Bottom of my brisket keeps getting burnt!

[jhendrix]

Hey everyone, first time posting here. I have a pellet grill and I usually do fat side down since the heat source is from below. I want to do fat up but the bottom ends up being dry. Would it help at all if I laid the brisket meat side down on just a sheet of foil during the part of the cook before I wrap it? Or wrap it sooner? I did a foil boat and the crust on the cap was great but the bottom still had a thin layer of dry tough meat. Any suggestions? Thanks everyone!

 

[gmc2003]

Welcome to the forums JH.

Dry and burnt are two different things to me. So I'll ask - at what temp are you smoking at and is your brisket directly over the burn pot?

 

[sandyut]

Welcome to the forums JH.

Dry and burnt are two different things to me. So I'll ask - at what temp are you smoking at and is your brisket directly over the burn pot?

and what smoker is it? I have a pellet smoker, always do fat down as the heat source is gonna be under it.

Why do you want to do fat up?

 

[jhendrix]

and what smoker is it? I have a pellet smoker, always do fat down as the heat source is gonna be under it.

Why do you want to do fat up?

Good question. Not burnt but dry and tough. Like a little thin layer of jerky. I have a pellet smoker. Only reason I like fat up is for aesthetics and I don’t want the fat to drip off the bottom if it’s fat down. But you’re right, fat down with the heat source coming from the bottom help protect it better. I do it at 225 the whole time. Wrap halfway through. Thanks for the help!

 

[DougE]

Why do you want to do fat up?

I'm guessing that they feel that the fat will baste the meat as it renders. Putting it fat side down is a better option as it insulates the meat from the heat source.

 

[Winterrider]

Are you sure your temp of grill is actual ? Verify with digital probes so you know if running hotter than settings indicate.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[sandyut]

Good question. Not burnt but dry and tough. Like a little thin layer of jerky. I have a pellet smoker. Only reason I like fat up is for aesthetics and I don’t want the fat to drip off the bottom if it’s fat down. But you’re right, fat down with the heat source coming from the bottom help protect it better. I do it at 225 the whole time. Wrap halfway through. Thanks for the help!

now we are getting somewhere. Try the next one at 275 start to finish, fat down. much faster, there is no taste difference. 225 cooks take a lifetime. most guys on here do 275 for all butts and briskets. you can start in the AM and eat in the easy. trust me

 

[sandyut]

What brand of smoker are you running?

 

[DougE]

225 cooks take a lifetime. most guys on here do 275 for all butts and briskets

Back when I joined the forum, 225° was the "Gold" standard of temps you should be cooking at until Al SmokinAl and some others played around with hot and fast. The results are the same.

 

[jcam222]

Another here for hot and fast. My buddies a concert too and his briskets are top notch. Does them far more often than me. I do a good long hour minimum rest after hot and fast at 275F.

 

[jhendrix]

Are you sure your temp of grill is actual ? Verify with digital probes so you know if running hotter than settings indicate.

Welcome to the forum.

That’s the thing. My grill says it’s usually not as hot as what the meater says the grill temp is and honestly I’m not sure which is the accurate. For example I’ll set it to 250 but the meater will say it’s around 270. Any tips on how to know the actual temp? Thank you!

 

[jhendrix]

What brand of smoker are you running?

Traeger

 

[DougE]

That’s the thing. My grill says it’s usually not as hot as what the meater says the grill temp is and honestly I’m not sure which is the accurate. For example I’ll set it to 250 but the meater will say it’s around 270. Any tips on how to know the actual temp? Thank you!

The normal way to check accuracy of therms is either the boiling water or ice water test. Being as the meater monitors both the IT of the meat and also chamber temps, I'm not sure how you would check the accuracy of the sensor that monitors the chamber temp.

 

[JLinza]

I also used to run 225º for most things. I will still run it now and then if time is not an issue, but most of my cooks are higher temp now.

 

[JckDanls 07]

The normal way to check accuracy of therms is either the boiling water or ice water test

Yep... get water up to a rolling boil... Hold thermometer (using a hot glove or pliers) in water far enough that both sensors are under water without touching the bottom or the sides of the pan... If doing ice water test... Used crushed ice and just enough water that the ice just starts to float... Mix real well with the probe...
Hopefully they read accurate and that's the one to trust...

 

[okie sawbones]

I have a cookie sheet and a wire rack that just fits it. I put the brisket on this, and I never have a problem.

 

[DougE]

Yep... get water up to a rolling boil... Hold thermometer (using a hot glove or pliers) in water far enough that both sensors are under water without touching the bottom or the sides of the pan.

Should be noted that you need to go by the elevation of where you live for the boiling point of water.

At sea level water boils at 212°F, while at 5,000 feet it will boil at around 203°F

 

[SmokinEdge]

Once upon a time, I had a GMG Daniel Boon pellet grill. It’s a smaller or mid-sized grill and set up just like Treagar. It was a great grill but when doing slow and low with brisket and butts I had the same dry jerky problem on the bottom of the meat. Rotating didn’t work because the grill surface was to small, this was worse for brisket and better for butts but still the same problem. To solve the problem I manufactured an elevated second grate to get the meat farther above the fire pot. This solved the problem but ultimately led me to buy a larger pellet grill with the fire pot on the side not in the center, the Yoder Ys 640 works much better as a pit bbq’er.

 

[DougE]

Once upon a time, I had a GMG Daniel Boon pellet grill. It’s a smaller or mid-sized grill and set up just like Treagar. It was a great grill but when doing slow and low with brisket and butts I had the same dry jerky problem on the bottom of the meat. Rotating didn’t work because the grill surface was to small, this was worse for brisket and better for butts but still the same problem. To solve the problem I manufactured an elevated second grate to get the meat farther above the fire pot. This solved the problem but ultimately led me to buy a larger pellet grill with the fire pot on the side not in the center, the Yoder Ys 640 works much better as a pit bbq’er.

My firepot on the Camp Chef is closer to the hopper rather than being centered also.