Trying my first brisket
- Thread starter Mike M
- Start date
Brian Johnson
TVWBB Pro
Good luck Mike! When I bought my WSM back in May I was planning on trying a brisket by Labor Day, but I will be doing pork shoulder and ribs instead. It's been a rainy summer down here and I gotta get some practice in on my ribs before my mother comes to visit. She informed me in June that we WILL be having ribs the next time she visits.
I remember my first brisket. Scared me half to death!!! Back then I was the only guy I knew smoking on Long Island. Had no idea what I was doing. Guys on the board pulled me through.
A couple of thoughts:
- You're going to notice the meat will "stall". Temp will rise pretty steadily at first until you hit about 160* Then it will not budge. Don't worry. It's normal.
- First brisket and a flat, you might want to review some of the advice about foiling - covering the brisket in foil - anywhere after 170*
If I can think of anything else I'll post up.
A couple of thoughts:
- You're going to notice the meat will "stall". Temp will rise pretty steadily at first until you hit about 160* Then it will not budge. Don't worry. It's normal.
- First brisket and a flat, you might want to review some of the advice about foiling - covering the brisket in foil - anywhere after 170*
If I can think of anything else I'll post up.
Mike & Darren...
Wishing both of you Excellent and Enjoyable cooks !
Darren... you asked for suggestion... Besides the Enjoy part, I hear that adult beverages go well during the cook
Bob
Luckily, I have the adult beverage part down to a
Mike M
TVWBB Member
First run at brisket was a success! Smoker held 275 the whole cook. I wrapped after 5 hours and pulled the brisket off at around 7.5 hours. Let it rest for half an hour and started slicing. I think it cooked just right! It was tender, moist, and passed the pull test! The fat rendered nicely too. The rub I mixed up was the only thing I was a little unhappy with because it had a lot of heat, but other than that, a very successful day! I'll get some pics up later today
Nice. I'm cooking mine right now. My brisket temp shot up to the 140-160 range within maybe 1-1.5 hrs. I had planned to foil at at 140-150. But, it came too fast and didn't think I should foil so soon. So, I started a new thread here.
I'm thinking that I'm not even going to foil. My understanding is that foiling is something you do to push the meat through the stall. What was the temp of your brisket when you wrapped? My brisket is about a 168 F now and has been cooking for about 3 hours.
Bill Schultz
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Good job Mike, where's the pics man!
Mike M
TVWBB Member
I foiled at around 160. I may have let it go longer, but I started later than I wanted to, so foiling was also to help speed up the cook
Mike M
TVWBB Member
The edges did crumble a little when sliced, but overall I was pretty happy for my first time. I love my WSM. It's not a set it and forget it cooker, but much easier to manage than my old chargriller. I would have been outside messing with that thing all day!
Bob Bass
TVWBB Gold Member
Mike... No only did you do Very Well, you seemed to have an Enjoyable cook. And that's what it's all about !
