Brisket Time Here We Go

[RiversideSm0ker]

About 11:00pm and the trim took a bit longer than I planned on. It’s cool for now. I wish it would stay that way for tomorrow but there is no chance of that. I’m going to run with Royal Oak lump and pecan until the lump runs out. I’m going to see if I can hold this around 275.

Alright so here are the prep and rub pics. I decided to go with SPOG. Kind of Texas style. I’ll check in later as things progress.

 

[dcecil]

Definitely will be watching for the finale on this one.

 

[phatbac]

looking good so far...hope the cook goes well!

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)

 

[foamheart]

I believe I can smell it, Mmmmmm...... gonna be good!

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

I just put the probe in. It’s reading 145. The brisket looks really good so far. I guess I should have snapped a pic but it didn’t cross my mind at the time. Already suffering from lack of sleep lol. I’m going to wrap this one in a foil pan after 5 or 6 hours. It’s alre smelling great out there. I’m definitely excited about this cook. I’ll check in a bit later.

 

[bdskelly]

Beautiful brisket. Watching closely. B

 

[Mark Adams]

Hope all is going well George, the sun just came up here and I’m waiting on the stall. Up to 170 on the probe after 6.5 hrs

Mark

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

I’m at 153 at about 5 hours. So far everything seems to be going well. Seems like 170 is after the stall point. Sounds like it’s going great for you Mark. I kind of enjoy doing these long cooks every once in a while.

George

 

[Mark Adams]

Yea I thought it usually happened around 165 but I’ve heard it being higher and sometimes not happening at all. Not sure if that’s because I’m cooking a little hotter (250-275) or what.

 

[SmokinAl]

Sounds like everything is going as planned!
Al

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

Alright, here we are at about 6:45. It appears to be in the stall at about 155 average IT the point is about 160. The thinnest part of the flat is 175. The point already feels pretty tender with the probe but it will be super tender by the time I take it off. I went ahead and wrapped this in a foil pan. Now the final part of the waiting game begins.

George

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

So just a few words of praise for Royal Oak. I started my charcoal around 10:00 last night and just emptied the last of a single bag of Royal Oak lump about ten minutes ago. That charcoal has produced a little over an inch of ash total. I didn’t even need to rake the ashes out. The only reason I did it was to easily visualize how little ash has been created. I also like the smell from the oak based lump. It’s definitely a winner.

George

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

Well it was a nice ride. I enjoyed the cook but I was so exhausted that I crashed this afternoon for a couple of hours. We just finished dinner. I have to say the flat was tender but still not as succulent as I wanted. Definitely better than my first brisket. The basic SPOG rub was definitely a winner. I didn’t need any sauce but it made great sliders with a touch of sauce. Here are the final pictures with my dinner plate. There was just so much food that we decided to forgo the corn on the cob.

George

 

[Mark Adams]

Nice spread George! Glad you were able to finish strong. Mine turned out about the same way, flat was not as juicy as I’d hoped but still awesome and the point was full of jiggly goodness

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

We are on vacation starting Saturday so I'm guessing that we will come up with several ways to eat brisket until we leave for Vegas. At least I don't have to cook again for three or four days. Thanks for the words of encouragement Mark. I had hoped for even better results because it was a prime brisket. Nothing was wrong at all. When I stuck the probe in it was butter tender in the flat and the point. After the rest, which ended up being longer that expected because I crashed for a couple of hours in the middle of the afternoon, It just hadn't seemed to have retained the juices as much in the flat. Like you said the point is always fantastic. That stuff is the equivalent to beef caviar. Have a good one.

George

 

[banderson7474]

Did you only use charcoal? I didn't see you mention how long if you used smoke wood also.

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

Did you only use charcoal? I didn't see you mention how long if you used smoke wood also.

I used one bag of Royal Oak lump as my fuel. Again kudos to them for getting me through an 11 hour cook with a single bag of charcoal. Yes indeed I love my pecan for long smokes. I used pecan chunks for about 5-6 hours until I wrapped it in the foil pan. That was the first time I did the pan wrap. I liked the results of wrapping an prepping in the same pan. The pan juices were awesome and I will do this again but will continue to experiment fat up or down, level of trim, and other variances. I do think that I will stick with the SPOG for brisket though. I really liked the flavor profile. All in all, I was very pleased but I want perfection. It's just who I am.

George

 

[banderson7474]

I think one of my mistakes is using only smoke wood for the entire smoke. I only use charcoal for the initial bed. In order for me to keep temp, I have to put a log about once an hr and that tends to be a ton of smoke. I think I'm going to start experimenting on using smoke wood for half the time and then go to a charcoal. I think I will try the lump. It's been awhile since I've used that.

 

[Nutshell]

Nice job!

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

I think one of my mistakes is using only smoke wood for the entire smoke. I only use charcoal for the initial bed. In order for me to keep temp, I have to put a log about once an hr and that tends to be a ton of smoke. I think I'm going to start experimenting on using smoke wood for half the time and then go to a charcoal. I think I will try the lump. It's been awhile since I've used that.

Oh I would have to disagree with your decision here. If I had a good, INEXPENSIVE, source for splits. I would use your method without hesitation. I think that you get the perfect situation if you are just using wood exclusively. If you have managed the fire properly and allow your splits to catch on fire before you close the firebox you are golden. That smoke is a pure as it gets. The charcoal burns as well and has it's own version of smoke. It may be thin enough to not really notice but it's there. In my case, I even get the smoke from the charcoal because when I add more coals to my firebox I add them a few at a time and they are unlit. It's like a continuous minion method. There is some white smoke for a few minutes and then the smoke is basically the TBS from the wood chunks because I ensure that the bed is very hot and that the chunks catch on fire immediately after being added. Setting them on the warming plate of my firebox helps with how quickly they catch. Feel free to experiment with charcoal because it is a reliable and predictable heat source but if yo have access to splits that are free or affordable then you are one step ahead of me already. Thanks for sharing your insights and experiences as well.

George