help this rookie learn from his mistake(s)

[bk2fla]

hello yall and thanks in advance for any and all advice,tips....yesterday i tried my first ever smoke and i attempted a 9 1/2 lb brisket, i know go big or go home, and i was using a brinkman 3 in 1 grill (gas,charcoal,smoker) at 730am  i set up the firebox with charcoal and it took about 1/2 hour for the grill to get to about 220 then i threw on the brisket which was rubbed the night before...after that it was all down hill....i couldnt get the temp back up to 220 no matter how much charcoal  i put in the firebox(i ended up using 3 15lb bags of charcoal) ...lets just say after a long and grueling day the meat was removed from the grill at 730 pm wrapped in foil and put in the oven (i guess i cheated) overall the meat was very good however it was disappointing for me. ok so here are the problems i have and i hope yall veterans can show me the way

1. how do you get the temp to sit at the point u want? keep adding charcoal?how much? how often?

2.when using a dry rub do you coat the whole meat to the point the meat is hardly visable?

3.how often do you put in the wood chips and how much? (although my smoke flavor was deep in the meat)

4.should i put the meat over the charcoal in the firebox or leave it on the grill? there is a chimey for the smoke and heat to get in the grill.

thanks again for any and all help i hope im not overwhelming u guys i just want to get the hang of this smoker deal.....

 

[fpnmf]

Wecome!!

There is a lot of help and information here. Put your smoker name in the search tool above.

Read the WIKIs.

Others will be along soon to help too.

 Have a great day and have fun!!

  Craig

 

[scarbelly]

Welcome to SMF - as was suggested, be sure to use the search section just below the banner for help.

I am sure someone with the smoker you have will be along but there is so much info here already the answers may be here

On rubs - that is a personal thing. I personally like heavy rubs but some dont. That is something you will need to test to your own personal taste.

 

[ellymae]

1. how do you get the temp to sit at the point u want? keep adding charcoal?how much? how often?

    I don't have a 3 in 1 but since you are using charcoal it's all about air flow - how were your intake and outputs set?

2.when using a dry rub do you coat the whole meat to the point the meat is hardly visable?

   Like scarbelly said - rub amount is a personal thing - I don't cake it on but the meat is covered. I also put the rub on while my cooker is

   coming up to temp. I used to apply the rub the night or two before but haven't seen a big difference.

3.how often do you put in the wood chips and how much? (although my smoke flavor was deep in the meat)

   I use chunks of wood - and place it within the lump charcoal so it fires at differnt times during the cook.

4.should i put the meat over the charcoal in the firebox or leave it on the grill? there is a chimey for the smoke and heat to get in the grill.  

    I have hear of people who sear their brisket but I never have - just leave it low and slow.

Overall I wouldn't caregorize this as a mistake, just a tasty learning experience. Keep on practicing.

 

[mballi3011]

Well I can't help you with the first question for I'm a gasser and don't use charcoal. Now for the rest of your questions I can do that. Your rub I like to put on a good heavy coat the night before and then wrap the meat in saran wrap and into the refrig overnight. Then in the morning of I take out the meat and let it get close to room temp and that's about 30 minutes and then re-caot if needed and then into the smoker. For your chips I add them when my smoker neeeds them and thats after the smoke stops I wait about 30 minutes so the chips are in the smoker for 1 1/2 hours. I can't help you with your last question but theses folks here can give you alot of good advice thou.

 

[porked]

Well, I don't know your particular smoker, however, I learned early on that certain charcoal smokers, unless they are vertical, need more than charcoal to keep going hot enough. I know mine does anyway. So, I start out with charcoal and get that going, then hit it with wood. I have a side fiebox, so I can get plenty of heat with wood and cruise along at 225 degress for almost 3 hours without adding more. You can control your heat with your dampers obviously and any long smoke like a butt or brisket, I know I'll need about a dozen pieces of split wood to get it done.

 

[SmokinAl]

You got a lot of good advice already, so I might as well add my 2 cents. I am not familiar with your smoker, but here's my answers.

1. how do you get the temp to sit at the point u want? keep adding charcoal?how much? how often? 

    Generally speaking you control the heat with the vents not the amount of charcoal. If the temp goes down & there is a good fire burning, opening up the    intake vents will get the temp up.

2. when using a dry rub do you coat the whole meat to the point the meat is hardly visable?

     The amount of rub you use is a personal preference. I like to put quite a bit on to where the meat is hardly visible.

3. how often do you put in the wood chips and how much? (although my smoke flavor was deep in the meat)

     When it quits smoking wait a few minutes then throw a chunk on. When I start my fire I use the minnion method, which is a couple of chimneys of unlit charcoal with wood chunks mixed in, then 8-12 lit briquette's on top.

4.should i put the meat over the charcoal in the firebox or leave it on the grill? there is a chimey for the smoke and heat to get in the grill.

     I would not put a brisket over the coals. It needs to be smoked low & slow.

Hope this helps
 

hello yall and thanks in advance for any and all advice,tips....yesterday i tried my first ever smoke and i attempted a 9 1/2 lb brisket, i know go big or go home, and i was using a brinkman 3 in 1 grill (gas,charcoal,smoker) at 730am  i set up the firebox with charcoal and it took about 1/2 hour for the grill to get to about 220 then i threw on the brisket which was rubbed the night before...after that it was all down hill....i couldnt get the temp back up to 220 no matter how much charcoal  i put in the firebox(i ended up using 3 15lb bags of charcoal) ...lets just say after a long and grueling day the meat was removed from the grill at 730 pm wrapped in foil and put in the oven (i guess i cheated) overall the meat was very good however it was disappointing for me. ok so here are the problems i have and i hope yall veterans can show me the way

1. how do you get the temp to sit at the point u want? keep adding charcoal?how much? how often?

2.when using a dry rub do you coat the whole meat to the point the meat is hardly visable?

3.how often do you put in the wood chips and how much? (although my smoke flavor was deep in the meat)

4.should i put the meat over the charcoal in the firebox or leave it on the grill? there is a chimey for the smoke and heat to get in the grill.

thanks again for any and all help i hope im not overwhelming u guys i just want to get the hang of this smoker deal.....

 

[bk2fla]

thanks you guys this is GREAT info.....i didnt pay attention to my vents this time around but definetly will next time....and i will also try using some wood along with the charcoal that sounds like a good idea...and the rub i will be putting on more next time as i didnt taste it as much this time...my next smoke will be followed with pics..once again ....
[h1]...thank you[/h1]