Chris,
Now this is a question we can have some fun with! My last incident and what happened? Well let's see, I was doing a 16 pound packer cut brisket. I figured it would take about 14-16 hours so I started with it around 4-5:00 pm. I had my 22.5 bullet set up and my IGrill running collecting my data. This brisket was for a very important lunch the next day so I had a "ton" of pressure on me to deliver. I was cool and calm all evening and went to bed about 10:00. At 12:00 my alarm went off (I awoke with my heart beating through my chest) so I headed out to the smoker. I checked the brisket with my thermapen and found I it was 165 so I needed to wrap it. I adjusted the bullet wrapped the brisket and went back to bed. AT 2:30 am my alarm goes off again. I started to think the grilling gods were against me this night. This time the brisket is 195. Needless to say I went into complete panic mode. How did this happen, what did I do wrong, how can I fix this. What am I going to do about lunch since I would not be able to smoke another one? I regained my composure and closed all the bottom vents and cracked the lid vent to keep temperatures around 190. Went back to bed and got no sleep till 5:00 am. From there took the brisket and placed it in a cooler for 3 hours. I served lunch at 11:00 am and this brisket was out of this world. This was the closest to a perfect brisket I have ever come close to. I mean the look, feel, smell and the taste, GOOD NIGHT!! This brisket was lights out!!
I had people sneaking inside after we cleaned up stealing pieces claiming this was the best brisket they have ever had. One in particular, left, and came back 10 minutes later to have yet another piece. Keep in mind this group of people is very, and I mean very polished when it comes to BBQ.
Needless to say it was a very stressful experience but I learned a lot about myself that day. I learned that meat does not always have a routine schedule. It is done when it's done. You always have to be prepared no matter what happens, even at 2:30 am. The irony is this was the best brisket I have ever smoked to date.
Hope you enjoy the story and can relate
All the best
Kk
