Duyen Nguyen
New member
I received the WSM Wednesday. Burn a load of charcoal to rid of the residue from manufacturing.
Thursday:brine, dry rub and beer can the chicken and cooked it within 1.5 to 2 hours. Got a picture and will upload later. Very tender and juicy. Entire family enjoyed it immensely. First time, we finished an entire chicken.
Friday night: Rub on cardamon coffee rub on 2 briskets (select grade) and high heat it on the smoker. Sorry no picture. I was running behind schedule and they ate it up before I get to take a picture.
Here are details and questions in regard to the 2 briskets:
I started the competition briquettes (approx 6 lbs) 3/4 full with about 6 med. lumps of smoke mesquite and apple wood. I tried to maintain the heat approx. 325-350 degree. By doing that, for the 1st two hours, I had to leave the door slightly ajar for about 1 in. or so.
At the end of 2 hours, IT both briskets to be 160+, top and botton grates are removed and foiled into an aluminum pan, covered with aluminum and back on the grill. Did I lose a lot of heat during this transition? Because the heat went down to 250 degree very rapidly and most of my briquettes were ashy and almost spent and not sure if it will last another 2 hours or more. So I added about 20-30 more briquettes to refuel it through the door. But it took me about 45 min. since foiling the briskets to bring the temp on the dome back up to 325 degree.
I didn't have enough time to tend to it for the next 2 hours and cooked at high temp for 1 hour. I didn't take IT, which come to think of it, maybe I should have done that before leaving. I reduce it by closing the door to bring the temp back down to 250 degree, I suppose, for another 1.5 hours until I get home again. I didn't want to risk cooking it at high temp and overcook them. After foiling, 45 min. struggling to bring temp from 250 to 325 and 1 hour on high temp of 325-340 and 1.5 hour at low temp 250 degree.
Upon probing it with the thermometer when I got home, it went in very smoothly like butter so that's good news and the temp shot about 200+ degree, so it should be taken out much earlier.
I didn't trim them. I didn't know if I should. It's not a packer but bought from Walmart and average about 7-8# each.
Meat was rested for 30 min.
One of them had about 1.5 to 2 c. of juice and the other had scant juice, not remembering which of those I took out from the bottom or the top grate.
Upon cutting the meat, I find that it was hard to cut the meat against the grain because it would want to fall off- crumbly (more like chopped brisket). I know I'm not supposed to cut with the grain but at least the meat stays together. Had to cut thick slices against the grain to keep it from crumbling away.
My questions are:
Do you have to refuel with briquettes for high heat smoke or did I do something wrong.
Would temp that will tell me remotely be better to help save me from wasting the heat. I only open the dome at 2 hours when I foiled it and at the end when I take it out of the smoker which was when it registerd above 200 degree.
Would slow smoking render me more whole pieces of brisket or is it because I overcooked these?
Despite all this, the brisket was still very tender and not dry so it was enjoyed by all the companies and recipes and methods were requested.
Happy with the results for 1st try but still trying to improve further.
Thursday:brine, dry rub and beer can the chicken and cooked it within 1.5 to 2 hours. Got a picture and will upload later. Very tender and juicy. Entire family enjoyed it immensely. First time, we finished an entire chicken.
Friday night: Rub on cardamon coffee rub on 2 briskets (select grade) and high heat it on the smoker. Sorry no picture. I was running behind schedule and they ate it up before I get to take a picture.
Here are details and questions in regard to the 2 briskets:
I started the competition briquettes (approx 6 lbs) 3/4 full with about 6 med. lumps of smoke mesquite and apple wood. I tried to maintain the heat approx. 325-350 degree. By doing that, for the 1st two hours, I had to leave the door slightly ajar for about 1 in. or so.
At the end of 2 hours, IT both briskets to be 160+, top and botton grates are removed and foiled into an aluminum pan, covered with aluminum and back on the grill. Did I lose a lot of heat during this transition? Because the heat went down to 250 degree very rapidly and most of my briquettes were ashy and almost spent and not sure if it will last another 2 hours or more. So I added about 20-30 more briquettes to refuel it through the door. But it took me about 45 min. since foiling the briskets to bring the temp on the dome back up to 325 degree.
I didn't have enough time to tend to it for the next 2 hours and cooked at high temp for 1 hour. I didn't take IT, which come to think of it, maybe I should have done that before leaving. I reduce it by closing the door to bring the temp back down to 250 degree, I suppose, for another 1.5 hours until I get home again. I didn't want to risk cooking it at high temp and overcook them. After foiling, 45 min. struggling to bring temp from 250 to 325 and 1 hour on high temp of 325-340 and 1.5 hour at low temp 250 degree.
Upon probing it with the thermometer when I got home, it went in very smoothly like butter so that's good news and the temp shot about 200+ degree, so it should be taken out much earlier.
I didn't trim them. I didn't know if I should. It's not a packer but bought from Walmart and average about 7-8# each.
Meat was rested for 30 min.
One of them had about 1.5 to 2 c. of juice and the other had scant juice, not remembering which of those I took out from the bottom or the top grate.
Upon cutting the meat, I find that it was hard to cut the meat against the grain because it would want to fall off- crumbly (more like chopped brisket). I know I'm not supposed to cut with the grain but at least the meat stays together. Had to cut thick slices against the grain to keep it from crumbling away.
My questions are:
Do you have to refuel with briquettes for high heat smoke or did I do something wrong.
Would temp that will tell me remotely be better to help save me from wasting the heat. I only open the dome at 2 hours when I foiled it and at the end when I take it out of the smoker which was when it registerd above 200 degree.
Would slow smoking render me more whole pieces of brisket or is it because I overcooked these?
Despite all this, the brisket was still very tender and not dry so it was enjoyed by all the companies and recipes and methods were requested.
Happy with the results for 1st try but still trying to improve further.