Advice for first smoke


 
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Philip A

New member
Just bought a performer 22.5, planning to smoke a brisket tomorrow. I have the 2 charcoal holders and no other accessories such as smokenator, hinged grate or whatever. Is there a link on here that shows how some of the better chefs handle the job? I may get some of the accessories later, but I want to try one with just the basic equipment first.

Another question i have is are there any oven thermometers that you can put on or near the meat to measure the temp at the meat that will alert you if it gets too hot or too cold while you're sleeping?
 
Phillip, with the set up you describe I would suggest that the Brisket not be so large as to be right on top of the hot coals.
If you need to add coal or smoke wood to your fire during the cook, you will have to remove the grate. Remember the goal is to keep the cooker closed up as long as possible and keep the temps constant.
Maverick among others make remote threms that will transmit up to 100 ft. I have put mine next to my bed and the alarms work fine.
If this is your 1st brisket, well it can be a challenging meat to cook properly and the right tools can make a lot of difference.

Mark
 
Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Best advice is to just be patient and no matter what the results don't get frustrated.
 
I recommend checking out Aaron Franklin's videos on YouTube. Good stuff, very helpful. I believe his video called "The Payoff" gives great instruction for slicing your brisket when finished.

I also can recommend a thermometer. I have a Maverick ET-732, I believe it is. It has two probes so you can monitor your meat and your cooker temps. You can also set a range of temp and if your cooker goes outside that range an alarm will sound. Super-slick feature that makes it much easier to keep the lid on as your curiosity won't get the best of you. As it is said, "If you're lookin', you ain't cookin'!"

Good luck, let us know how it turns out!
 
I agree with everyone else, and I would also probably use the snake method for a brisket. Just be sure to keep the meat away from the lit coals, and then move it over to the other side as the coals burn down. And a Maverick ET-732 would be a great purchase for you.
 
Phil- Have you given any thought to injecting? I injected a brisket a while back with a beef broth / worcestshire mix. Words cannot possibly due justice to how amazingly good the resulting mix of aus jus and drippings tasted after 9 hours on the smoker. I used that aus jus to baste the burnt ends and for dipping sandwiches with the meat from the flat. Honest to goodness, if a feller could figger out a way to mass produce that stuff and market it...
 
You set it up indirect. You can use one of your charcoal holders to partition off one side of your grill.

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Your going to be setting your bottom vent at about 1/8 or less and closing your top vent about 1/2 way to run 250-275.

Don't get hung up on temperatures. The only temp you care about is the pit temp. Cook the brisket until probe tender, a probe inserted sideways into the brisket should go in like it's going into room temp butter. Most new brisket cooks take the brisket off to early. You are looking at 1 to 11/2 hrs per pound for a rough cooking time.

When your brisket is finished allow it rest on the counter for 1/2 hr before slicing or wrapping it to hold warm in a cooler.
 
You can also give the High Heat method a try with your kettle set up like Bobs photo, just turn the open end of your grate over the bed of coals to add more if needed, I've done many this way the last being a 14lb in a bit over 6 hrs.
 
Since everyone was so kind to make suggestions, I wanted to post my results. I decided to use the snake method recommended by Mike Cosgrave, because I didn't want to have to remove brisket to add fuel. I used a lot of large hickory chunks mixed in with briquets. I snaked about 90% of the diameter of the grill, and never had to refresh. I didn't use all the coals. I have a probe that transmits wirelessly, so I put the probe in the meat. Simple rub of kosher salt and pepper is all I used. I rubbed it and let it sit at room temp about an hour. Probe said it was 60 degrees when I put it on the grill. For the most part I was able to control the temp between 250 and 300, trying to stick to the 275 mark. I only had the thermometer in the top of the lid that came with the performer to go by. NOt sure how accurate it is. I guess I can boil water and test it. I had a pan of water sitting over the coals the entire time, and it didn't run out of water. I had to turn the grill every hour or so to keep the brisket opposite the coals. The snake method worked pretty good.

It took another 7 hours or so to hit 200 degrees. by then, I was hungry, and decided to test it. Soft as butter. Nice, sweet, smoky flavor. THere was no possible way that any member of my family was going to let that thing rest for 30 seconds, let alone 30 minutes. How do you guys hold off, after smelling it cooking all day? You've got more will power than I do. It came out the perfect texture. The slices held together for serving, but fork tender to eat. No knife required. I put fat side down while cooking, and the flat stayed moist, it never dried out, and the point was deliscious.

Only downside is that it didn't have a smoke ring. It was uniformly brown, not that edge of red that marks a championship brisket. Don't know why.

Low & Slow takes a long time. I think I'll try a little higher heat next time.

Observations:

The kettle style cooker is not the right tool for the job. There's no doubt it can turn out a delicious brisket, based on my first experience as an amateur. However, if I were going to cook large briskets, or cook brisket more than 2 or 3 times per year, I'd have to get a smoker. There's just too much need to open the thing to turn the grill to stay ahead of the snake. The other problem is that the snake of coals/lumps doesn't always stay in place. In some places it slid down the side, and I dropped my temp a couple of times and had to wait for it to burn around to a better part of the snake. Also, there isn't a whole lot of separation, although it seems to have been enough.

Thanks everyone for the help.
 
Phillip, sounds like it was a success. Of course with no pics, we gotta take yer word fer it!
I have found there is no reason to temp the meat until the last hour or two. If you only have one probe and it is calibrated use it to temp the cooker, next to the meat. One way to get a better smoke ring is to place the cold meat on the grate as the temp comes up. This gives the meat more time in the smoke till the surface temp gets to about 140F, at which point
It is said that the smoke ring stops forming.

You done GREAT, on your 1st briskie.

Mark
 
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