Smokn' in the Rain.....

[camdelong]

Hi All..

My name is Cam. I'm a 30 year old banker that loves to cook and grill when I'm not working and I just started out smoking. To start off I got a Char-Broil electric smoking that I have used a couple of times.

I live in Seattle Washington so when the weather is nice I try to pull it out and get a feeling for it.

Everyone here has great ideas that have helped me out. Hope to get all my questions answered as I see everyone here is great at jumping in to help!

 

[joed617]

Hi Cam, Welcome to SMF.. I was smoking in the rain 2 weeks ago here in the north east .. I just got a new char-broil smoker with the side fire box and was having a huge bbq the next weekend so I had to figure out how to use it. The folks here helped alot. I'm not new to smoking but new to useing the new smoker with the firebox .. They set me straight and there is no stopping me now. laugh

Joe

 

[Dutch]

Cam~ Welcome to Smoking Meat Forum. You'll find us to be a rather helpful bunch of folks, eager to share our knowledge in the art of smoking. So if you have questions-just ask away!

 

[camdelong]

Thank you Sir!! :D

My first Brisket came out looking great. WAs a little dry. :( My temp was at 225 the whole time.... it was 7 pounds. Had the internal temp at 156 for a bit so I wanted it up a little higher but oh well. Flavor was good so I chopped most of it up and will just put in the chilly.

 

[Dutch]

Cam-That brisket looks good!! Did you use a mop while your brisket was smoking?

The thing with large muscle mass meats such as brisket and pork shoulders (butts and picnics) is they hit the 160 mark and kinda sit there. It's during this time that the connective tissues break down and release their moisture. Once this tissue has broken down, the temp will begin to climb again.

It's not uncommon for pork shoulders to take 10-12 hours and briskets to take 18-20 hours (ie-pulling an "All Nighter").

Ya just gotta have patience my boy, ya gotta have patience!! ~Foghorn Leghorn~ :P

 

[camdelong]

Hey thanks!

I was thinking it was like 1.5 hours to a pound. Is that right? I guess I should of kept going. So I went a long time. 9 hours. I tried by taking my water pan out of the electric smoker that I have cause it was keeping the temp to low. So I'll keep at it...... I have another brisket in the freezer so I'll thaw that out and give it another shot for sure...

OH ya.. I did mop it.. found a mop that was pretty good from one of the post... There was a really good marinade I found from Stubbs or something Stubbs that was so good!!! It was like Soy, ginger, pepper flakes....

maybe I just didn't let it go long enough and maybe my temp was wrong. So really taking it up into 180 or 200 I then let it go longer?

 

[Dutch]

You just need to get it to 190*-as you let it rest, the carryover cooking will get it up to 200*. Some folks here will even wrap the bisket in aluminum foil and then place the brisket in a blanket lined cooler for 3-4 hours. You'll need to keep an eye on the temp and not let it drop below 140*.

 

[bob-bqn]

Howdy camdelong.

Earl has given sound advice.

Brisket isn't cooked like steak, because, even though it comes from the same animal it is a completely different beast.

When you over cook a steak it becomes tough & dry, but with a brisket tough & dry means that it is most likely under cooked. As the brisket reaches 160* the fat and collagen begin to break down. This will cause the temperature to stall for a long time and even drop a few degrees on some, this is what is know as the "plateau". Wow, will your thermometer ever drive you crazy the first time if you don't know what's going on. Some plateaus can last 3 to 6 hours before the temperature begins to rise again. Just keep the fire steady and let the meat "ride" as long as it needs to. Some briskets may even take closer to 2 hours a pound to cook, that's why I recommend cooking it to temperature instead of "time" as you'll get more consistent results.

When the internal temperature of the meat reaches the 190's the outside will be dark, almost black (it may even look burnt

) but the inside will be tender & juicy. Be sure to let it rest a minimum of 30 minutes (2 hours wrapped up in a cooler is better), because when you cut into hot meat and see all that steam evaporating ... the meat is drying out right before your eyes. :shock:

I know your brisket tasted good this time around but I think you'll be very pleased with the results of a longer cook. :D

 

[camdelong]

Thanks again for the info.

Man going to try this again this weekend.. I was so nervous with the way the meat felt like It was way over cooked. my Temp spiked up a couple times to 265 so that was no good. 225 for brisket still the magic temp or should I keep it a little lower because of the longer cooking time? :D

Also one other question and I can take this out of the roll call if needed but the last couple smokes I have been hesitant to use a lot of salt but noticed that the flavor lacked just a little when the meat was done. I have been using store bought rubs. Adding a bit of salt isn't going to affect my smoking drastically is it?

 

[Dutch]

I shoot for 225-240* for brisket. When I get temp spikes I try to get it down as fast as I can-usually by 'burping' the smoker (quickly opening and closing the door) and if needed, reducing the heat.

 

[camdelong]

Thanks Earl!

Your the man for sure!!! Will report back for sure.