1st brisket + 1st smoke on Pit Boss tabletop pellet grill/smoker

[SherryT]

Will start by saying sorry for the not-so-great pic (I SUCK at taking pics!)...

As you can see by the slice on the right, I had to find the grain, but it turned out VERY good! Tender, juicy, just the right amount of smoke (for me). Brisket was sliced at room temp in the pic.

3lb piece of point. Applied rub the night before and tucked it in the fridge. Took out of fridge 2 hrs prior to smoking, then placed on a rack in a foil pan. Apple pellets (I had apple and hickory...didn't want to roll the dice with hickory on beef).

Observations:

• I started at 11:30AM, 180F (IT was 71F) for 1.5hrs per online suggestion for this smoker, then inc to 250F at 1PM. It hit 147F around 4PM and then stalled (I assume because it was only 3lbs?). Did some research online and decided at 7:30PM to wrap in BP and inc the temp to 300F (IT 154F). Pulled it at 10:15PM (probed tender, IT 203). Opened the BP and let it rest on the counter for about 30 - 45mins (IT 170F). Re-wrapped in BP and stuck it in a cooler with towels.
• At about 1:30AM, I cut into it, but I'd cut 2 slices before I realized I'd cut WITH the grain (see slice on the right), so I stopped slicing and eat a slice as my taste test.

Takeaways:

• Love the rub (8:3:3:1, coarse b/pepper, kosher salt, Lawry's, and granulated garlic), but it's a bit heavy on the b/pepper I think.
• I FINALLY managed to get an actual smoke ring on something I smoked!
• It was very tender and juicy...not dry at all and not "over-cooked". The slices were flexible, but didn't fall to pieces when I sliced it...perfect for beef, IMO. VERY pleased with that.
• I fully expected the bark to turn into paste, but it didn't. It softened a bit so it's not crunchy or anything, but it's not wet and pasty, so I'll take that as a win.
• I guess it's an experience-related thing, but I need to figure out how to get the temps/timing right...this took 10.5hrs for a 3lb piece of brisket
  • 1.5hrs at 180F
  • 9hrs, 15mins to reach temp/probe tender
  • 30min rest
  • add an additional 15mins for "handling"

This was also the first time I've ever even TASTED smoked brisket and although you couldn't have PAID me to believe I'd like it as much as pulled pork, I think I might!

As for the new PB tabletop, I LOVE THAT THING!!!

• When it stabilized at the set temp (and it did so quickly), it never deviated more than a couple of degrees either way (that I observed, anyway).
• It's VERY well insulated and recovered VERY quickly when I'd check on the pellet level and to see if there were any "voids" developing as the pellets dropped (about once an hour...I was kinda worried about that part).
• I'm gonna say it used about 4 - 5 cups of pellets, but I'm not sure, so take that with a grain of salt.
• It produced clean smoke and there was no acrid smoke flavor to the meat.

So, I'll use the PB exclusively as a smoker (my intended purpose when I bought it) as I have an OJ Rambler and a Smokey Joe for grilling and Big Chief for smoking cheese/sausages...I think I'm set!

Sorry for the long post, but I had a lot of stuff to say!

 

[02ebz06]

Good lookin' brisket.
Glad you are happy with the new smoker.

 

[tallbm]

Will start by saying sorry for the not-so-great pic (I SUCK at taking pics!)...

View attachment 721023

As you can see by the slice on the right, I had to find the grain, but it turned out VERY good! Tender, juicy, just the right amount of smoke (for me). Brisket was sliced at room temp in the pic.

3lb piece of point. Applied rub the night before and tucked it in the fridge. Took out of fridge 2 hrs prior to smoking, then placed on a rack in a foil pan. Apple pellets (I had apple and hickory...didn't want to roll the dice with hickory on beef).

Observations:

• I started at 11:30AM, 180F (IT was 71F) for 1.5hrs per online suggestion for this smoker, then inc to 250F at 1PM. It hit 147F around 4PM and then stalled (I assume because it was only 3lbs?). Did some research online and decided at 7:30PM to wrap in BP and inc the temp to 300F (IT 154F). Pulled it at 10:15PM (probed tender, IT 203). Opened the BP and let it rest on the counter for about 30 - 45mins (IT 170F). Re-wrapped in BP and stuck it in a cooler with towels.
• At about 1:30AM, I cut into it, but I'd cut 2 slices before I realized I'd cut WITH the grain (see slice on the right), so I stopped slicing and eat a slice as my taste test.

Takeaways:

• Love the rub (8:3:3:1, coarse b/pepper, kosher salt, Lawry's, and granulated garlic), but it's a bit heavy on the b/pepper I think.
• I FINALLY managed to get an actual smoke ring on something I smoked!
• It was very tender and juicy...not dry at all and not "over-cooked". The slices were flexible, but didn't fall to pieces when I sliced it...perfect for beef, IMO. VERY pleased with that.
• I fully expected the bark to turn into paste, but it didn't. It softened a bit so it's not crunchy or anything, but it's not wet and pasty, so I'll take that as a win.
• I guess it's an experience-related thing, but I need to figure out how to get the temps/timing right...this took 10.5hrs for a 3lb piece of brisket
  • 1.5hrs at 180F
  • 9hrs, 15mins to reach temp/probe tender
  • 30min rest
  • add an additional 15mins for "handling"

This was also the first time I've ever even TASTED smoked brisket and although you couldn't have PAID me to believe I'd like it as much as pulled pork, I think I might!

As for the new PB tabletop, I LOVE THAT THING!!!

• When it stabilized at the set temp (and it did so quickly), it never deviated more than a couple of degrees either way (that I observed, anyway).
• It's VERY well insulated and recovered VERY quickly when I'd check on the pellet level and to see if there were any "voids" developing as the pellets dropped (about once an hour...I was kinda worried about that part).
• I'm gonna say it used about 4 - 5 cups of pellets, but I'm not sure, so take that with a grain of salt.
• It produced clean smoke and there was no acrid smoke flavor to the meat.

So, I'll use the PB exclusively as a smoker (my intended purpose when I bought it) as I have an OJ Rambler and a Smokey Joe for grilling and Big Chief for smoking cheese/sausages...I think I'm set!

Sorry for the long post, but I had a lot of stuff to say!

Great job!!! Also welcome back, I think it's been a while since you were posting.

The point is the best part of the brisket and yeah a proper smoked brisket is going to be AMAZING so don't be shocked if you do more and you enjoy it more than pulled pork. Here in Texas brisket is king and I consider it the king of all smoked BBQ (though it usurped the throne from beef ribs and then purged all historical records to keep that a secret lol).

As for your time, the 1.5 hour is definitely a good chunk of time that I think may be specific to your smoker so you get better smoke generation upfront. If that is not the case then you can just crank the temp up from the start.
Speaking of cranking the temp up, as long as you aren't burning your brisket it won't care what temp you are cooking it at so feel free to crank up above the 250F smoker temp and that will help speed things up. I do 275F unwrapped the whole time in my MES and never dry it out, but the MES is excellent at retaining moisture on it's own. Many guys do 300F+ for theirs but I can't go that high for such a long smoke without risking the integrity of my MES foam insulation.

Those things could all help you decrease your smoking time but I don't think you will ever get below 4-5 hours.

Also you did a great job on NOT wrapping too early. If you wrap too early you end up with oven roast beef flavor instead of smoked bbq brisket flavor, and that is disappointing with the cost, effort, and time it took to try and make a smoked bbq brisket. Many people see instructions of "wrap when it hits the stall" or "wrap at 160-165F" and that is not so accurate. You wrap when you have the bark and color you want and not before. So this means you will let it sit in the stall for a while and never wrap early in the stall or at those temps if you don't have the bark, texture, and color for it to be bbq brisket... unless you just want to inefficiently make roast beef :P

I can't wait to see what your next brisket point smoke turns out like and how much improve it all. At some point I think you will blow everyone you know away with your brisket! Keep it up :D

 

[JckDanls 07]

What an excellent job for your first...

My recommendation for future brisket cooks is... Find the grain first before adding any rub... I stick a toothpick in the end of the grain so that it runs straight with the grain... When it comes time to slice I know to slice 90 degrees to the toothpick...

 

[SmokinEdge]

Excellent work Sherry! Brisket can take time to cook right, it’s the nature of the meat cut. That said, don’t be afraid to run higher start and finish temps. This will shorten overall time but may lower smoke flavor a skosh. Also you can wrap at about 5 hours to speed through the cook, again a little trade on flavor but saves time.

 

[SherryT]

Great job!!! Also welcome back, I think it's been a while since you were posting.

The point is the best part of the brisket and yeah a proper smoked brisket is going to be AMAZING so don't be shocked if you do more and you enjoy it more than pulled pork. Here in Texas brisket is king and I consider it the king of all smoked BBQ (though it usurped the throne from beef ribs and then purged all historical records to keep that a secret lol).

As for your time, the 1.5 hour is definitely a good chunk of time that I think may be specific to your smoker so you get better smoke generation upfront. If that is not the case then you can just crank the temp up from the start.
Speaking of cranking the temp up, as long as you aren't burning your brisket it won't care what temp you are cooking it at so feel free to crank up above the 250F smoker temp and that will help speed things up. I do 275F unwrapped the whole time in my MES and never dry it out, but the MES is excellent at retaining moisture on it's own. Many guys do 300F+ for theirs but I can't go that high for such a long smoke without risking the integrity of my MES foam insulation.

Those things could all help you decrease your smoking time but I don't think you will ever get below 4-5 hours.

Also you did a great job on NOT wrapping too early. If you wrap too early you end up with oven roast beef flavor instead of smoked bbq brisket flavor, and that is disappointing with the cost, effort, and time it took to try and make a smoked bbq brisket. Many people see instructions of "wrap when it hits the stall" or "wrap at 160-165F" and that is not so accurate. You wrap when you have the bark and color you want and not before. So this means you will let it sit in the stall for a while and never wrap early in the stall or at those temps if you don't have the bark, texture, and color for it to be bbq brisket... unless you just want to inefficiently make roast beef :P

I can't wait to see what your next brisket point smoke turns out like and how much improve it all. At some point I think you will blow everyone you know away with your brisket! Keep it up :D

Great job!!! Also welcome back, I think it's been a while since you were posting.

The point is the best part of the brisket and yeah a proper smoked brisket is going to be AMAZING so don't be shocked if you do more and you enjoy it more than pulled pork. Here in Texas brisket is king and I consider it the king of all smoked BBQ (though it usurped the throne from beef ribs and then purged all historical records to keep that a secret lol).

As for your time, the 1.5 hour is definitely a good chunk of time that I think may be specific to your smoker so you get better smoke generation upfront. If that is not the case then you can just crank the temp up from the start.
Speaking of cranking the temp up, as long as you aren't burning your brisket it won't care what temp you are cooking it at so feel free to crank up above the 250F smoker temp and that will help speed things up. I do 275F unwrapped the whole time in my MES and never dry it out, but the MES is excellent at retaining moisture on it's own. Many guys do 300F+ for theirs but I can't go that high for such a long smoke without risking the integrity of my MES foam insulation.

Those things could all help you decrease your smoking time but I don't think you will ever get below 4-5 hours.

Also you did a great job on NOT wrapping too early. If you wrap too early you end up with oven roast beef flavor instead of smoked bbq brisket flavor, and that is disappointing with the cost, effort, and time it took to try and make a smoked bbq brisket. Many people see instructions of "wrap when it hits the stall" or "wrap at 160-165F" and that is not so accurate. You wrap when you have the bark and color you want and not before. So this means you will let it sit in the stall for a while and never wrap early in the stall or at those temps if you don't have the bark, texture, and color for it to be bbq brisket... unless you just want to inefficiently make roast beef :P

I can't wait to see what your next brisket point smoke turns out like and how much improve it all. At some point I think you will blow everyone you know away with your brisket! Keep it up :D

Yeah, I've been down one too many rabbit holes and couldn't find my way out!

I was surprised at how good smoked brisket is! I tried beef ribs and a chucky before and although both were good, they weren't good enough for me to try beef again, but, in hindsight, the issue was more than likely with me than the beef! What brought me back to trying beef again (smoked brisket in particular) was I wanted to try grinding my own hamburger (I did...now I'm rurnt!), so I gave in and bought a packer and the marbling in the point looked too good NOT to try it!

 

[SherryT]

What an excellent job for your first...

My recommendation for future brisket cooks is... Find the grain first before adding any rub... I stick a toothpick in the end of the grain so that it runs straight with the grain... When it comes time to slice I know to slice 90 degrees to the toothpick...

Oh I'll DEFINITELY be marking the grain!

 

[SherryT]

Excellent work Sherry! Brisket can take time to cook right, it’s the nature of the meat cut. That said, don’t be afraid to run higher start and finish temps. This will shorten overall time but may lower smoke flavor a skosh. Also you can wrap at about 5 hours to speed through the cook, again a little trade on flavor but saves time.

Thanks!

I think I'll try starting at 180F for a couple of hours, then increasing to 300F (the PB goes from 250 - 300F) next time...and there "will" be a next time!

 

[mike243]

Looks great, my Austin LX goes from 250-300, 300 is too hot for my smoking, that's closer to hot grilling and hard for me to judge the moisture and tenderness, I run mine as low as it will go for several hours then go to 225-250 depending on weight and time I need it ready. Smaller cuts can be really challenging with higher temps.

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

Great job on your first brisket Sherry. I'm sure they will only get better as you make more.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Killed it Sherry! Beautiful color.

 

[912smoker]

Great first brisket Sherry and they will continue to get better as you fine tune and adjust your techniques !
I used to cut an inch or so long slit in the flat to mark the grain.

Keith

 

[1MoreFord]

Sherry your brisket looks Good, especially for a first effort!
Hickory would have been fine for a brisket.
Oak, most often Post Oak, may be the standard for beef but beef handles, and IMO, should stronger smoke woods than fruit woods. Pellet cookers are often accused of not providing enough smoke flavor so by all means try a flavorful wood.

 

[Jim_C]

A nice looking brisket. I have yet to make my first brisket. Hopefully it turns out as good as your first attempt.

Boy there's a lot of good advice here. Particularly in terms of temperature, wrap/no wrap, and grain.

 

[SherryT]

Sherry your brisket looks Good, especially for a first effort!
Hickory would have been fine for a brisket.
Oak, most often Post Oak, may be the standard for beef but beef handles, and IMO, should stronger smoke woods than fruit woods. Pellet cookers are often accused of not providing enough smoke flavor so by all means try a flavorful wood.

My plan is to get a bag of oak for the next one, then on to hickory for the one after that based on how the oak goes.

The main reason I shied away from hickory is that I once smoked a batch of sausage using hickory and it was over-powering. I DO, however, realize that could have been my inexperience and not recognizing clean from dirty smoke at the time.

 

[SherryT]

A nice looking brisket. I have yet to make my first brisket. Hopefully it turns out as good as your first attempt.

Boy there's a lot of good advice here. Particularly in terms of temperature, wrap/no wrap, and grain.

Oh you have to try it!

I'd never even tasted smoked brisket before this one and was shocked at just how good it was!

 

[tallbm]

My plan is to get a bag of oak for the next one, then on to hickory for the one after that based on how the oak goes.

The main reason I shied away from hickory is that I once smoked a batch of sausage using hickory and it was over-powering. I DO, however, realize that could have been my inexperience and not recognizing clean from dirty smoke at the time.

If you get your hickory sorted out then I can't wait until you try a little Mesquite. Mesquite + beef is the best combo in the world! :D