First Time Brisket... Any and All Advice is Requested and Welcome!!!

[techsasgirl]

I know I said that I wanted 3 more successful pork butts under my belt before I moved on, BUT.... I'm afraid my family will revolt if I make the same meal 3 weekends in a row. So mom and I are headed to the market for a brisket this week. I have been reading the forums, and the process seems pretty similar to that used for pork butt. Is that correct?

Rub (mustard optional)

Rest overnight

Inject (if desired)

Smoke at 225-250

Plan for 2 hours per pound\

Wrap in foil at 165ish

Finish smoking till 205

Do we do the wrap in towel trick here?

Also, I read about people putting their brisket on the smoker at night and sleeping all night. How is this possible while monitoring smoker temp?!?!? What smoker do I need for THAT?!?!?

Also, I think I'm going to buy that thermometer set that I saw a link to from a member here. I can't remember where it is. I'll have to go back and check previous posts. Does anyone have this? Is it as helpful/awesome as it looks?

Also, does anyone have any new sides ideas? I make awesome loaded mashed potatoes, homemade creamed corn (cob to skillet, thank you), coleslaw, green salad, and baked beans. I was thinking of asking grandma for her recipe for cucumbers in sweet vinegar... or frog eye'd salad. Although, I suppose the frog eye'd salad might not be a good fit for my husband's glucose levels! lol What other sides do y'all serve?

Oh, and one last thing. The sauce I made for the PP was great. Thin, sweet, spicy, and tangy. It was PERFECT for PP. But, I'm thinking a thicker, more hearty sauce would be a better sauce to offer on the side with brisket. What do y'all think?

Thanks in advance for any and all feedback!!!

 

[SmokinAl]

I know I said that I wanted 3 more successful pork butts under my belt before I moved on, BUT.... I'm afraid my family will revolt if I make the same meal 3 weekends in a row. So mom and I are headed to the market for a brisket this week. I have been reading the forums, and the process seems pretty similar to that used for pork butt. Is that correct?

Rub (mustard optional)

Rest overnight

Inject (if desired)

Smoke at 225-250

Plan for 2 hours per pound\

Wrap in foil at 165ish

Finish smoking till 205. Everything sounds perfect, just remember if you inject or in any way probe the brisket it must get fro 41 to 135 in 4 hours or less. 

Do we do the wrap in towel trick here? Yes for at least an hour or two.

Also, I read about people putting their brisket on the smoker at night and sleeping all night. How is this possible while monitoring smoker temp?!?!? What smoker do I need for THAT?!?!? My WSM works well for that, but I cheat I have a BBQ Guru hooked up to it. Also a MES with Todd's AMNPS pellet smoker will do it too.

Also, I think I'm going to buy that thermometer set that I saw a link to from a member here. I can't remember where it is. I'll have to go back and check previous posts. Does anyone have this? Is it as helpful/awesome as it looks? It's a Maverick 732 I think you are referring to. Todd sells them, here is the link:  http://www.amazenproducts.com/

Also, does anyone have any new sides ideas? I make awesome loaded mashed potatoes, homemade creamed corn (cob to skillet, thank you), coleslaw, green salad, and baked beans. I was thinking of asking grandma for her recipe for cucumbers in sweet vinegar... or frog eye'd salad. Although, I suppose the frog eye'd salad might not be a good fit for my husband's glucose levels! lol What other sides do y'all serve? The sky is the limit. A brisket sammie with cole slaw & JJ's Au Jus on it with any side you can come up with will be awesome. I'm sure you will get plenty of suggestions.

Oh, and one last thing. The sauce I made for the PP was great. Thin, sweet, spicy, and tangy. It was PERFECT for PP. But, I'm thinking a thicker, more hearty sauce would be a better sauce to offer on the side with brisket. What do y'all think? Here's Chef Jimmy J's Au Jus recipe. It is perfect for brisket.

                                    ChefJimmy’s Au Jus

1- Lg Onion,

4-5 Carrots,

3-4 Ribs Celery

3-4 Peeled Cloves of Garlic

Toss them in a pan under the Beef, and let the whole deal Smoke for one hour, 

THEN  add 4-6 Cups Beef Broth,

2 Tbs Tomato Paste,

1/2tsp Dry Thyme (4-5 sprigs Fresh)

1-2 ea Bayleaf

Finish the Smoking process to the IT you want.

While the Roast is resting, dump the pan juices veggies and all into a 2-3Qt Sauce pot and add 1Cup Red Wine, something you like to drink, and bring the Jus to a boil, lower the heat and simmer 20-30 minutes. Strain out the veggies and let the Jus rest a minute or so for the Fat to rise. Skim off the bulk of the fat then using strips of paper towel laid on top of the Jus then quickly removed, take off the last little bit of fat.

The purpose of Smoking the Vegetable for 1 hour before adding the Broth and Herbs is...The Smoked vegetables Roast in the Dry heat concentrating their Flavors and Sweetness giving the finished Jus a Richer, Deeper, Full Flavor. 

Serve the sliced Beef Au Jus or thicken the Jus to make Gravy

Good luck!

 

[sunman76]

I have nothing to add to that AL has got ya covered.

Hope we get some awsome "Q" view to check out

good luck happy smoking

 

[flash]

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/117521/super-bowl-brisket

Only the second one I have done, but it was a winner.

 

[techsasgirl]

Okay, so the reason I have to babysit my smoker is because it's old and leaky? I LOVE the look of it though! There's something kind of nostalgic about the look of my smoker. That big heavy black thing with it's cute little smoke stack on top!

 

[smokinhusker]

Sounds like you have a plan and with Al's input you should do great. I haven't done a brisket yet.

 

[techsasgirl]

That BBQ Guru is nice!!! But the Maverick looks great, too, at a much lower cost. Why did you go with the Maverick? Also, I just read on the forum aout some really simple mods for my old brokedown smoker. I think I can get them done in the evenings this week, so I'm ready to smoke on Satuday. I'm going to do a chimney extension, a baffle, and I'm definately getting one of those two thermometer sets. I'm hoping I can get fast shipping!!! The only thing I don't understand is the idea of a turning plate. Does anyone have any pictures to illustrate how/why they are used?

 

[SmokinAl]

Here's your info on tuning plates.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/54542/building-an-italian-offset-smoker

 

[techsasgirl]

Okay, tuning plates. Got it. Now, PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong....

Tuning plates seem to be something that will take time to get in the correct placement, yes? So I start out with sheet metal. Is there a specific metal that's better? I'm guessing I'm going to have to have some small rails welded to the length of the barrel of my smoker on either side, a few inches under my grate. Then, I would need to cut the sheet metal in 4-5 inch width pieces that would fit across the bottom of my barrel, reaching both sides and resting on the aforementioned rails. That way I can move them around until I get it right. Am I correct? Does that sound like it will work?

The purpose is to have the same temperature from the front all the way to the back, correct? I kept reading about cooling it down just behind the firebox. But from what I understand, that just means to keep it from being crazy hot close to the firebox and colder at the end. From what I understand, I want a consistent temp from front to back, yes?

Lastly, the only way to know if my temp is consistent throughout the smoker would be to have two probes for monitoring grill temp. I don't really believe the ones installed in the grill itself are that accurate. Is that correct? Now, Al, does your BBQ guru come with enough probes to have two to the smoker and one to the meat? If not, are there any that do, or will I have to purchase two units? Or should I try just putting another thermometer or two in the lid, up and down the length of my grill?

I feel like such a pest. But this has become crazy interesting to me! I didn't realize there was so much science involved in smoking meat!!!

 

[sunman76]

Your right on track with the tuning plates. Al will be back by very shortly he is very prompt about helping out

 Don't ever feel like you ask to many questions

Love your drive and enthusiasm!

 

[SmokinAl]

Okay, tuning plates. Got it. Now, PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong....

Tuning plates seem to be something that will take time to get in the correct placement, yes? Yes, through trial & error. So I start out with sheet metal. Is there a specific metal that's better? Steel, at least 1/4" thick. I'm guessing I'm going to have to have some small rails welded to the length of the barrel of my smoker on either side, a few inches under my grate. Then, I would need to cut the sheet metal in 4-5 inch width pieces that would fit across the bottom of my barrel, reaching both sides and resting on the aforementioned rails. That way I can move them around until I get it right. Am I correct? Does that sound like it will work? This question would be better answered by one of the builders on here, I would think the tuning plates could rest right on the barrel, but I guess the best way would be on rails.

The purpose is to have the same temperature from the front all the way to the back, correct? Side to side is more important, you want the firebox end to be the same as the cold end.  I kept reading about cooling it down just behind the firebox. But from what I understand, that just means to keep it from being crazy hot close to the firebox and colder at the end. From what I understand, I want a consistent temp from front to back, yes? And side to side.

Lastly, the only way to know if my temp is consistent throughout the smoker would be to have two probes for monitoring grill temp. I don't really believe the ones installed in the grill itself are that accurate. Is that correct? Yes probably, unless they are real high end gauges like tel tru. Now, Al, does your BBQ guru come with enough probes to have two to the smoker and one to the meat? If not, are there any that do, or will I have to purchase two units? Or should I try just putting another thermometer or two in the lid, up and down the length of my grill? The BBQ Guru is a temp controller, not a thermometer. To find out how well the temp has evened out you will need multiple therms placed on the grate. At least one at each end. The Mavericks each come with 2 probes. I think I would just get a couple of inexpensive oven therms & put them on the grate and see where your at.Or you should get an idea of how even the temps are with the gauges in the lid. Take them out & test them in boiling water & see if they read 212, and see how much different they are in the smoker.

I feel like such a pest. But this has become crazy interesting to me! I didn't realize there was so much science involved in smoking meat!!! Don't worry your not a pest we all are here to help you and enjoy doing so.

 

[techsasgirl]

Busy week didn't allow any time for the mods I want to do. And I have a brisket to smoke! I read about making a makeshift baffle with a cookie sheet. Has anyone done this? Any tips? I'm smoking tomorrow, when the expected high is 36 degrees! Any advice besides a blanket over the belly?

 

[bama bbq]

Al nailed in again ...twice!  :)

 

[venture]

Interesting question?

I use a CGSP which I would guess is pretty similar to yours.

I followed Dutch's advice and put a small water pan inside the pit where the fire box enters the pit. I usually fill it about 3/4 full of water?  Ugly little sucker looks like this and can be used for several smokes. A small disposable loaf pan from the dollar store:

The beer can ottta give you an idea of the small size of this loaf pan.

After that, I arrange disposable dollar store drip pans under the grate.

With careful use of a couple of therm probes, you should be able to experiment to get even temps across the grate using your dry drip pans instead of heavy metal baffles.

The dime on the calendar gives you the date.  You get to guess the year?

The wine stain at the bottom came free of charge. 

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[sprky]

Good luck on your brisket.  Al covered every thing very well as he always does. Don't be afraid to ask questions we are more then glade to help ya out. There is always someone around and will help ya out any way they can. If I am on feel free too shoot me a pm, I may not be at computer at the moment but will answer as soon as I am. 

 

[techsasgirl]

Interesting question?

I use a CGSP which I would guess is pretty similar to yours.

I followed Dutch's advice and put a small water pan inside the pit where the fire box enters the pit. I usually fill it about 3/4 full of water?  Ugly little sucker looks like this and can be used for several smokes. A small disposable loaf pan from the dollar store:

The beer can ottta give you an idea of the small size of this loaf pan.

After that, I arrange disposable dollar store drip pans under the grate.

With careful use of a couple of therm probes, you should be able to experiment to get even temps across the grate using your dry drip pans instead of heavy metal baffles.

The dime on the calendar gives you the date.  You get to guess the year?

The wine stain at the bottom came free of charge. 

Good luck and good smoking.

 Thank you for the free wine. I'll always take some of that!!! lol

Okay, did you use these water filled pans instead of tuning plates? Did it help to even out your temp? Also, did you just place one just outside the fire box, or a few more down the length of your smoker?

 

[i is a moose]

If you're worried about even heat throughout a night smoke, throw a few fire bricks in the smoking chamber to provide insulative mass , it steadies things a bit better.

Before I got my WSMC, all I had was a 22.5" Weber One Touch Silver, and I kludged a fire chamber out of a chunk of roofing flashing and a couple fire bricks that held the coals in the indirect 2-zone system. The mass of those bricks helped distribute the heat more evenly, and kept it consistently hot enough for a long 5-hour rib smoke in the wind and rain. So something ceramic or brick inside your smoker can help alot in keeping things nice steady for a long time.

If you do look into a controller, the BBQ Guru is perfect. I'm just now playing with the NanoQ, which is their simplest unit. I've found that it retains all the necessary functions of the other units, but it's simplified (IE idiot/Moose proofed) and alot more affordable because of this.

 

[realtorterry]

I like Venture use the small water pan in my off set. It's not as good as the baffel, but works well enough. I have a small offset & it really helps keep the temps a little mote even instead of those BIG spikes.

 

[techsasgirl]

I smoked a brisket about 3 weeks ago. I didn't foil it at 165, I just let our it smoke "naked" until 205. I preferred this one's bark to my others. So here's my question: How do I rest it for 2 hours if it's not foiled?

 

[s2k9k]

I don't think you can rest without foil. But I think it's different to foil at 205* and rest then it is to foil at 165* and keep cooking. I did a couple of no foil butts recently and foiled and rested at 205* for about an hour and the bark was still pretty hard not like when I foiled early and kept cooking. I hope that makes sense, was just my experience between foil and no foil while cooking. I think I will stick with no foil butts. I have always foiled and kept cooking my brisket because I like to slice and make burnt ends so I'm not as concerned with a stiff bark.