Next day after the first big smokin day ....

Let me start by thanking all y'all with your numerous posts, great hints and more info than I could gather in this forum in my research to smoke my first brisket. (I spent 45 minutes just reading on fat cap up/down alone!!) I got a smoker by request (Can you imagine that – no ties!!) for Father’s Day. Seasoned it and ran some split chicken last weekend. That was yummy! Course after that, I had to jump right to the top and try the black diamond run…. So, brisket here I come.


Equip: Char Broil off-set smoker (El cheapo from Wally World- but it's mine!)
Fuel: Kingsford briquets
Mexican mesquite lump charcoal – Live in Yuma, Az, can see Mexico from my window....
Mesquite wood chips
Intended victim: 9.36 full packer from local Grocery. Slathered, rubbed and fridged the night before with a mustard/salsa and a basic rub …. Looking at a 12 hour smoke.

Here's my ordeal ....got up at 0530 and laid the fire box out. After reading, chatting with others and much internal debate, went with a 'minion' alternating layers of Kings, Mesquite and chips. First problem is that the fire box isn't very big on this model so ran into space problems right away. I decided to persevere regardless . Got that sucker a’burning with a cut up coffee can as a chimney and let it hit the bed on the side next to the firebox damper. Let it settle for 30 minutes rising to 250 and then the meat hit the smoke at 0645 fat side up. Let it heat thru and flipped it fat side down with the point toward the fire after the first hour.

First problem …… had to take the daughter to meet grandma 120 miles away. Bad planning, but the fire looked good, it was creeping across the box slowly and I knew I could get back in less than 3.5 hours. (Gotta love those flat desert highways at 85.) Box seemed to have enough fuel. So I left the fire in the hands of my lovely, talented wife who has never even grilled a burger before. (A whiz in the kitchen but her idea of open flame is natural gas). Told her the best thing was to do was to do nothing at all. Called a couple of times to check on temp, it went up to 275 and had dropped to 200 by the time I got back. Reloaded the charcoal the same way quick, got temp back up to 250/260 and left it alone. Had to empty the box, clean ashes and totally re-build the fire after about 8 hours, didn’t seem to lose much temp.

Flipped the meat 3 times end to end. Started checking internal temps around 4:00. 140…. …..140 ….. Okay, I read about this plateau, here I am ….140…140 …150 in the point …. 145 in the flat ….150 …. Wife went to buy chicken to feed the screaming teenagers at 7:30….. ….. 160 in the point …. 150 ….. At 8:45, after 14 hours, I got 170 in the point and 155+ in the flat. Wrapped in foil and towels, stuck it in a unheated oven and let it sit for 2 hours. Separated the point and flat. Wrapped the flat back up and carved the point.

Damn, that looks almost gray, and dry. Nice ring and crust but pretty bland tasting. Maybe I should have made some sauce after all. I just wasted a day and my hopes and dreams on this? My dogs chunky meaty treats taste better than this (Don’t ask me how I know – Mescal was involved). Threw that in the fridge, left the flat wrapped and hot in the oven and went to sleep all bummed out.

Got up early this morning and something was buzzing around in my brain; something about points and cubes with barbeque sauce and re-cooking and flats sliced thin. Made some coffee and thought …. Got that flat out, still nice and warm, sliced across the end, hmm nice ring, pinkish tinge to the meat and lifted a piece to my mouth……

Now that’s what I’m talking about! Great flavor, moister, tender, Fried up some eggs and potatoes, heated some Ray’s sauce and had the best breakfast I’ve had in a long time. Family will get it for lunch today. I could sell this stuff!!! I re-read and see where some suggest chopping up the point and using it in sandwiches … I get it now.

Final thoughts: I don’t trust the thermometer that came with this unit. I was hitting between 250 and 275 the whole 14+ hours. No way was that accurate. Even with a temp drop nearer the meat, It must have been 30 degrees off. I need to get something accurate, and I need to allot more time to smoke I guess. I thought 12 hours would have adequate, but it was not close. Plus, now I see why everyone says use an internal. I choose not to baste or mop, I was concerned with blowing my heat load with the small smoker. I didn’t want to crash the temps every hour or so. I was wrong in that. I need to buy a better mesquite charcoal, that Mex stuff is dirty as heck. Or maybe the chips are enough …. Have to ponder that. The wrapping and setting time is crucial, I see that also now.

Again, thanks for all your wisdom, I couldn’t have achieved even my mixed results without lurking thru your forums and resources. I have alot to perfect, but I need a new hobby and ….

See ya!

 

Thanks Gary ....


Not so sure about the knowledge though, think I just changed my diaper and made it to kindergarten. LOL I may have to stay on the dark side....

And yes, I just chopped up the point, stirred in some chop sauce, Ray's and tabasco and we are munching away on some nice big old sammies .....

I forgot the most imortant thing in my legthy post however,

Any hints for the next time?

Thanks

 

Will do .... Already jotted some things from yesterday down.

Going for some spare ribs next, then I'll try the butt.

Will the pork dry out faster than beef?

I dropped some german sausage in for the last 4 hours last night... Just ate one of those ...... Those I'm hooked on!

 

Bill/ Earl-

Thanks for the kind words! I was just happy to have something edible.. I will look up the recipe but with a 16 and 13 yr boys and tall 10 yr old daughter in the house, we don't have many leftovers .... that 9 + lb brisket was gone by Sunday pm!! But I will in the future.

Thanks for the tips on the thermos ... I really see the need. I popped some chickens in in yesterday aftrnoon and had a heck of time getting that done. The dual probes are a great idea. Boy was I guessing .... alot! I'll let ya know.

But I enjoyed it. I have always grilled alot (2-4 days a week! You can do that in the desert) ... but this low/slow methods have me intrigued... I am looking at doing a pork shoulder this weekend and ribs for the 4th ....

I'll let y'all know.

 

Thanks guys for the encouragement. FYI ... I put on a whole chicken, beer can style (Tecate!) 2 hours ago. Going to drop some brats for the last 90 minutes or so. That's for dinner.

Convinced the wife to stay up tonight lateeeeeeeeee, to start a pork butt around 10. Picked it up at the local WalMart, nice 9.75 lbs. That'll be interesting, Gonna have a 5 hour sleep break from about 0200 - 0700. Hope my little firebox can keep burning that long.

I'm thinking of also doing a small "Corned Beef Brisket" I picked up in March after St Pat's day. It's a 6 lb flat that has 25% solution in a cryovac.... Any thoughts? I only paid like 3 bucks for the thing, have to use it sometime. I would just throw in there with the butt and let it it go. And then use for a chili verde...... Throwing a little party for the 4th, so I would have that, thawing 15 lbs of spare ribs, what's left of the butt...

I'm hooked. I'm already thinking of a bigger smoker .....

Anyways, thanks again. If and when you hit your knees, remember all those far away making it possible for us to have the life we do.

Sean

 

Thx Dave ... Actually I have the smaller model than the 'silver'. I did try to mod it with some duct to kick out the heat closer to the middle ... that was a huge mistake, just burned the heck out of a brisket... Actually it works okay stock if I keep the meat back 4-5 inches from the firebox.

This model does have a separate smoke stack that comes out 2/3 off the right side not off the top like the silver model... I have been looking at upgrading already but didn't like the silver for that very reason.... As for the temps, I bought a simple oven type hanging thermo and found out that the stock temp reads about 45 degree high compared to the grate temp so I just push that reading to about 265/75 to get my target temps of 225 or so.

I've been using this every weekend and found that it's just like any grill ... you have to find the hot and cold spots ... what works and what doesn't... for example, because it's not made from very thick steel stock, every time I open, it takes a while to build back up to temp, so I mop/spritz less and just add about 25% more time to any recipie I find ...

Woody- Now my wife asks every weekend to do another pork butt so maybe there's hope for you!! :)

Thx guys, happy smoking!