Prime Time (2 prime briskets underway)


 
JKalchik said:
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That was after lighting it off at -6 F in January. Burned 12 or so lbs. of charcoal over 8 hours while I smoked some pork tenderloins, and didn't radiate enough heat out the bottom to melt the snow underneath.

I've been meaning to set up a couple of other shots.
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That thing looks awesome! I'll have to look into more of its design - I was digging through the heatermeater subforum yesterday & saw a couple mentions from you and someone else about these gravity fed units.

When I consider doing one, I think of a medium-large offset, made of like a 250 gallon propane tank (no idea on size), that sits on a trailer or ? ..............that won't happen for me in this lifetime :)

http://www.pbs.org/food/features/bbq-with-franklin-season-1-episode-4-the-pits/
 
well I just got back from the wedding pre-dinner & I had a whole lot more fun than I expected. I skip a lot of these things but this was nice. (close family to me). I got to see cousins I grew up with - when I realized I was at the hospital when this kid was born I felt a lot more in place. I have lots of good family friends on that side.

So my cousin's husband / friend / and member here, stole the show with his pork belly. His pulled pork looked awesome but the pork belly was the show stopper. He made spares, I made babybacks, & I thought my ribs were better but his were good in the absence of mine :). The brisket was a little overdone - it was jiggly & the bark was a bit thick for some (one cousin almost left a piece of the end slice before I told him it was the best piece!

I was a little disappointed that there was so much brisket left over......... one was devoured in a heartbeat and I really wanted to make sure I at least got a slice of it, so the 2nd one, I quartered then sliced most of it and made a plate for myself (brisket sandwich, a couple ribs, a lot of mac n cheese (the best!), some chocolates...........and some slaw on my sandwich. When it looked like everyone was mostly done I stuffed the brisket in a freezerbag & threw it into the freezer! I was accosted by a couple trying to get at it :) ---- 2 others are big into Q but one was unable to cook due to work, and the other was in from out of town.

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These ovens were jammed full & stacked on top & on all the counters. I took the ribs & brisket to the front of the counter & was slicing ribs individually as fast as I could, Joe was in the kitchen taking his sweet time with his ribs while I was getting assaulted by a hangry mob :)

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Clint said:
well I just got back from the wedding pre-dinner & I had a whole lot more fun than I expected. I skip a lot of these things but this was nice. (close family to me). I got to see cousins I grew up with - when I realized I was at the hospital when this kid was born I felt a lot more in place. I have lots of good family friends on that side.
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First smoke with my monster was 600 miles away. I seasoned the cook chamber, smoked a pork tenderloin, then loaded the smoker on a trailer to go smoke for 70 people at my brother's surprise 65th birthday party. Quite a few people told me it was the best 'que they'd ever eaten. And I saw people I haven't seen in decades. My sisters even managed to track down my brother's college roommate.

These are the times to remember.
 
Great job! Congratulations. You would have felt much worse had there not been enough brisket. Folks can only eat so much before they bust, so you have the best of both worlds where they were well-fed AND you get some for the freezer :). Kudos!
 
Clint said:
Brisket on @ 11:48am, bottom vents all @ 50%
1:20pm - started another chimney and added several more chunks of apple & cherry wood. Didn't reassemble until 2:27 when bad smoke subsided.
4:51pm: flipped meat upside down, left on same grate.
6:30pm: top @ 146f, bottom @ 158f - switched top & bottom. Re-filled ring w/ unlit kbb.
7:27: reassembled cooker when flames & smoke subsided
9:47pm: both about 164f
10:40pm: 1 @ 164-175, the other @ 176-182f. Added 3 more chunks, refilled ring, this time with stubbs all natural hardwood briquettes, left cooker unassembled, placed both briskets on top rack.
11:17pm: reassembled cooker - drained fat from waterpan - must have been nearly a gallon of drippings in it.
11:36pm: Both @ 165f, cooker was @ 275, closed vents to 30% open, watched it until midnight, set alarm for 5:00am.
5:00am: both briskets between 198-202F, wrapped in paper, rested 3 hours & then vac bagged for wedding reception tomorrow @ 6:00pm
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Clint...What temp were you running in the smoker from beginning until 11:36 (275)?
 
John G in Houston said:
Clint...What temp were you running in the smoker from beginning until 11:36 (275)?
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As hot as I could - the vents went to 100% open fairly early on. The dome thermometer is all I used, and it stayed somewhere around 215F.

I didn't do this like normal, but my third batch of ribs I added some unlit and used a whole lot more wood than I'm used to (I'm used to chips, not chunks), anyway, the third batch of ribs I tried to rush through and wound up thinking that I'd oversmoked them. They weren't ruined but they were my least favorite batch.

I wanted a ton of smoke flavor on the brisket, but I didn't want any of that off-taste on them, so that's why I let the smoker disassembled until it was burning clean each time I refilled.

I'm very happy with this cook and the leftovers :) I thought I'd overdone them but the only person who might complain would be a bbq judge.
 
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