All day brisket cook


 
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

David Munson

TVWBB Super Fan
Working on brisket #3.

Purchased a 7.1 pound trimmed brisket two days ago. Yesterday gave it a wet rub with seasoned salt + garlic, onion and red pepper powder, pepper mixed with Worcestershire sauce. I also opened a bag of Mesquite wood on the porch and let the rain wet the wood.

Started the smoker at 6:30 a.m. using hot water with the Minion method and had the temp up and the meat on by 7. If things work out I expect it to be ready by 6 p.m. Two hours into the cook the temperature is still running constant at 227 at the top cooking surface. I have a 10? turkey fryer thermometer stuck through the lid so that the end of the probe is just above or to the side of the meat. The bottom vents are at about 30%. The outside temperature is 40-50 and there is little wind.
 
9:30 a.m. The wife had purchased this thing that has a label ?Ham & Water Product? that says ?35% of weight is added ingredients, a portion of ground ham added, smoked ? fully cooked ? boneless?. It weighs five pounds. Under instruction from the wife I pealed the plastic, quartered it lengthwise and added it to the lower grates. I do not have much hope for it but what the heck. I also added a small hand-full more mesquite wood chips. The brisket has a nice brown smoke covering and the temp is running about 230 degrees at the top cooking surface.

Semi-automatic, semi-remote thermometer.
10 a.m. From the kitchen window I can see the thermometer dial. The thermometer has an outer ring that I have set to 225. What I do is just look out the window and see that the dial is pointing towards the outer ring. Almost as nice as a remote electronic thermometer. I checked and adjusted the calibration of the thermometer last Sunday so I believe it to be accurate. I plan on adding more mesquite wood to keep steady smoke coming from the WSM but don?t need any. The temp is running at 225.

No change in temp and mostly ignored.

2 p.m. Temp still at 225. Took off the ham thing ? not as bad as I thought. On the other hand, the ham thing was not all that good. The babies and dogs like it.

Turned and flipped the brisket. Added water, wood and a bit of charcoal. Spritzed it with apple juice. Started to wonder if it will be fully cooked by 6 p.m. (the wife should be home about 7 p.m.). No change in the vents.
 
David....

What exactly are you cooking????? Ground ham is an added ingredient? 35% added ingredients? Cooked & smoked already?

This is supposed to be a brisket?
 
4 p.m. (Brisket) The temp has drifted between 225 and 250 over the last two hours. At 4 p.m. I checked the temp of the meat. It was at 171 degrees and looks like it is burnt ? like the pictures in the Lets Cook section of this site. When I poked it with the thermometer I could see juice come out of the hole. The skin and smoking has sealed the moisture inside. I am feeling a bit more confident about the brisket being ready for an on-time dinner.

Kevin, the wife purchased what she thought was a 5lb ham. What she purchased (and I am copying directly from the label) says "Ham & Water Product, 35% of weight is added ingredients, a portion of ground ham added". As I have the room in the smoker I threw it in for a few hours to see if the smoker could improve it to the point where I would actually try some. It does not taste... well, the dog likes it. I am holding out for the brisket. - Dave
 
5:15 p.m. The brisket is at 179 degrees at the biggest part. The upper grate temperature is holding at 240. The sun went down, a bit cooler outside and it has started to sprinkle (rain). No more wood added even though there is no smoke (from wood) coming out of the WSM.
 
6:15 p.m. Pulled the brisket. The temp of the meat is 181 degrees. Set in a baking dish covered in foil. I was going to stuff it in the oven for a bit decided against it. (Tasted a burnt end piece. :- ) Good. Real good.)

Started beans (2 cans of bushes, some brown sugar, enough barbecue sauce, splash of honey, onion, garlic and worcestershire powder and a pinch of red pepper. Also started corn bread. Everything should be ready by a bit after 7 p.m.
 
7:20 p.m. Dinner time. This is good. The lean part tender. It cuts easy ? cutting thin slices against the grain of the meat. The fatty part chewy and moist. It is more difficult to cut because of the fat. The lean side is not dry. The fatty side is not too fatty. Great flavor throughout. While cutting the end pieces fall off the brisket at the insertion of the fork rather than suffer a knife. Chewy, flavorful. It looks burnt but is tender and moist. The smoke ring is deep red and under a quarter of an inch in size. It is most visible on the lean part of the brisket.

In the end it took the WSM slightly over 11 hours to fully cook the 7.1 pound brisket (1.55 hrs per pound). I used up about 13 pounds of charcoal and a half bag of Mesquite chips plus some other wood. The WSM held the temperature very constant no matter how much I watched or did not watch.

I have this desire for a shot of cognac and a cuban.
 
Well done David. I just check my wsm tracking. It will arrive in Richmond tonight thats just 2 hours away. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

 

Back
Top