my first full packer w/pics of process

[sandyut]

I thank all for all the help and insights provided before this cook. priceless! For some unknown reason I had it in my mind that a FP was this mysterious and complicated cook. After doing flats for years this was overall fairly routine and smooth. But its likely the years of cooking flats that had in influence.

Anyway - here the story:
I started with a 9lb prime packer, trimmed 1lb of fat off. I injected with consume and rubbed with heffer dust the night before. fired up the rec tec about 6AM (damn dogs wake up with the sun). I ran it at lo (180) for three hours then kicked it to 275. I about 5-6 hours in it was at 166 and i wrapped in butcher paper. and 6 hours later pulled it at 198. I tested the doneness a few times around 195 and the flat just wasnt in a hurry. rested in the oven all wrapped and sealed in a foil pan a couple hours then we got after it! Best I ever made!

here are the progress pics;

 

[jaxgatorz]

Great job !!

 

[JJS]

Nice work, looks delicious

It’s funny how we tend to place mental hurdles in the way of trying something new on the smoker, Thankfully we all have this forum to minimize the chance of something catastrophic happening.

I am of the opinion that if it don’t work out the pizza place will be happy to deliver us some dinner.

 

[sandyut]

Nice work, looks delicious

It’s funny how we tend to place mental hurdles in the way of trying something new on the smoker, Thankfully we all have this forum to minimize the chance of something catastrophic happening.

I am of the opinion that if it don’t work out the pizza place will be happy to deliver us some dinner.

so true! I was fixated on low and slow...but chatting with chilirelleno and tallbm got me over that hurdle and that cut my cook time WAY down. it was mentally challenging to cook at the higher temp. but the brisket didnt care.

 

[jcam222]

Nice looking brisket!! I’m all aboard in the higher temp cooking as well.

 

[sandyut]

Great job on the brisket! 90% of the cooks I talk to always smoked a brisket fat up. Yes it cooks faster this way, but the meat tends to burn. I see you smoke with the fat down. I find this method works best. May take twice as long but I still far more forgiving and produces a superior bark on the top side! Bravo!

fat up or fat down - so many thoughts on that. I always do fat down to protect from heat and bark up the top! thanks!!

 

[tallbm]

Nice job! The brisket looks fantastic!
That higher temp on a brisket sure does make things simpler.
At 275F they will cook at just a hair over 1 hour a pound. So now you jump up to 18-19 pound briskets and I bet they finish in about the time it used to take you to do a 9 pounder at 225F :)

The same works for pork butt/shoulder as well :)

 

[sandyut]

Love the shorted cook time man! Many thanks to you and chilirellenno for all the info and tips.

cant wait for the next big cook. Pork butt has got to be coming soon. Wife has been getting hooked on the vinegar BBQ sauce over the more catchup base (like Jeffs). so im thinking pulled pork with the vinegar sauce is coming soon!

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

Brisket looks great man! Gonna have to give the hot and fast a try next time.

If you like the vinegar sauces check out Jimmy J's. I usually do a mix of his and Myron mixons and everyone seems to love it. I prefer it on pork over the thick sweet ketchup sauces

 

[sandyut]

Is the Jimmy J recipe on the board somewhere or a purchase?

NM - found the websites...i was being slow there...