Preparing For One CRAZY Brisket Cook.

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donegotfat

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Oct 16, 2016
192
122
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Some days my wife thinks I am crazy!

Today I am starting to think she may be right!

It is cold and nasty here in Missouri. Freezing rain all day, and forecast to continue for several more days.

The view out my back deck while being beautiful, is darn cold looking! There is about 1/4 inch of ice on everything!

I would have done it after this storm in a few days, but I don't want this brisket to set in the fridge any longer.


We have a new Butcher shop in town(the only butcher shop for 60+ miles). I have gotten a pork but and some ribs from them over the past 2 weeks, and decided to look at their briskets.

They had 5 great looking packers, and my Wife and I prefer the flat over the point so I asked them to cut me a nice trimmed flat from the packer. They cut me a great looking 7lb. flat, and even trimmed the fat for me so it was ready to go. Looks like it has a touch of silver skin to get off, but the rest looks great! Its about 4 inches thick almost all the way across.

This being the largest brisket I have planned on smoking, I know I will need to start way sooner than I had planned.


My previously largest one was only 4.5lb. and took 10 hours to cook. So even though I started it super early in the AM, it was still done in time for dinner that night. This one I am not seeing done as soon, so I am planning on starting it at about 8PM tonight so that I can have it in the cooler and rested well to eat for dinner tomorrow night.

So a super long overnight smoke, in super nasty weather, I am definitely thinking my wife is right... I am crazy at times! I have never let a bit of weather dictate my cooking, so I am off to set up the patio umbrella, pull out my warm socks, and kick this beef!

Plan is a simple Salt and Pepper rub, inject with beef broth and get it in the fridge for a few hours.

Ill update with pics later as long as I don't get stuck to the deck when checking on the smoker
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DGF, yours only thinks you're crazy "some days"??  I've carried over into "most", and working on "every damn one".  
wife.gif


Gents, I admire your cojones:  enough so that I'll be out getting a couple of racks of St. Louis bones, regular brats, and some chipotle & cheddar brats smoked somewhere between Sat AM and Sunday kickoff in 20 degree temps.  One rack of bones is currently bathing in Myron Mixon's marinade and the other is bathing in a home concoction of chicken stock, soy, vinegar, garlic, and unrefined sugar.  Maiden voyage on the MM bath:  wife said I'd better do my regular go-to in case she didn't like Mixon's recipe.  I think she's based the outcome on the fact she doesn't care for his hairdo:  go figure.

I'm split, born and bred a Texan but currently residing just outside Green Bay, so I can't lose on Sunday.  Especially the vittles:  breakfast tacos on Monday AM with rib meat will be the coup de grace!!
 
They really made this ice storm out to be the next apocalypse around here (KC). Sounds like the worst hit you all to the south, but that didn't stop the brain trust from closing schools left and right around here. Stay safe and take advantage of being locked down. Post pics of the brisket!

Hopefully the worst of it is over and we can all sit back and enjoy a Chiefs victory Sunday.
 
 
Yep your are crazy! Almost as crazy as me!

Nice!. That is a butt load of snow. I would rather have some of that right now verses this ice.
 
DGF, yours only thinks you're crazy "some days"??  I've carried over into "most", and working on "every damn one".  
wife.gif


Gents, I admire your cojones:  enough so that I'll be out getting a couple of racks of St. Louis bones, regular brats, and some chipotle & cheddar brats smoked somewhere between Sat AM and Sunday kickoff in 20 degree temps.  One rack of bones is currently bathing in Myron Mixon's marinade and the other is bathing in a home concoction of chicken stock, soy, vinegar, garlic, and unrefined sugar.  Maiden voyage on the MM bath:  wife said I'd better do my regular go-to in case she didn't like Mixon's recipe.  I think she's based the outcome on the fact she doesn't care for his hairdo:  go figure.

I'm split, born and bred a Texan but currently residing just outside Green Bay, so I can't lose on Sunday.  Especially the vittles:  breakfast tacos on Monday AM with rib meat will be the coup de grace!!
Yeah, only crazy on some days, lol!

Sounds like a nice smoke your gearing up for.
They really made this ice storm out to be the next apocalypse around here (KC). Sounds like the worst hit you all to the south, but that didn't stop the brain trust from closing schools left and right around here. Stay safe and take advantage of being locked down. Post pics of the brisket!

Hopefully the worst of it is over and we can all sit back and enjoy a Chiefs victory Sunday.
It has been a fun one for sure. I was lucky to not have to leave the house, both wife and I are off for a few days, so we are just staying home and watching it fall. They closed schools and all civilian traffic on post here. They have the post roads on code Black:

"Restriction of all vehicular traffic on Fort Leonard Wood. Emergency vehicles are unrestricted (military police, ambulances, fire trucks, Directorate of Public Works, SNAIR support team mission essential vehicles). Non-emergency vehicles must obtain approval from their authorized delegated officer. "
 
This looks like a good one!

Al
Was a long night! My first overnight smoke... I am so missing my sleep number bed right now.

Injected with beef broth and rubbed with Salt and Pepper, then into the fridge for 2 hours.


Put down a little ice melt on the back deck so I didn't bust my butt, got out the patio umbrella to keep the smoker from being rained/iced on, and put brisket on around 7PM

Sealed my Smoke in a baggie as best I could around the probe cables to keep the moisture out, then set it below the shelf to make sure it was out of direct weather.


Here was a quick shot just before I wrapped in pan and foil.


Its 7AM.

Brisket has been on for 11.5 hours. Pulled it off about 45 minutes after a 2hr stall and put it in a pan and foiled with butter,  b.sugar, and 1/4C apple juice.

Its back on the smoker. Do not want it done too early, so lowering the temp about 10 degrees

The ice storm has slowed a bit, and we are in a small window of only fog. The weather map shows another area of rain/ice heading our way. Outside temp is at 30°
 
DGF that looks great. looking forward to the pics... tasting would be better....lolol

 I have a question for you :

"Sealed my Smoke in a baggie as best I could around the probe cables to keep the moisture out, then set it below the shelf to make sure it was out of direct weather." 

Are you sealing your probe cables? In what? maybe I read this wrong. I have went through 5-6 probes /thermometers over the years and can't help but think that it is my probes that are always the culprit. Can you enlighten me on this process? I think I may start a thread or search this topic. Thx. 
 
 
DGF that looks great. looking forward to the pics... tasting would be better....lolol

 I have a question for you :

"Sealed my Smoke in a baggie as best I could around the probe cables to keep the moisture out, then set it below the shelf to make sure it was out of direct weather." 

Are you sealing your probe cables? In what? maybe I read this wrong. I have went through 5-6 probes /thermometers over the years and can't help but think that it is my probes that are always the culprit. Can you enlighten me on this process? I think I may start a thread or search this topic. Thx. 
Its a Thermoworks "Smoke" Thermometer. Knowing the weather was going to likely stay nasty, I put the main unit into a Ziploc baggie as this kept the unit and probe ports out of the moisture. Then sealed the bag as best I could around the cables that still stuck out the end. I zoomed in and cropped a pic of what I was referring too. It has magnets on the back, so you can stick it to a cool section of the smoker and worry less of bumping it off a table or shelf. The probes themselves are sealed at the cable so the moisture problems that I had in the past with other probes haven't been an issue.

I included a pic of the probe to show what I mean by already sealed


Looks good in less-than-stellar weather conditions. Nice job!
Thanks, its up to a whopping 32° now
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But the rain stopped for now so it could be worse.

No final pics, as its in the cooler resting for a while. Ill get some final pics when I open it for cutting

Here is one of it after it was toothpick tender, end IT was 206. Total smoke time ended up being 14.5 hours. First few hours at 250 to help with the 4-140 in 4hr rule, then backed it down to 225 for the rest of the cook.

 
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Looks great, excited for the sliced pics.
Thanks, I was happy with the slices for sure.
Looks very good!
Thanks.
 
Thx. And she does look good......
Thank you.
Awesome and inspiring!
Thank you.

Finally was able to get it sliced up. Was super juicy and tender. This brisket turned out the best of those I have done so far.

I may increase my salt amount in the rub next time, but over all it was a great feast!

The final shots.



Thanks for looking.
 
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