Nate C
TVWBB Fan
This post is intended to solicit ideas and recommendations on what I did wrong and offer to others a "what not to do" when prepping and smoking a packer brisket.
First, a little about me. I am a backyard smoker with approximately two years experience smoking butts, ribs, ABT's, etc. That being said, I have never smoked a brisket and have always been intimidated by them...now I know why. I am equipped with a WSM 18.5 and a Redi-Check digital thermometer which I am hopelessly attached too...it will be my demise.
Donning my favorite t-shirt and head lamp, I jumped into the arena of an overnight packer smoke.
To prep for my first brisket I spent hours (literally) reading, watching videos, taking notes, etc. I decided to purchase a 10 pound Excel Choice packer from Wal Mart and took it home to prep it for an overnight cook. I spent about 20 minutes comparing the packers and selected one that I felt had the best marbling and offered the most symmetry. I followed closely Aaron Franklins brisket videos and attempted to trim it as Aaron did. My packer did not look exactly like his in the video but I felt pretty comfortable with how I trimmed it. Then I think I made my first mistake. I put the trimmed brisket uncovered in my kegerator for approximately two hours until it was time to rub. One hour prior to putting it on the smoker, I removed it from the kegerator and immediately noticed it was very dry. I applied a light dusting of salt/pepper as Aaron recommended and noticed the rub was not attaching itself very well and parts of the packer were not even holding the rub (see how dry the side of the point is). I let it sit for approximately one hour at room temperature as I prepared the smoker. The rubbed packer looked like this.
Using the minion method, six hickory chunks, and a full water pan, I dropped the packer at 1030 PM. The packer was too big for my wee 18.5 so I foiled and bent the edges as seen on this forum. The weather conditions in the Seattle Wa. area were very mild with night time temps in the low 50's with little to no wind. I set my Redi-Check to alert me if the smoker dropped below 225 and above 275. Also when the internal temp reached 160 which was when I was going to wrap in paper. I opened my favorite adult beverage and watched Longmire as I monitored the smoker.
The temps were a steady 250 degrees at the grate and the internal temp of the packer was 148 two hours later. I was shocked the packer was cooking so fast but went to bed having the confidence that the Redi-Check would wake me if needed. Approximately one hour later it did, the smoker had dropped to 223 degrees. I adjusted the vents and had the temps steady again at 250 and fell asleep on the couch. Little did I know that the Redi-Check required I set all the alarm settings again (I did not know that) and around 4:00 am, I awoke and found the grate temperature to be 300. The internal temp of the packer was 173 and the water pan was empty. I refilled the water pan and decided to wrap the packer. This was the first time actually looking at the packer and it appeared very dry with little to no bark. I was now operating on about three hours of sleep (this will be my excuse the entire post) and wasn't sure what to do so wrapped the packer. I was unable to find butcher paper locally so I used parchment paper and placed the packer back on the top grate with temperature probe in the flat (another mistake I later learned). I also noticed at this point that some residue from the inside of my lid was starting to flake on the grill. I have never had this happen but several pieces of "gunk" were coming off the lid.
For the next five hours, I really battled high temperatures in the smoker (280-300) and was struggling to stabilize the smoker. Between 6:00 am and 11:00 am, I had to refill the water pan twice. I was trying to fill the water from the door and had to use a one liter bottle since it was the only thing I could find that would not spill water on the lit coals. I was able to get the pan filled about half way both times and at 11:00 am, the internal temperature hit 195 so I removed the packer from the paper. I was horrified with what I saw. Dry with no bark, ugly black color and I could still see the pepper on the flat. It frankly looked grizzly...
In the below photo, you can still see the pepper and you will also notice a couple pieces of residue that had come off from the inside of the lid.
I decided to put the packer back on the smoker without the paper in the hope to develop some bark and re-inserted the thermometer. Now my internal temperature was 182 and had dropped 13 degrees (now I know not to insert probe when in paper). It is now 11:00 am and I am running low on fuel so I add 25 lit coals hoping to get the packer flat to 195. Alas the temperature drops and never reaches the goal...I run out of fuel at 12:30 pm.
It's now been 14 hours since I dropped the 10 pound packer and I have still not reached the desired tenderness nor internal temperature. Instead of finishing the packer in the oven (I really wanted to finish it on the smoker), I decided to refill the coal chamber with new briquettes and dropped 10 lit ones on top. Within minutes I have dirty, nasty smoke billowing from the top vent and by this time I have about had it. I am thoroughly frustrated and frankly embarrassed. My wife (a Texan) says I need to instantly remove my t-shirt and says I am an embarrassment to all things Texas and BBQ (she didn't but that is how I felt). I pull the packer off and am ready to throw it in the trash but hesitate. I may have screwed up the bark and the outside may be horribly dry, but I really want to get it to tender and see the inside.
So I decided to wrap the packer in foil and stuck it in the oven at 300 degrees. It was 172 internally (different temps in different places on the point) and 90 minutes later it showed 195 internal. The probe was not going in like butter but I had read people had success with an internal temp between 195-205 and a minimum two hour rest. So I removed the foiled packer and put it in an cooler for two hours. Removed it and it looked like this.
I then cut a few pieces off the flat and they looked like this.
Very dry and very disappointing.
Some things I learned and feel contributed to my failed attempt:
1. After trimming packer, allowed it to dry before applying rub.
2. Inserted temperature probe while packer was in paper. Gave me false readings.
3. Focused way too much on temperature and not on tenderness. Frankly, I don't have the confidence to strictly rely on tenderness and the thermometer is my crutch.
4. Due to focusing on temperature, got wide array of readings which confused and frustrated me.
5. Even after pulling the packer out of the oven, the probe was not going in like butter but I relied on the temperature. The photo above is the proof that the internal temp did not tell the entire story.
Some unanswered questions:
1. Why was the top of the packer so dry? I had water in the pan (most of the time) and for the most part kept temps between 225 and 275.
2. What happened to the bark? Was it as simple as applying the rub to a dry piece of meat? Why did the pepper remain even after 14 hours on the smoker?
3. Was the cut portion dry because it was overcooked or undercooked? I think I undercooked it.
4. I ran out of fuel on a 10 pound packer after 14 hours and it was still not done. What happened?
5. I have never had to refuel. After this experiment, I am guessing refilling with unlit fuel is not a good idea?!
6. Why did the lid start to drop residue all of a sudden?
My wife and kids got a good laugh and we ended up having Chinese food for dinner. I am hoping I can salvage the point and use it for burnt ends which I was really looking forward too. Maybe another day...
First, a little about me. I am a backyard smoker with approximately two years experience smoking butts, ribs, ABT's, etc. That being said, I have never smoked a brisket and have always been intimidated by them...now I know why. I am equipped with a WSM 18.5 and a Redi-Check digital thermometer which I am hopelessly attached too...it will be my demise.
Donning my favorite t-shirt and head lamp, I jumped into the arena of an overnight packer smoke.
To prep for my first brisket I spent hours (literally) reading, watching videos, taking notes, etc. I decided to purchase a 10 pound Excel Choice packer from Wal Mart and took it home to prep it for an overnight cook. I spent about 20 minutes comparing the packers and selected one that I felt had the best marbling and offered the most symmetry. I followed closely Aaron Franklins brisket videos and attempted to trim it as Aaron did. My packer did not look exactly like his in the video but I felt pretty comfortable with how I trimmed it. Then I think I made my first mistake. I put the trimmed brisket uncovered in my kegerator for approximately two hours until it was time to rub. One hour prior to putting it on the smoker, I removed it from the kegerator and immediately noticed it was very dry. I applied a light dusting of salt/pepper as Aaron recommended and noticed the rub was not attaching itself very well and parts of the packer were not even holding the rub (see how dry the side of the point is). I let it sit for approximately one hour at room temperature as I prepared the smoker. The rubbed packer looked like this.
Using the minion method, six hickory chunks, and a full water pan, I dropped the packer at 1030 PM. The packer was too big for my wee 18.5 so I foiled and bent the edges as seen on this forum. The weather conditions in the Seattle Wa. area were very mild with night time temps in the low 50's with little to no wind. I set my Redi-Check to alert me if the smoker dropped below 225 and above 275. Also when the internal temp reached 160 which was when I was going to wrap in paper. I opened my favorite adult beverage and watched Longmire as I monitored the smoker.
The temps were a steady 250 degrees at the grate and the internal temp of the packer was 148 two hours later. I was shocked the packer was cooking so fast but went to bed having the confidence that the Redi-Check would wake me if needed. Approximately one hour later it did, the smoker had dropped to 223 degrees. I adjusted the vents and had the temps steady again at 250 and fell asleep on the couch. Little did I know that the Redi-Check required I set all the alarm settings again (I did not know that) and around 4:00 am, I awoke and found the grate temperature to be 300. The internal temp of the packer was 173 and the water pan was empty. I refilled the water pan and decided to wrap the packer. This was the first time actually looking at the packer and it appeared very dry with little to no bark. I was now operating on about three hours of sleep (this will be my excuse the entire post) and wasn't sure what to do so wrapped the packer. I was unable to find butcher paper locally so I used parchment paper and placed the packer back on the top grate with temperature probe in the flat (another mistake I later learned). I also noticed at this point that some residue from the inside of my lid was starting to flake on the grill. I have never had this happen but several pieces of "gunk" were coming off the lid.
For the next five hours, I really battled high temperatures in the smoker (280-300) and was struggling to stabilize the smoker. Between 6:00 am and 11:00 am, I had to refill the water pan twice. I was trying to fill the water from the door and had to use a one liter bottle since it was the only thing I could find that would not spill water on the lit coals. I was able to get the pan filled about half way both times and at 11:00 am, the internal temperature hit 195 so I removed the packer from the paper. I was horrified with what I saw. Dry with no bark, ugly black color and I could still see the pepper on the flat. It frankly looked grizzly...
In the below photo, you can still see the pepper and you will also notice a couple pieces of residue that had come off from the inside of the lid.
I decided to put the packer back on the smoker without the paper in the hope to develop some bark and re-inserted the thermometer. Now my internal temperature was 182 and had dropped 13 degrees (now I know not to insert probe when in paper). It is now 11:00 am and I am running low on fuel so I add 25 lit coals hoping to get the packer flat to 195. Alas the temperature drops and never reaches the goal...I run out of fuel at 12:30 pm.
It's now been 14 hours since I dropped the 10 pound packer and I have still not reached the desired tenderness nor internal temperature. Instead of finishing the packer in the oven (I really wanted to finish it on the smoker), I decided to refill the coal chamber with new briquettes and dropped 10 lit ones on top. Within minutes I have dirty, nasty smoke billowing from the top vent and by this time I have about had it. I am thoroughly frustrated and frankly embarrassed. My wife (a Texan) says I need to instantly remove my t-shirt and says I am an embarrassment to all things Texas and BBQ (she didn't but that is how I felt). I pull the packer off and am ready to throw it in the trash but hesitate. I may have screwed up the bark and the outside may be horribly dry, but I really want to get it to tender and see the inside.
So I decided to wrap the packer in foil and stuck it in the oven at 300 degrees. It was 172 internally (different temps in different places on the point) and 90 minutes later it showed 195 internal. The probe was not going in like butter but I had read people had success with an internal temp between 195-205 and a minimum two hour rest. So I removed the foiled packer and put it in an cooler for two hours. Removed it and it looked like this.
I then cut a few pieces off the flat and they looked like this.
Very dry and very disappointing.
Some things I learned and feel contributed to my failed attempt:
1. After trimming packer, allowed it to dry before applying rub.
2. Inserted temperature probe while packer was in paper. Gave me false readings.
3. Focused way too much on temperature and not on tenderness. Frankly, I don't have the confidence to strictly rely on tenderness and the thermometer is my crutch.
4. Due to focusing on temperature, got wide array of readings which confused and frustrated me.
5. Even after pulling the packer out of the oven, the probe was not going in like butter but I relied on the temperature. The photo above is the proof that the internal temp did not tell the entire story.
Some unanswered questions:
1. Why was the top of the packer so dry? I had water in the pan (most of the time) and for the most part kept temps between 225 and 275.
2. What happened to the bark? Was it as simple as applying the rub to a dry piece of meat? Why did the pepper remain even after 14 hours on the smoker?
3. Was the cut portion dry because it was overcooked or undercooked? I think I undercooked it.
4. I ran out of fuel on a 10 pound packer after 14 hours and it was still not done. What happened?
5. I have never had to refuel. After this experiment, I am guessing refilling with unlit fuel is not a good idea?!
6. Why did the lid start to drop residue all of a sudden?
My wife and kids got a good laugh and we ended up having Chinese food for dinner. I am hoping I can salvage the point and use it for burnt ends which I was really looking forward too. Maybe another day...
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