First Time ever Smoking Brisket on MES 30

[tempnexus]

Yes I've read other threads but I am wondering if there is any new wisdom?

My questions are:

1) What temp should I smoke it at (it maxes at 275F)
2) What wood
3) Should I inject it with juices i.e. MSG+Spices
3a) If So then what juices beyond what I provided above
4) Should I TX cruch it if I only have 12 hours?
5) Where to place the temp probe?
6) Why smoke a brisket instead of a whole chicken or ribs?

 

[TomKnollRFV]

1: 250f.
2: Since you didn't make mention of an AMNPS, use a hickory chips. If you have an AMNPS, a competition blend is fine.
3: You can if it's small, but I see no reason to do so.- If you do, keep it simple. Some beef broth and onion and garlic?
4: Texas Crutch if you only have 12 hours, but I can almost assure you...it won't be done.
5:I put a probe in the thickest part, and another in the smallest part, and the MES built in probe in the middle point.
6:It's beef? That's an odd question! But Brisket is considered the holy grail of smoked food. It is very good.

When you do a brisket; you rely on the IT to know when to start checking it. Around 195f to 200f, you want to begin using a tooth pick to poke in it. <I actually use a small instant read thermometer because it's longer>. It's done when you can probe all over and there is no resistance, hot knife through butter.

I did my first a bit back, came out fine, I didn't foil. I didn't inject. I just don't think you'll be able to have it done in 12 or less hours if it's a whole brisket. I have a 13 pounder in my freezer now so in a few weeks I can unthaw and smoke it and invite the relatives over.

You might want to just smoke this a day in advance, rest, then slice. I reheated easily by just 1/3-1/2 cup of au jus or beef broth in a covered corningware(How ever that is spelled) container in the oven at 350, with the brisket slices in it. Mostly to keep them from drying, people can also use the broth for potatoes or what not.

If you look up SmokingAl he has some other methods as well. But www.smoking-meat.com <The parent page for this> is where I got my step by steps for the brisket.

 

[tempnexus]

1: 250f.
2: Since you didn't make mention of an AMNPS, use a hickory chips. If you have an AMNPS, a competition blend is fine.
3: You can if it's small, but I see no reason to do so.- If you do, keep it simple. Some beef broth and onion and garlic?
.

Thank you for a very informative description! I have AMNPS (is that AMAZEN since that's what I mean when I see AMNPS....I have the zig zag thingy...not really liking it though) but I don't use their wood....either way AMNPS either doesn't light or burns whole at once....I've used the 5 min wait etc....so far with my MES AMNPS it's either ALL or nothing. (I've tried microwaving the wood, I've tried filling all of it...either way if it works it's done in 1 hour (even when full) and if it doesn't then it's just 3" into it before it extinguishes).

As for wood I have a 1/4lb of Mesquite wood splinters and 2 lbs of Maple Pressed wood (bought it for AMNPS).

 

[chilerelleno]

Yeah, whoa Nelly!
Let's look hard at #4.
Not likely, unless its just a Flat.
Whole Packer, 12lb range +/-, not even at 275' and crutched.

 

[tallbm]

Yes I've read other threads but I am wondering if there is any new wisdom?

My questions are:

1) What temp should I smoke it at (it maxes at 275F)
2) What wood
3) Should I inject it with juices i.e. MSG+Spices
3a) If So then what juices beyond what I provided above
4) Should I TX cruch it if I only have 12 hours?
5) Where to place the temp probe?
6) Why smoke a brisket instead of a whole chicken or ribs?

I'm sure you'll get many different answers but here is mine based in what you want to do and the TIME you have.

1. 275F AND make sure your brisket is no bigger than about 9 pounds after trimmed
2. 100% Mesquite. I don't think anything for beef would beat it, but if you don't have Mesquite go Oak and then move on down the line to whatever you have if you don't have oak.
3. No. I prefer just seasoning, a Brisket can handle not being babied too much. I go SPOG, many just go SP
4. YES. You are hurting for time so I say crutch it at about 160F. A better approach for time would be to simply start 5-6 hours earlier than you plan to start it now. You can always double wrap in foil, wrap in 3 bath towels and rest it on the counter with no issue for 4-5 hours if you happen to end that early, which on your first attempt I'm almost positive you will not finish with as much time as you think :)

5. Place the temp probe in the Flat. Place it in the center most and thickest portion of the flat. Flat, flat, flat!
6. Brisket to me is the king of smoked BBQ meats. When done well it is absolutely amazing! Brisket is not a beginner cut though. Brisket will punish you if you don't prepare well for the meat alone. If you don't have good control or management of your heat, your smoke, and or your time management then a Brisket will show no mercy.

A brisket alone needs to be trimmed well to avoid burnt up pieces vs properly cooked pieces, probed well to know when to start checking for doneness (tenderness), is done when it says it is done (tender), will stall on you and not care about your time tables, will be larger than what you may be used to handling, and can/will teach you something new with every attempt.

Continue prepping well and you can go into it without much fear at all. Again, I recommend you plan your smoke to END with a minimum of 5 hours before you plan to serve. The MES may not even hit a 275F temp with such a large cut of meat in it. At 275F go ahead and estimate 1 hour per pound and pray your MES actually hits 275F, the MES probes are notoriously off.

If you have a cooler I bet you can finish 7-8 hours before serving and wrapping with foil and 3 towels and then shoving into a cooler would proabably keep it steaming hot the entire time.

Best of luck and continue to prep on your time table in addition to the other questions you've asked :)

 

[tempnexus]

Damn you guys/gals weren't kidding with the time....it's been 10 hours now and my Brisket is at 155F I am about to Texas Crutch it since I only have 1.5 hours of daylight so it will finish at dark...no brisket for today. Thank goodness for Italian fatties to keep us through.

It's been going at 275F MES with a mix of MAPLE and MESQUITE wood (that I've fed every few hours). AMAZEN as always have burnt out like crazy within the first 1.5 hours....useless piece of crap. AMAZEN maze thingy either doesn't light or when it lights it goes through it like crazy even after I blow it out and let it just smoke...I find it utterly useless for this job...it is good for cold smoke where no heater is used but if I use the MES heater the AMAZEN either doesn't light or just burns out....utterly useless...if it wasn't for smoking cheese I would have totally regretted the purchase of this overpriced piece of metal. (hence I no longer use their wood pellets I can get the same pellets for 1/3 the price).

 

[dwdunlap]

Might consider "operator error". So many on here use and swear by it. I'd call Todd @ 651 352-2831. He is very helpful, has heard all the problems and will work with you for solutions.

 

[chilerelleno]

Whole briskets follow their own schedule.
What thermometers are you using to ascertain smoker and meat temps?

 

[tempnexus]

Whole briskets follow their own schedule.
What thermometers are you using to ascertain smoker and meat temps?

I don't know some chepo electronic one inside one and just a stand in temp one that use in a turkey inside one....I will check the turkey one once I unfoil it and that's when the chepo tells me at least 170, it's 160F right now. I don't want to poison my family and my guests so I will it smoke it until at least the chepo tells me 170. I've wrapped it in foil at 155F (chepo temps).

 

[tempnexus]

Might consider "operator error". So many on here use and swear by it. I'd call Todd @ 651 352-2831. He is very helpful, has heard all the problems and will work with you for solutions.

It might be operator error but I've tried many times and many smokes and it's either on (and burn through the whole maze within 1.5 hours...even after I blow it out) or none at all (burn only 3" into the maze and stop). Either way I will use it to smoke cheese but no longer depend on it to smoke meat. I find it to be a good cold smoke item and utterly useless for hot smoke and that is based on the past 8 smokes.

 

[chilerelleno]

Your really need to KNOW what your temps are.
Next time you're thinking about BBQ'ing, instead of buying meat bounce over to Amazon and buy a decent dual probe thermometer setup.
There is a sale on Monday, Amazon Prime Day, ThermoPro has a bunch of stuff going on sale.
Not that they're expensive in the first place, very inexpensive considering.

 

[tempnexus]

Your really need to KNOW what your temps are.
Next time you're thinking about BBQ'ing, instead of buying meat bounce over to Amazon and buy a decent dual probe thermometer setup.
There is a sale on Monday, Amazon Prime Day, ThermoPro has a bunch of stuff going on sale.
Not that they're expensive in the first place, very inexpensive considering.

heh that's the one I am using. I thought of them as Chepo since I got them at $20 during the beta intro sale so I didn't think of them as any good.....the freaking price=quality fallacy.

 

[dwdunlap]

Just tried to help. Learn or give up - your choice...

 

[tempnexus]

Just tried to help. Learn or give up - your choice...

Umm what are you talking about?!
edit:
Ok sorry I got it...yeah...I fully understand but after many tries it's no longer an operator error but maybe a system error.....either way it's a great system for cold smoke and for me terrible for hot smoke that's all....some folks love it; but I don't , but thank you very much for being helpful and I apologize if I "sound" spiteful I am not it's just my own experience.

 

[chilerelleno]

heh that's the one I am using. I thought of them as Chepo since I got them at $20 during the beta intro sale so I didn't think of them as any good.....the freaking price=quality fallacy.

They're good for the price point, as long as they're calibrated correctly, did ya check them in boiling water and/or ice water?

 

[tallbm]

Damn you guys/gals weren't kidding with the time....it's been 10 hours now and my Brisket is at 155F I am about to Texas Crutch it since I only have 1.5 hours of daylight so it will finish at dark...no brisket for today. Thank goodness for Italian fatties to keep us through.

It's been going at 275F MES with a mix of MAPLE and MESQUITE wood (that I've fed every few hours). AMAZEN as always have burnt out like crazy within the first 1.5 hours....useless piece of crap. AMAZEN maze thingy either doesn't light or when it lights it goes through it like crazy even after I blow it out and let it just smoke...I find it utterly useless for this job...it is good for cold smoke where no heater is used but if I use the MES heater the AMAZEN either doesn't light or just burns out....utterly useless...if it wasn't for smoking cheese I would have totally regretted the purchase of this overpriced piece of metal. (hence I no longer use their wood pellets I can get the same pellets for 1/3 the price).

Do you put your AMNPS inside your MES or do you use a mailbox mod?
I have had an MES burn up real quick but only because I microwaved the pellets too long and they were extra extra dry or because I didn't pay attention when lighting it and it lit both rows at once and flamed over. I use a mailbox mod.

I believe the instructions say to keep a flame for 10 minutes and then blow out. If pellets can't easily keep a flame for 10 min or close to it then in my experience they need/needed some microwaving. This pretty much eliminated the 3inch burn and fail for me. The other thing is for me to knock loose and remove any chunks of creosote in my mailbox mod. Sometimes it builds up and drops down to block airflow. That can cause a 3 inch burn and fail.

You can always try a pellet tube option as well. The guys in the high altitude areas must use it because the AMNPS tray seems to not stay lit for them at high altitude. I hope this info helps :)

 

[tempnexus]

Do you put your AMNPS inside your MES or do you use a mailbox mod?
I have had an MES burn up real quick but only because I microwaved the pellets too long and they were extra extra dry or because I didn't pay attention when lighting it and it lit both rows at once and flamed over. I use a mailbox mod.

I believe the instructions say to keep a flame for 10 minutes and then blow out. If pellets can't easily keep a flame for 10 min or close to it then in my experience they need/needed some microwaving. This pretty much eliminated the 3inch burn and fail for me. The other thing is for me to knock loose and remove any chunks of creosote in my mailbox mod. Sometimes it builds up and drops down to block airflow. That can cause a 3 inch burn and fail.

You can always try a pellet tube option as well. The guys in the high altitude areas must use it because the AMNPS tray seems to not stay lit for them at high altitude. I hope this info helps :)

Thanks! Yeah I've read many methods about how to fix it, but I will contact him.

I've tried microwaving them for 30 seconds and than 1 minute (when it wouldn't stay lit).

I use a propane torch (welder torch) to light it....I keep the flame in the hole for about 2 minutes until I see a nice fire going....I let it burn for 5 minutes so about 2 inches into the unit.

I fill it up but not over the edges so it doesn't spill across i.e. to prevent cross fire.

I place it at the bottom of the smoker, the left side of MES has a space next to the heating unit where the original wood gets deposited...I used to place it on top of the drip pan but the dripping oil would extinguish it.

But yeah it's been a hit and a miss for me.

 

[tempnexus]

They're good for the price point, as long as they're calibrated correctly, did ya check them in boiling water and/or ice water?

No...that's a good idea...will do that now.

 

[tallbm]

Thanks! Yeah I've read many methods about how to fix it, but I will contact him.

I've tried microwaving them for 30 seconds and than 1 minute (when it wouldn't stay lit).

I use a propane torch (welder torch) to light it....I keep the flame in the hole for about 2 minutes until I see a nice fire going....I let it burn for 5 minutes so about 2 inches into the unit.

I fill it up but not over the edges so it doesn't spill across i.e. to prevent cross fire.

I place it at the bottom of the smoker, the left side of MES has a space next to the heating unit where the original wood gets deposited...I used to place it on top of the drip pan but the dripping oil would extinguish it.

But yeah it's been a hit and a miss for me.

It sounds like you are doing most of the best practices for the AMNPS. I don't put mine inside my MES so maybe some of the other guys who do can give you some additional pointers. The only thing I can think of is that I believe the documentation for the AMNPS says to light for 30-45 seconds. I'm wondering if your 2 minute light up with the propane torch is actually igniting pellets underneath the other row(s). Mine will do this if I'm not careful and I only go about 45 seconds with my torch.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

It sounds like you are doing most of the best practices for the AMNPS. I don't put mine inside my MES so maybe some of the other guys who do can give you some additional pointers. The only thing I can think of is that I believe the documentation for the AMNPS says to light for 30-45 seconds. I'm wondering if your 2 minute light up with the propane torch is actually igniting pellets underneath the other row(s). Mine will do this if I'm not careful and I only go about 45 seconds with my torch.

I have learned not to rush the AMNPS. I actually light it and let the flames burn as the smoker preheats. Then blow it out and in it goes. Just about 20 seconds of the torch and let it do it's thing. I kept rushing it before and it would fizzle out or the like. Was relighting overnight smokes at 3 AM etc.