 · Oct 28, 2012

if your dead set on an egg.. i would just keep going with the kettle until the egg appears.. the kettle really does an excellent job once you get the hang of it....

kettle man · Oct 28, 2012

Thanks for the advice. I love this site. Part of me just wants a $75.00 smoker and be done with it. Or just keep rocking the kettle. I feel more apart of the process. Egg seems too easy. But a budy of mine dropped to 8 lbers on his egg the other night at 11:00. Took them off at noon the next day with not much work in between. That seems a little appealing as well. We'll see. Again thanks for the time. What's your weapon? WSM?

JckDanls 07 · Oct 28, 2012

I have a char-griller... mini wsm... and share a kettle with a buddy of mine

kettle man · Oct 28, 2012

Is the mini wsm the 18.5 inch? Is your char-griller ceramic? The only drawback i have found to the kettle is surface area. Not sure i could have done ribs today as well. What are your thoughts on the egg?

JckDanls 07 · Oct 28, 2012

no.. the Mini WSM is the little weber smokey joe made into wsm with the 32 quart steamer pot,,, the chargriller is just a regular barrel smoker... as far as the egg goes... it sounds like it works well.. i've never used one but read Elly Mae's post all the time as she cooks with one...

here's a link to my Mini build http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/124570/my-version-of-the-mini-wsm

kettle man · Oct 28, 2012

The mini looks pretty cool. Hard to justify an egg. May keep haggling on th WSM. 50-75 bucks would be a good deal. Of course two of the best cooks i know use the kettle. One is 26 and the other is 22 inch

themule69 · Nov 29, 2012

Kettle Man said:
Dumb question what is a probe thermo? Is that something like the Maverick? That is on my Christmas list. My temps were between 235-270 with one crazy spike of about 350. It was short lived. I added some hot coals because I thought I had lost my burn. I will admit I was very nervous cooking brisket and trying the minion method for the first time. Also I could have put the meat on later in the day. The early finish added to my anxiety.

I am eyeing a WSM (wooden handle no therm) from a guy. He wants $150.00 but I only want to pay $75.00. At some point I want an egg (I think) so I don"t want to pay a lot for a smoker.

i have both the weber and the egg. i use them both. the weber is better for cold smoking cheese. if you get use to it it does a good job on everything.....then the egg, set it and leave it.

keep on smoken.

kryinggame · Nov 29, 2012

Hey Kettle Man, I just found and read this post--so have you cracked open your WSM yet? If I may suggest, go down to Wally world and pick up another Brisket--Last week I picked up a 9 lbs for about 19.00 (the Wally World in Ft. Mill). Try smoking that Brisket in your WSM--I guarantee that one it gets going, you'll be able to keep it constant at 225*.

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