High Heat Flat. First Try.


 

Rob O

TVWBB Pro
Hi. First try at cooking a flat High Heat method.

Pictures to follow.

- 10 lb flat.
- Injected with 2 cups apple juice, sugar, salt, white vinegar, beef consomme' about 36 hours ago.
- Flat absorbed all but about a half cup.
- Rubbed w/paste. Sit for 24 hours. Sprinkle with dry rub.


- Lump ignited dump method with KB.
- 4 half-fist sized chunks oak. 2 half-fist sized chunks hickory. Soaked and buried.
- Dry pan. 18.5" WSM.

- Flat straight from fridge to WSM 7:40 ET 39* initial temp.

- Pit temp dropped to 225* after brisket loaded.


- 8:30 AM brisket at 60* pit at 328*

Interesting aside. Been so long since I've used my bottom vents they're frozen shut. Needed to pry them open with a claw hammer. Looks like I've got some maintenance ahead of me.
 
Good luck Rob sounds like you are all set. Is this a WSM you are using? I am surprised you don't use your bottom vents.
 
Good luck Rob sounds like you are all set. Is this a WSM you are using? I am surprised you don't use your bottom vents.

I've heard that before. Yepp. 18.5". I've been using some form of Guru since about 2006. Original instructions with the comp model said to keep all vents closed and it's worked. About the only times I've needed them have been in frigid / blizzard like / Just rained and turned to snow conditions.
 
Shot to show how saturated the flat was after the injection. That's liquid in the upper right hand corner of the meat. Oozed out when the flat got bent.




 
So , how's it going? Fire nice and hot ? Are you on schedule? That should come out good. I've cooked brisket in the oven at 350 and it always came out juicy and delicious. Good luck.
 
Well... We'll see. Here' how the Time / Food Temp / Pit Temp has gone.

7:40 / 39 / 350(?)
8:30 / 60 / 228
9:10 / 97 / 371
9:50 / 135 / 370
10:20 / 154 / 370

Should be hitting the stall soon. Plan to foil around 165*

Lookin' like rain though.
 
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Shot just before foiling.

Surprised not to have seen this flat stall at all.

Time / Pit / Food

11:00 / 372 / 170
11:05 / 346 / 171 [Foil]
11:10 / 408 / 173
11:20 / 366 / 177
11:30 / 328 / 180
11:35 / 328 / 183
11:40 / 346 / 185



 
Shot just before foiling.

Surprised not to have seen this flat stall at all.

Time / Pit / Food

11:00 / 372 / 170
11:05 / 346 / 171 [Foil]
11:10 / 408 / 173
11:20 / 366 / 177
11:30 / 328 / 180
11:35 / 328 / 183
11:40 / 346 / 185




Hey Rob,

Glad to see the cook is coming along. You sure put a lot of effort into preparing it. You make me feel like a slacker. I just pulled mine out, rinsed it off and added Weber steak seasoning and fresh ground pepper. I'll let you know how it tastes.

Is that foil on the edges to protect the smaller tips from burning?

I guess you do need luck to keep the rain away :).
 
Is that foil on the edges to protect the smaller tips from burning?

Yepp... Big brisket the ends extend past the heat shield (bowl) foil keeps the edges from burning in the beginning. Afterwards it shrinks. Other ways to do it are to tie the ends of the brisket in a truss or something I just recently learned hang it over a brick in the middle of the grate.
 
Well thats's it. Really a nice easy cook. Can't wait to see how it tastes. [Wondering why no stall?]

Here's the consolidated cook log.

Time / Pit / Food


7:40 / 39 / 350(?)
8:30 / 60 / 228
9:10 / 97 / 371
9:50 / 135 / 370
10:20 / 154 / 370
11:00 / 372 / 170
11:05 / 346 / 171 [Foil]
11:10 / 408 / 173
11:20 / 366 / 177
11:30 / 328 / 180
11:35 / 328 / 183
11:40 / 346 / 185
11:50 / 331 / 189
12:00 / 308 / 194 [Refuel]
12:15 / 315 / 197
12:10 / 320 / 198 [Adjusted CyberQ Wifi Cook Hold parameter]
12:30 / 340 / 201
12:40 / 346 / 203
12:45 / 346 / 205.

Brisket it resting comfortably now a little past 1:00 in a pre heated cooler and is holding at 189*

Time for a celebratory diet adult beverage in a silver can, a shower, a shave, and a nap.

Luck was with me... No rain!
 
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Cooking at 350 you power through the stall, that's why I just do it by time. I would have had it foiled about 11/2 hours before you and probably would have come off 1 hr before yours. I bet it's going to be delicious. Hope you were probing for tender and not just cooking to a specific temp since foiling will throw off your meat temps.
 
HI Bob,

Thanks. Low and slow I've never seen it power through like that foiled. Really caught me off guard.

I was probing. Honestly it still didn't feel as tender as I like when pulled. That's why I pulled at 205* That and the fact my guests like it shredded.

But who knows. Frimness might have been a function of the cut or the fact I almost always cook packers.

I thought about foiling sooner but I really wanted to try to get just a little bark and given how much of the injection liquid this flat absorbed (1 1/2 cups) I guessed I was safe.

We'll see soon enough....
 
How much liquid did you end up with in the foil when you where done? Thay stuff will make the shredded beef taste awesome.
 
How much liquid did you end up with in the foil when you where done? Thay stuff will make the shredded beef taste awesome.

Great idea. Now why didn't I think of that????

Actually the texture was perfect. Pull apart tender but not dried out. Not really shreadable except the sections toward where the point would have been.

I will however foil sooner next time. There was no real bark to speak of. I'll post pics a little later tonight.

So... final verdict. Good taste / missed the bark / flat was moist enough but could have been better.

Biggest surprise was how the texture. Nearly perfect for me.

All in all I stil prefer my low and slow packers but I will definitely give this another try.
 
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