GMG - DB Drying out briskets

[rhaugle]

Hi guys... I have had this unit for over a year now, and have not had a great brisket from it yet.. the middle of the meat (yes, over the fire pot ALWAYS dries out. It gets way over cooked. I have tried numerous things to avoid this.. more water, rotating the meat, adjusting the smoke stack, I have made an elevated rack to sit a few inches above the regular grates (this actually worked, but is a terrible PITA to work with.. its very wobbly)... Have any of you had this issue, and what did you do to fix it?? The model smoker I had is a smaller on, only large enough for one brisket, So simply moving the meat away from the fire pot is not an option...

I have adjusted the diffuser plates to the 1/2" and haven't noticed a difference either.. currently using GMG's recommended settings.

 

[BigW.]

I'm starting to do fat side down on my GMG. I do think rotating and wrapping will help also. I have the med size grill so smaller cuts can be moved around to avoid middle.

 

[gary s]

Is your Temp running Hot ? Check it and see. I don't have a pellet grill I'm a stick burner, so not familiar with how a pellet smoker operates

Gary

 

[Blues1]

Putting on a small brisket now. Be the first one on my new pellet grill. I didn't inject. Hopeful it won't dry out.

 

[Central PA Cowboy]

I'd sell it if I were you and get one from a better company. Mine doesn't work.

 

[Buttah Butts]

The problem I had with my Daniel Boone was the huge temp swings. It would fluctuate 25 to 30 degrees in both directions. Also my temp that showed on the DB wasn’t accurate as well neither were there probes. I’ve since cooked several briskets with same technique on Rec Tec without any issue. I’m not bashing the GMG I liked it a lot it’s a great grill for the money it takes a little adjusting to get temps adjusted.

 

[zwiller]

Not a pellet guy, but this is somewhat of a common problem. There are aftermarket diffusor plates that fit over the stock made out of very thick steel. I have issues posting Amazon links but they carry them and around $50.

 

[texomakid]

I can't speak on this particular pellet cooker but indirect heat is important (but not mandatory.) I've cooked a LOT of briskets and the majority of them were Select grade that turned out very good with no injection (I've never injected any briskets.) Anything I've ever seen dry was overcooked. Might try putting a foil pan between your grate and brisket. I use them for a lot of reasons & one of the things I use them for is heat deflection (more so for reverse sear as to not get the IT too hot while allowing an ample amount of smoke flavor to absorb into the meat.)

Are you able to monitor your internal temps of the brisket? My success shot through the roof when I invested in quality thermometers.

 

[Winterrider]

Have only made one brisket and this sure worked out for me.

BRISKET FLAT, MY WAY

It's no secret that a lot of folks have a problem smoking a small well trimmed brisket flat. I to had my struggles for a while, but a couple of years ago I found this method and have been using it ever since. So I would like to share my method with all of you. If you already are successful...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[BB-que]

Hi guys... I have had this unit for over a year now, and have not had a great brisket from it yet.. the middle of the meat (yes, over the fire pot ALWAYS dries out. It gets way over cooked. I have tried numerous things to avoid this.. more water, rotating the meat, adjusting the smoke stack, I have made an elevated rack to sit a few inches above the regular grates (this actually worked, but is a terrible PITA to work with.. its very wobbly)... Have any of you had this issue, and what did you do to fix it?? The model smoker I had is a smaller on, only large enough for one brisket, So simply moving the meat away from the fire pot is not an option...

I have adjusted the diffuser plates to the 1/2" and haven't noticed a difference either.. currently using GMG's recommended settings.

As mentioned, on a pellet pooper it’s important that fat side is down

 

[backyardsmokin]

I have been having the same issue on my JB lately. I have done three things that have helped my briskets.

1. Set the pit temp to 225 and then tested temps at 24 spots across my grate to know the hot and cold spots are. This helped me with placement.
2. I started doing the fat side down. Burn the fat to save the meat.
3. I started doing the toothpick test at 175. I know brisket is really done at 190-ish, but the last few I got from Sam's Club were done at 175-180.

 

[Alphonse]

I had good luck cooking briskets on a pellet grill that I own. My grill has an upper and a lower grate. I always cook on the upper grate to get it far away from the heat deflector as possible. The heat deflector has an enormous amount of radiant heat and you have to get a brisket away from that. If your grill doesn't have an adequate higher level grate, getting one will help solve your problem.

I run at a 250F setpoint. I coat the brisket in olive oil before I start and rerub if needed.

I cook to 150F and then wrap with foil to finish to 204F.

A pellet grill is a highly convective device and will dry a brisket out, particularly if it is too close to the heat deflector plate. When you wrap, do it tightly so the meat doesn't have a lot of air space to evaporate to. Also add some liquid like apple juice to the wrap. I put in about 1/2 cup.

My success has been by though:

1. getting it far enough above the heat deflector plate
2. coating with oil to hinder evaporation
3. wrapping tightly with foil at 150F while adding 1/2 cup liquid
4. finishing to 204F

 

[millerlitetime2001]

I have a gmg JB. was having a problem with temps and called customer service on a Saturday to figure it out . had me crank it all the way up and burn it all out , then clean . sometimes as cooks we do not keep the sensor for pit temp clear this gets clogged . have not had a problem since as after cook I crank the temp before cooling down. As for drying out a brisket have always cooked it K.C. style never dry. recipe is in owners manual.