Aaron Franklin-style brisket cook scheduled for AM


 
Monty House

Monty House

TVWBB Pro
Got the 18.5" ring readied, to the top, with Lazarri mesquite lump. Foiled pan (no water). Gonna add about 8-10 lit coals and wait for it to hit about 300--then I'll add the 11.25 lb. USDA Choice packer (pre-trim wgt). Dalmation S&P rub in AM, then let rest for about an hour before she goes into the Bullet, fat side down. Oak wood (not too much). Target temp 275-300 until roughly 165 (and I like the color--hopefully caramel-y brown), then wrap in BP and finish off until probe tender. Figuring approximate 7 hour cook.

Not separating the point--cutting with the "Texas Turn," i.e., each slice gets some of both point & flat--against point's grain. Serving with slider buns, Meathead's Tennessee Whisky sauce (on the side), cheddar cheese slices, dill chips, white onion and pickled jalapeno slices. Oh, yeah.....and the House Beer (MHL in a bottle, of course). Wish me luck.

Flat side

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Point

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I like that Texas turn thing. Had not heard of it. Good luck with the cook , sounds fantastic . :wsm:
 
Excellent teachings here today. Put on about 1.5 hours ago, and my ET-732 says 147. I went and probed with my Thermapen, and the ET-732 is right. Probes like rubber and the color is still very light. So.......I'm going to have to do it the right way today, i.e., wrapping when the color is right (not temp) and pulling when it probes tender. The internal temp essentially means very little right now.

Used full ring of lump, and it's rocking and rolling. First time I've used it, and it seems to run noticeably hotter than KBB. I can easily keep between 275-300 with one leeward vent open at 25%-50%. unreal

This is fun but disconcerting, too. Stay tuned.
 
5 hours in and it's double wrapped in unwaxed 18" BP. Didn't have a sprayer, so gently applied mixture of diluted beef broth and worcestershire. Will probe in about two hours. Lid temp rock steady at 275-300.

S&P rubbed

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5 hours in - color right about where I wanted it

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Sounds and looks like ya got it going on, Monty. I gotta learn the Texas turn.

Anyhow, I'm going to stick with the method you're using. It sure worked for me last time, and about the only thing I'll change is to give it a much longer resting time, at least a couple of hours.
 
Folks, sorry to have become the kind of fellow I complain about (i.e., OP who talks about an ongoing cook and then neglects to post the "after" photos), but I had 7 hungry guys staring at me when I unwrapped that brisket. The good news though......I'm not kidding......it was great. Nice bark with 360 degree smoke ring. Tender, but the kind of tender that passed the hang-over-the-finger test. 8 of ate all of it except 6 slices of "moist" from the far end of the point.

Things I'll do differently next time:

1. Put into the BP a little earlier. If you see the brisket at the 5 hour mark, it's a little dark at the tip of the point. Wasn't a huge deal, but it made the slicing a little more difficult than I'd prefer.

2. Add a small pan of water. I foiled my dry WSM pan, but I think a small pan to help keep the humidity up might help. Aaron Franklin recommends it in his brisket video, too. I simply forgot this time around.

3. Possibly try a little stronger smoke than oak. I might try pecan next time, though Oak is a very pleasant, mild taste.

Anyhow, this butcher paper thing is for real. Without question, the best packer I've ever smoked.
 
Nice to hear it turned out delicious. Thanks for sharing your experience. I have only done brisket 3 times so this info with help me.
 
Monty, congrats on the brisket success. I know what it's like, cooking for a bunch of folks and not being able to mess with pictures.

As to a water pan, not only does it add moisture, but it will even out temps somewhat across the grate, which is a big help with a crowded grate. At least it does if the pan is getting simmered by the fire. Hmmm...If you had an extra water pan you could make a switch to a foiled pan when wrapping the brisket and then really ramp up temps....or you could just start off a little slower, or wrap sooner.

I know that they use post oak on offsets in brisket country, but I think that hickory helps make up for using charcoal and so much less wood.
 
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