David Games
TVWBB Member
Did my 4th smoke last friday night. Also just got a Maverick 732 temperature monitor and it was my first smoke using that. I did the lamp grommet mod to my WSM to run the ET732 probe wires.
Started with applying Harry Soo's SYD rub to both the brisket and butt friday afternoon and let it sit in the fridge for about 3 hours. About 10pm injected with Lilly's apple juice injection and then put some more rub on.
Started the WSM using the minion method and I think I got it right this time. I used a full ring of unlit kingsford blue with about 4 chunks of apple & 2 hickory mixed in. Lit 20 briquets in the chimney and dumped on the unlit coals about 1030 and put the meat on pretty much right away - butt on bottom, brisket top and put the meat probe in the butt since I expected it to get done first.
The 732 grill reading inched up to about 260 over the next couple hours with the dome temp about 25-30 degrees less. Ended up going almost completely shut with my bottom vents to keep the temps from going too high.
I set my meat notification alarm for 165 and went to bed a little after midnight. Set my alarm for 2am in case the maverick didn't wake me. Hit snooze a couple times around 2am with meat temp around 160 and eventually got up to foil the meat at around 170F at 3am. Here is where I had my first bit of difficulty. I had trouble getting the pork butt off with the temp probe attached to the top grate as I couldn't just set that grate aside. After a couple minutes I managed to get the butt off. Foiled both the butt and brisket with apple juice and butter and set inside foil trays and back into the smoker. By this time, the lid had been off several minutes and this made the coals go burst into flames. When I first put the lid back on, I hit a temperature spike of over 430F on the grate probe and was close to 400 on the lid thermo. I quickly added a couple of wine bottles full of cold water to the pan and closed all the bottom vents to get this knocked out. Stayed up over the next 30-40 minutes watchong the temps slowly drop back to the high 200s and then cracked one of the bottom vents a little. Set the meat alarm for 194 and went back to bed.
Woke up about 630 or so and the butt was within a few degrees of my 195 target temp. Eventually it reached temp and I took it off about 8 or so and put it in a cooler to sit. Moved the meat probe to the brisket and set the meat alarm for 204 and waited. It finally made this temp about 10am and I took it off and put it in the cooler with the butt.
Waited till about 1045 and pulled the butt and separated the point from the flat on the brisket. Threw the point back on the WSM which was now around 250. Went back in and sliced the flat. I think I overcooked the brisket a little as it was almost falling apart. Had to make pretty thick slices to keep it together. It had a really good bark and was really moist and tender. In hindsight, it took a really long time for the meat temp to go from 200 to 203 and I probably should have pulled it off somewhere during that time.
As with almost everything I have done so far, I just cannot believe the quality that I get from the WSM. Even though I probably wouldn't have scored well in a competition with the brisket on the verge of falling apart, its taste was incredible.
I ended up leaving the point on till about 230 as the fire was starting to die out. Cut it up into cubes and it turned out really good as well.
Next time, I need to get better with my foiling method to avoid the high temp spike from having the lid off so long.
Here are some pics of the finished goods.
butt ready to pull
sliced brisket flat
Point back on the WSM to finish
Started with applying Harry Soo's SYD rub to both the brisket and butt friday afternoon and let it sit in the fridge for about 3 hours. About 10pm injected with Lilly's apple juice injection and then put some more rub on.
Started the WSM using the minion method and I think I got it right this time. I used a full ring of unlit kingsford blue with about 4 chunks of apple & 2 hickory mixed in. Lit 20 briquets in the chimney and dumped on the unlit coals about 1030 and put the meat on pretty much right away - butt on bottom, brisket top and put the meat probe in the butt since I expected it to get done first.
The 732 grill reading inched up to about 260 over the next couple hours with the dome temp about 25-30 degrees less. Ended up going almost completely shut with my bottom vents to keep the temps from going too high.
I set my meat notification alarm for 165 and went to bed a little after midnight. Set my alarm for 2am in case the maverick didn't wake me. Hit snooze a couple times around 2am with meat temp around 160 and eventually got up to foil the meat at around 170F at 3am. Here is where I had my first bit of difficulty. I had trouble getting the pork butt off with the temp probe attached to the top grate as I couldn't just set that grate aside. After a couple minutes I managed to get the butt off. Foiled both the butt and brisket with apple juice and butter and set inside foil trays and back into the smoker. By this time, the lid had been off several minutes and this made the coals go burst into flames. When I first put the lid back on, I hit a temperature spike of over 430F on the grate probe and was close to 400 on the lid thermo. I quickly added a couple of wine bottles full of cold water to the pan and closed all the bottom vents to get this knocked out. Stayed up over the next 30-40 minutes watchong the temps slowly drop back to the high 200s and then cracked one of the bottom vents a little. Set the meat alarm for 194 and went back to bed.
Woke up about 630 or so and the butt was within a few degrees of my 195 target temp. Eventually it reached temp and I took it off about 8 or so and put it in a cooler to sit. Moved the meat probe to the brisket and set the meat alarm for 204 and waited. It finally made this temp about 10am and I took it off and put it in the cooler with the butt.
Waited till about 1045 and pulled the butt and separated the point from the flat on the brisket. Threw the point back on the WSM which was now around 250. Went back in and sliced the flat. I think I overcooked the brisket a little as it was almost falling apart. Had to make pretty thick slices to keep it together. It had a really good bark and was really moist and tender. In hindsight, it took a really long time for the meat temp to go from 200 to 203 and I probably should have pulled it off somewhere during that time.
As with almost everything I have done so far, I just cannot believe the quality that I get from the WSM. Even though I probably wouldn't have scored well in a competition with the brisket on the verge of falling apart, its taste was incredible.
I ended up leaving the point on till about 230 as the fire was starting to die out. Cut it up into cubes and it turned out really good as well.
Next time, I need to get better with my foiling method to avoid the high temp spike from having the lid off so long.
Here are some pics of the finished goods.
butt ready to pull
sliced brisket flat
Point back on the WSM to finish
