Finally, a brisket everyone liked!
- Thread starter schlotz
- Start date
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KrisUpInSmoke
Smoking Fanatic
That is a really great shot and I bet great tasting smoke. Waygu is something we do not see here very often. I think once that I can remember in a store ( costco special sale ) Something I would love to try. Big LIKE here....
Not sure but there has to be a Wagyu provider up in your neck of the woods. Down here there are starting to be a number of good providers. This one came from KC Cattle Company.
petehalsted
Smoking Fanatic
- Jun 28, 2015
- 483
- 296
That is definitely a thing of beauty. Congrats. Nice job on both the uniform slicing and photo skills, all around fantastic job!
SmokinLogs
Smoking Fanatic
Wow that looks almost tender and juicy enough to suck up and eat through a straw. Fantastic. Good job.
banderson7474
Smoking Fanatic
I swear every time I log in here and see that juicy meat I salivate. Tell the truth, you sprayed it before the pic??!!!
Nope, but remember this was Wagyu brisket which is heavy marbled with yummy rendered fat. :)
Your brisket post is incredibly timely. A nephew of mine just challenged me to a whole packer brisket throwdown. I've smoked just one previously and it turned out pretty good, burnt ends and all. If mine turns out looking anything like yours, I win. I also plan to use just salt and pepper, although a buddy of mine recommends adding onion and garlic powders. We'll see. But you rocked that brisket and did the Waygu beef proud!
Yo' Schlotz,
You may be my new best friend! That brisket looks incredible and I am absolutely green with envy! I also have a Mak 2 Star (3293), but have suffered more brisket heartbreaks than my first wife provided. (OK, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little.) Your success gives me new hope though. Our local Costco occassionally puts out Prime brisket, and though not Wagyu, it's hopefully close enough to compare to your results, but need to know before trying...
You said the upper grate was at 275-285, but what was the Pellet Boss set to to get that? (I do have a Smoke to measure the grate temp if necessary.) I have an upper grate, but do you think it's critical to use it or could the lower grate be utilized if running the same temp? What brand/flavor pellets did you use and do you think it made a diference?
Any and all input would be very much appreciated!
You may be my new best friend! That brisket looks incredible and I am absolutely green with envy! I also have a Mak 2 Star (3293), but have suffered more brisket heartbreaks than my first wife provided. (OK, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little.) Your success gives me new hope though. Our local Costco occassionally puts out Prime brisket, and though not Wagyu, it's hopefully close enough to compare to your results, but need to know before trying...
You said the upper grate was at 275-285, but what was the Pellet Boss set to to get that? (I do have a Smoke to measure the grate temp if necessary.) I have an upper grate, but do you think it's critical to use it or could the lower grate be utilized if running the same temp? What brand/flavor pellets did you use and do you think it made a diference?
Any and all input would be very much appreciated!
If you haven't done so, it's a good idea to monitor the temps at your grates upper and/or lower so you gain an understanding of how your MAK performs. My 2 Star upper grates usually runs 25-30ºF hotter then what the Pellet Boss is set for. If fact, the higher the PB is set, the larger the variance & swing. Lower grate seems to hover around 15-20ºF hotter. For me, a good starting point for smoking a brisket on the upper rack is to set the PB to 245º but regardless of which grate, I want the actual grate temp in the range of 275-285ºF. On this smoke I tightly wrapped it in butcher paper after it had been in a short stall when the IT was 168-170º.
While is was nice of MAK to include a bag of Bear Mountain pellets, I quickly became disenchanted. Way too much ash which can be a problem on long smokes, plus the MAK had some crazy temp swings. Full disclosure, I hadn't emptied the fire pot since my usual goto pellets never presented an issue running 2 to 3 smokes before doing so. Anyhow, I immediately went back to what I've always used, BBQr's Delight - Hickory which was used for this brisket. :) Plus to ensure things I'm back to religiously emptying the pot before each smoke.
Brisket: If you can, find one with a thicker flat. I now subscribe to the adage of better to leave more fat on than trim it too much. The obvious large hard chunks get removed and more, but I'm ok if there is a bit more than 1/4" left. NOTE: weigh ALL of the trimmings you've removed so you'll know exactly how much the trimmed brisket weighs. The above MAK setup has resulted in approx 40-45 min/lb with the last two briskets I've done (trimed to 12 & 10 lbs). Remember that timing is only a guide, each brisket has a mind of its own.
Two other things I did on this smoke:
1 - when I decided it probed tender (still having trouble coming to grips with this) it was pulled, the butcher paper cut open & peeled back to allow the heat to dissipate for 5-10 min before placing in a cooler with towels. Cooler was set up with a bottom beach towel, sheet of heavy alum foil, brisket in butcher paper but still opened, sheet of heavy alum foil, and the top beach towel.
2 - rested the meat for only 1hr 20 min.
Why these? Because previous smokes were pulled and put directly in the cooler and rested for multiple hours before serving. Hey, the kids don't always show for diner when they said they will. o_O I believe doing those two things allowed the cooking process to continue too long causing it to be over cooked.
It's still a learning process for me but that's all part of the fun. :D
Remember to take good notes on each of your smokes! ;)
Matt
While is was nice of MAK to include a bag of Bear Mountain pellets, I quickly became disenchanted. Way too much ash which can be a problem on long smokes, plus the MAK had some crazy temp swings. Full disclosure, I hadn't emptied the fire pot since my usual goto pellets never presented an issue running 2 to 3 smokes before doing so. Anyhow, I immediately went back to what I've always used, BBQr's Delight - Hickory which was used for this brisket. :) Plus to ensure things I'm back to religiously emptying the pot before each smoke.
Brisket: If you can, find one with a thicker flat. I now subscribe to the adage of better to leave more fat on than trim it too much. The obvious large hard chunks get removed and more, but I'm ok if there is a bit more than 1/4" left. NOTE: weigh ALL of the trimmings you've removed so you'll know exactly how much the trimmed brisket weighs. The above MAK setup has resulted in approx 40-45 min/lb with the last two briskets I've done (trimed to 12 & 10 lbs). Remember that timing is only a guide, each brisket has a mind of its own.
Two other things I did on this smoke:
1 - when I decided it probed tender (still having trouble coming to grips with this) it was pulled, the butcher paper cut open & peeled back to allow the heat to dissipate for 5-10 min before placing in a cooler with towels. Cooler was set up with a bottom beach towel, sheet of heavy alum foil, brisket in butcher paper but still opened, sheet of heavy alum foil, and the top beach towel.
2 - rested the meat for only 1hr 20 min.
Why these? Because previous smokes were pulled and put directly in the cooler and rested for multiple hours before serving. Hey, the kids don't always show for diner when they said they will. o_O I believe doing those two things allowed the cooking process to continue too long causing it to be over cooked.
It's still a learning process for me but that's all part of the fun. :D
Remember to take good notes on each of your smokes! ;)
Matt
Hey Matt,
Great stuff and very much appreciated! It's now obvious I've been trimming way too much fat off, so that will definitely change next time. (Plus, your way has the side benefit of being less work:) Also will use the Smoke to monitor grate temp, compare to the Pellet Boss and make notes.
Your commentary regarding pellets is particularly interesting because all my previous long-cook failures came using Bear Mountain and never even considered the effects of ash build-up. I just recently switched primarily to B&B (same as BBQr's Delight if I understand correctly) and have also tried Lumberjack MHC, both with better results.
So, let's see... looks like the to-do list for today is - clean out fire pot, pick up B&B hickory pellets and see if Costco still has Prime brisket.
Thanks again for the great advice!
Victor
Great stuff and very much appreciated! It's now obvious I've been trimming way too much fat off, so that will definitely change next time. (Plus, your way has the side benefit of being less work:) Also will use the Smoke to monitor grate temp, compare to the Pellet Boss and make notes.
Your commentary regarding pellets is particularly interesting because all my previous long-cook failures came using Bear Mountain and never even considered the effects of ash build-up. I just recently switched primarily to B&B (same as BBQr's Delight if I understand correctly) and have also tried Lumberjack MHC, both with better results.
So, let's see... looks like the to-do list for today is - clean out fire pot, pick up B&B hickory pellets and see if Costco still has Prime brisket.
Thanks again for the great advice!
Victor
heatman
Smoke Blower
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