10# Round Sirloin Tip, 12# Brisket all-nighter- qview

[forluvofsmoke]

I've either fallen into the deep end, or I haven't had many chances to smoke lately. I couldn't resist going after these two cuts when I saw them @ Sam's a few days back...yeah, OK...I admit it.....I'M ADDICTED!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!

I haven't taken the opportunity to smoke a round tip yet, so I'm looking forward to the finish on this. I'm thinking sliced hot for some samples, then the bulk of it to be thin sliced and vac-sealed for freezer re-stocking.

The brisket will be just as my last one, smoked fat-cap down, separated flat for slicing, point for burnt ends...love them bad boys...my wife said she's addicted to BE's! Now, I don't need an excuse to buy brisket anymore, she'll remind me when ever we're out and about! HAH-HAH-HAH!!!!!!!!

Here's tonight's first victim...er, patient...uh, no-no-no...hunk o' beef...I took the smallest one in the meat cooler that afternoon:



The cut-end (mid-section) of the muscles:



And, the business end, the tip itself, where all the connective tissues of each muscle group are tightly bundled...I'm leaving this as is, so the roast will stay intact as much as possible as it begins to shrink from the cooking process:






Rubbed and ready for the Smoke Vault:



Wet smoking @ 225* with hickory and cherry...in @ 8:00 PM Mountain Time:




I'm lonely...I'm sooooooooooo lonely...........:



OK, I've got a solution to your problem, tip....no worries.


Not a large one by my standards (I like the 15-16+ lbr's)...I bought it just for giggles:



Drying off, just prior to salting the fat cap and dry-rubbing the meat:








Into the Vault @ 8:40 PM with tip:


So, the smoke is on...current temp is 9*F with no wind or precipitation

More to follow!

Thanks!

Eric

 

[caveman]

I am almost tempted to buy a plane ticket & show up just as the meat is coming out of the smoker. Can't wait to see em. Stay warm!!

 

[forluvofsmoke]

The brisket is starting to sweat now. The tip is not getting in any big hurry just yet...a bit of shrinkage on the lower right, as it's showing some unrubbed membrane-covered muscle. But that's a thick cut (approx 6") and I tucked it in under itself a bit to help hold it together tighter during the smoke...gonna be slow out of the gate on this one, but it'll run long & hard for the duration of the race, I expect.



Eric

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Heh-heh-heh, thanks.....if only we had q-deliveries with the PM's, I could save you a bundle of credit card points/miles...or cash!

I'm thinkin' maybe 3:00 PM MST to pull the brisket and separate/wrap/rest the flat...then, dice/sauce the point and double-smoke for burnt ends...if you can make it by 6:00 you'll be in beef brisket heaven!! LOL!!!!!!!!

The round tip on the other hand, being my first...well, it's too early to predict (or guess)...it was really slow on the go...it looks alot better now, though.



Looking at these pics will give a comparison to earlier shots for bark formation, shrinkage and sweating of juices.

The brisket ends are pulling tighter together and the point is lifting off the grate as the meat shrinkage is more prominent now. The round tip is tightening up a bit as well and the edges are lifting up off of the grate...it's starting to turn into a big ball of sorts, so the shrinkage is giving it a nice shape for slicing so far...

Lots of juice tracing on both pieces, so things are really shaping up very well at this point. I know the brisket will be great, and I almost can't wait (even though it'll be another 12 hrs or so) to see that tip sliced-up!

OK, I guess I just stepped out of my comfort zone again and made a prediction anyway...am I getting tired already? Hope not, it's only 2:30 AM...the night's YOUNG!!! LOL!!!!!!!



















TIT-TOC, TIC-TOC...................

Eric

 

[timtimmay]

I could easily be there by this afternoon.......Looks great.

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Both cuts are sound asleep for the past couple hours. The round tip stalled @ 149*. Being a thick cut, I expected a low-temp plateau...this is gonna be a super-tender delight!

The brisket hit it's stall @ 156*. I managed a couple quick door openings to check water pan level and snapped off a few shots for your drooling pleasures.

Speaking of drooling, check out the drippings stretching down from the bottom of the round tip:


It's not as easy to see as it has been on most of my large cut smokes, but there are a few bits of dry rub still on the grates where the edges of the meat used to be at the start of the smoke...serious shrinkage going on here...I'm already a happy smoker, as this has been running smooth and easy, with minimal temp swings in the Vault and no other issues thus far:



The finish to come in about.......hmm........8 more hours???? Maybe more...such is life!

Thanks!

Eric

 

[uncle_lar]

WOW, both cuts are looking suppurbly delicious!
I cant wait to see their sliced open goodness!
tic toc! tic toc!

 

[gene111]

looking good!!

 

[bassman]

Wow, Eric! That's a couple of great looking pieces of meat. Can't wait to see you slice into that sirloin.

 

[flyfishjeep]

Dang! All that just for me? You shouldn't have...Ok, I accept.
You have got some great looking colors showing on that Brisket!!!
Everything is looking great and I can't wait for the final pics.

 

[jak757]

Awesome Qview! Love the "play by play" shots and commentary (or time lapsed in a way).

I have yet to try a brisket -- whats the thought behind having the fat cap down? I would have thought having it up would keep the juices flowing over/through the meat. But it sounds like you have had great success with it down.

Looking forward to the final product!

 

[forluvofsmoke]

You sure could! I've been to Greeley a couple of times...4 hours easy driving...need an address? HAH-HAH!!!!!!! Thanks!

Thanks, yeah, that tip is gonna be a treat for sure...oh, and no need to mention the anticipation factor...heh-heh-heh!

Thanks brother!

Thanks, I can't wait either...my Nesco slicer will get some use again for vac-sealed freezer bagging.

LOL!!!!! Thanks, it does look even better face-to-face. Using my Razr cell-cam again...digi-cam issues...tough to get good shots, but I can usually manage OK.

Thanks, I like to keep it rolling on the longer burns so I don't forget anything along the way. It can bring out some tips for someone who hasn't cooked that particular cut of meat, or used the method(s) I'm using. It also helps give me something to do so I can stay awake on the all-nighters! LOL!!!!!

Briskets can be challenging, though I've found that if you find a post with good end results, try his/her methods and see where it goes...I was spooked about the big bad brisket after my first one...I swore "never again" would I touch a brisky. 6 months later the wife and kids convinced me to give it another shot...said they thought it was OK, just needed to try some different "ways" to do it...practice, they said...they were right...checked out more brisket threads here, and, been a brisket burnin' addict ever since...the rest is history.

I've done fat-cap up once, about 18 months ago (first smoked full packer)...I didn't know what I was doing and used methods which weren't proven (mainly, didn't get internal temp high enough)...didn't like the outcome.

I've done several lean trimmed and separated packers with good results, as well. I remember a few other members made some comments that they don't feel the need for leaving any surface fat on a piece of meat. It just depends on what your looking for in the final product, and if your willing to put the extra cooking time into the fat mass, I think. Trimming very lean will reduce cooking time, especially with a packer @ approx. 1/3 total removable fat. Dryness of the meat can easily be an issue if overcooked. Fat cap on is much more forgiving, and I think overall gives more flavor to the product. Heck, I've used 20% brisket trimmings for an additive to my lean trimmed dark meat chicken sausage, and the flavor is great.

Since I decided to try another full packer awhile back, I tried fat-cap down and have been on that ever since. Opinions will vary as to why to go up/down, and my theory is that the fat-cap seems to protect the meat from the heat rising up under the slab, possibly preventing it from cooking the bottom surface too quickly, while also allowing the upper surface to absorbe the heat more slowly. It might create an environment where a more even cooking can be achieved. Just a theory...

Wow, I digressed...anyway that's my take.

Thanks everyone!



Oh, while I'm here...update @ 11 hours:

No pics right now as I'm grinding through the stalls on both pieces and want to maintain steady temps as much as possible...pics will follow for the separation of the point/flat and burnt ends.....oh man, can't wait!

The brisket is slowly crawling out of bed @ 165*, which will allow me plenty of time to get the rest of the prep and double smoke of the burnt ends done in time for dinner.

The tip is still snoozing @ 153*. That's OK, because it won't be the main course for dinner. Just wanted everyone to be able to experience a slice while it's still hot so we can take a vote on it being a hot sammie meat or not...I know it will make great cold sammies, so the bulk of it gets the vac-sealer treatment for freezing.

Man, I was tired about 1/2 hour before sunrise this morning...now I'm just starting to get rummy...hmmm, time for another mug of cappuccino, I'm guessing...HAH-HAH-HAH!

One thing about all-nighters: you WILL learn to be patient (if you aren't the patient type), you WILL learn ways to keep yourself awake, and, you WILL be justly rewarded for your efforts! I've never had an all-nighter go the wrong direction.

Back later with more!

Enjoy!

Eric

 

[forluvofsmoke]

I had to do some improvising with the digital probes. A month or so back, while fumbling with something or another, I got one of my two probe leads tangled and pulled the head off it's resting place. It dropped on it's side and broke the lead port on the head. This was my second disabled digi-probe head, and I already had one probe with a damaged lead next to the probe tubing.

So, I had one head and two leads that worked. Today I'm realizing that I really could use another working unit, as I'm getting closer to the end and want to watch temps more closely. So, me having an adapt/overcome kind of mind, decided to feed the extra lead in and stab the sirloin tip, so that I can alternate between the two, instead of quickly switching the probe every 2 hours as I was doing since the 11-hour mark. Problem solved, for now at least...just so I don't try smoking 3 or 4 high value pieces of meat at the same time...which has happened in the past...time to go on a digi-therm hunt again.


OK, internals are now @ 160* in the tip, and 166* in the brisket...now, the brisket seems to be in a "not as happy as it could be" state due to temp swings after sunrise and ambient temp rises. I had to dial the vault down a couple times and went too low once...probably had something to do with the temp drop from 168* and second stall which has lasted a couple more hours now.

That said, during my last smoker maintenance (probe lead feeding and insertion), I couldn't help but grab a couple quick shots...this is nice lookin' grub:











I'm still being patient...can't rush these things...

Thanks!

Eric

 

[bottomline]

Excellent!!

 

[the dude abides]

Looking great Eric. You've got some tasty eating coming your way soon. Way to hang with this and for giving everyone the play-by-play.

 

[jaxgatorz]

Wow Eric !! Those picture of the meat are making me very hungry !!! Can't wait till the final pics are up...Great job !!!

 

[denver dave]

That looks great. You will be rewarded for your patience.

 

[flyfishjeep]

I just licked the pictures of that Brisket and Tri-tip just hoping that the taste-a-vision application worked... Sadly it didn't.

 

[smokaholic]

I think he fell asleep or the caffiene wore off LOL...those are some monster pieces of meat. Cant wait for the cut up meat picks!

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Neither one! LMAO!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks!

Eric