Brand new to backyard anything, have some Q's about brisket. WSM 18

[Curtis Chu]

Hello!

I've never done any backyard cooking at all... Recently went to a trip to Texas (I'm in Cali) and had some awesome brisket.
Wanted to start making it for my family since they've never experienced it much.

So far I've done two briskets on my brand new WSM 18.

1st one: 15 lb prime packer -- FOGO lump charcoal with hickory / pecan chunks -- No water in the bowl / pan-- I know its because i'm inexperienced, but I had a hell of a time controlling temp but managed to keep it between 230-290. Constantly fiddling with ALL vents (it would spike from 215-290 in like 10 mins, and i would have to close even the lid vent to bring it down). Don't get me wrong, I tried little adjustments at a time, and managed to have at least 3-4 hours solid between 240-260 at one point. The other times, I would make a small adjustment, and temp would OVER correct the other way over 20 mins... go make another adjustment. etc.

I heard about putting foil in the water pan for easier cleanup, so I did that. (I did not follow the contour of the bowl, i just put it straight over the top like you would cover tupperware with cling wrap). I think this contributed towards my problem with this cook. The flat cooked WAY faster than the point. I had put a leave in thermometer in the point to monitor temps. I didn't want to open and check too much, and I planned to do a foil boat @170ish. When my point was @170, I checked my flat and it was already @ 192!!!. I panicked and immediately foil-boated it. Kept checking the flat for butter probe tender, it felt THICK and tough even at 203. It only started to get "soft" at around 207-208, which is when I decided to pull the whole brisket (point was ONLY at 191 at this point).

I let it cool down to 165 internal, then vacuum sealed it and put it in my sous vide @150 , resting for 10 hours. (My wife hates the smell of beef in the house, so I'm not allowed to use the oven to hold).

Total time in WSM: 10 hours
Rest time: 10 hours

Result: IT actually turned out REALLY good for my first brisket, and I was really, really surprised. Point came out perfect (odd since i pulled at such a low temp). However the flat was a little dry towards the front 1/3rd of the brisket. all in all I was happy. Pics are attached.

2nd one: 12 lb prime packer with same setup as above. -- I've watched videos saying that you can get really good brisket without wrapping / boating (Goldee's method). So I tried to do it this time.

Knowing my issues with different temps on the first brisket, I foiled the water pan better (actually followed the contour of the bowl). I realized that I probably lit WAY too many charcoal the first time since I was constantly spiking HIGH and had to close all vents to bring temp down multiple times. This time I only lit a small amount of charcoal. The temp came up much more gradually and it was easier to adjust my bottom vents as I got to target temp. My temp was constant 240-260 for the first 4-6 hours. I still babysat the thing and adjusted at least 2x an hour. It was ~50 F outside with varying winds.

I had a leave in probe in BOTH the flat and point this time. and temps were going up VERY closely this time (was about equal in temp until around 170-180 ish, then point pulled ahead 4-5 degrees higher until cook was done.

at around 10 hours, I was only at a internal temp of ~192. I was so confused because at this same time, my 15lb packer was DONE. I then bumped temp to 275-285 to try and finish faster so I can get to bed. Temps still took a while to climb, and I was getting a little impatient at this time.

Point temp got up to 205 and flat came up to 200. Point was probing LIKE BUTTER but flat was not quite tough, but not butter either. At this point I was heading into hour 11-12 of my cook and I needed to get to bed for work the next day. I felt it should be "pretty good". Rested for 10 hours in sous vide, like previous brisket

RESULT: This was worse than the first one. (unfortunately don't have pics) -- Point was STILL GOOD this time. However the FLAT *felt* like a DRY THICK MESS. It would still pull apart, separated without much elasticity, just snapped without the stretch. It tasted REALLY DRY (but flavor was still good). A little hard to swallow, but still perceived as tender. definitely not close to my first time.

If you got this far THANK YOU for reading. Now my questions regarding my 2nd cook:

1) Did I pull the brisket too early? -- the flat was @200-201 already. I was much more patient with the first one allowing it to come up to 208. IS this why it felt like it was extremely dry ? (even though it still separated when pulled apart).

2) Was it dry because I didn't wrap / boat it? I was thinking this was the reason why the cook took LONGER (but also the way I covered the top of water pan in the first cook could have caused more bottom heat to deflect, speeding up the cook as well). I was thinking that because I didn't wrap or boat it, that all the juices weren't able to braise the meat as it got higher in temp.

3) Did it stall out for too long because I kept a lower temp consistently?

4) Is my temperature woes partly to do with the leaky front door of my new WSM? Should I get a gasket kit and will that help me manage temps better?


Thanks for your guys' input!

 

[Bob Bass]

Welcome to the family Curtis !
All in all, it looks like you did have 2 successful cooks.
Brisket is one of the most difficult meats to get just right. If dry, it can be undercooked or overcooked... Difference is in the texture. Hard to bite through is undercooked. When it easily falls apart it's overcooked. The transition from under to over can happen during the actual cook and even during the holding stage !
Bottom Line... You challenged yourself with a difficult cut of meat and did very well ! Congratulations.
Btw, I'm over where the 91 and 15 cross. General area, that is....

 

[Curtis Chu]

Welcome to the family Curtis !
All in all, it looks like you did have 2 successful cooks.
Brisket is one of the most difficult meats to get just right. If dry, it can be undercooked or overcooked... Difference is in the texture. Hard to bite through is undercooked. When it easily falls apart it's overcooked. The transition from under to over can happen during the actual cook and even during the holding stage !
Bottom Line... You challenged yourself with a difficult cut of meat and did very well ! Congratulations.
Btw, I'm over where the 91 and 15 cross. General area, that is....

Thanks! I'm kind of where the 210 and 15 cross Just follow your nose, as I'm doing another 15lb brisket this weekend! hahaha... this is addicting! (Its like you want to find that magic formula) I just need to find more tasters!

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

Curtis, welcome aboard, anytime you have questions this is the place! For diving right into the rabbit hole of cooking the perfect brisket I’d say you have a good start! There is nothing that can provide the knowledge needed for a good brisket cook more than experience, don’t sweat the small stuff. You are doing well! As for temp control…it gets easier. Weather can have a lot of effect on how your smoke goes, I find wind to be the most difficult thing to work with but, I made a windscreen to help with that and it has proven a big help for me. The wind is generally from the same direction so, I have a good “station” for smoking.
Keep at it, you’re doing fine!
I have adopted the “don’t worry“ approach when doing large pieces of meat. I don’t spritz, I don’t wrap, I just wait.
There are so many variables when doing long cooks it’s pretty hard to pinpoint any one that might be adding to frustration or not giving the desired result.
I am about due for a failure but, when it happens, we will still eat So it’s not all bad.

 

[Bruno]

Best brisket I ever did was pulled pork. Hahhahaha. You are starting with the toughest of the bunch and many years ago I was obsessed with getting brisket right. It can be a PITA!!
Good luck keep trying!
I would also recommend doing a pork butt just for the practice, cheaper and much easier.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

Best brisket I ever did was pulled pork. Hahhahaha. You are starting with the toughest of the bunch and many years ago I was obsessed with getting brisket right. It can be a PITA!!
Good luck keep trying!
I would also recommend doing a pork butt just for the practice, cheaper and much easier.

Bruno speaks the truth!
Pork butts are very forgiving and will help “season and seal” a myriad of leaks in a WSM. Before doing any modification. I think a few butts will help you learn more about temperature control. I use a slightly different method when I cook. Load smokewood on the bottom, fill the charcoal ring to overflowing, set the barrel on and light the coal through the hatch with a torch for about three minutes and closes everything up! Back (windward) vents shut down to about 1/3, front vent and top full open and throttle back the bottom as needed, typically it seems to like running about half open with top still full on.
That seems to hold 250-275 overnight without any fuss at all. The thing that the kind folks on this forum taught me is “don’t chase the 5 degree swing!” That has allowed me far more relaxing use of the WSM.
You’re on the front of the learning curve right now, keep doing as much as you can, it only gets more fun the more you do it!

 

[TonyUK]

Welcome Curtis. If your brisket is edible, that's a win! We've all been there.
I'm wondering if it's your fuel that could be the issue? It's my understanding that lump can be inconsistent with regards to temps spiking when using it for low and slow.
Try a bag of briquettes and see if the temps hold more consistent. I always use briqs for long cooks as they are of a predetermined calorific value and are easier to manage once you get the feel of them. IMO.
Maybe some form of heat-sink to help stabilise the temps? Steel disc, terracotta planter for example that will sit on the tabs that the water-pan sits on. Or you could fill the water-pan with clean sand as a heat sink.
Don't worry about the leaky door, unless it's billowing out, it'll gunk up in no time. If you're concerned about the door Cajun Bandit make a very good aftermarket product.

 

[Jim C in Denver]

Curtis -- a couple of thoughts for you.

Water in the pan is primarily for temp control, secondarily about moisture humidity. Since the water can never got to more than 212F, it is a big time heat stabilizer. But once you get the hang of controlling temps, you can cook without it. Many of us on here do.

For low slow, I'd agree on giving briqs a try. Burn lower and more consistent.

Point and flat on a brisket is like white/dark meat on a turkey. Tricky to get them both cooked right at the same time. Some people (including me) separate and cook in two pieces. Heresy, but works for me. Good idea if you make the point into burnt ends (which I often do).

If you are going to be a brisket head, go ahead and try the pink butcher paper wrap (a la Aaron Franklin) once your bark is set. Foil works too, but the pink paper is cool. Also, don't be afraid to do the end of the cook in the kitchen oven. Once you wrap, the smoke phase is over. So any source of BTUs will do the trick. Nice way to simplify the later stage of a long process.

Totally agree on the pork butts. Cheap and yummy way to get some practice in on the WSM.

 

[AmberB]

This was the perfect post at just the right time. Thanks for taking the time to tell us about your first couple of cooks. Still waiting for my WSM to be delivered and I was absolutely wanting to do a brisket first . I have now learned that I should probably start cheaper, thanks to you. Let us know how the other smokes go bc idk how long I can hold off before I try to do the brisket.

 

[Curtis Chu]

UPDATE: I've done two more briskets since (Good thing my family is getting addicted to eating it!, and I love to practice and try out different things!)

I've noticed something consistent with all my cooks. The bottom of my flat ends up on the "drier" side. Even when I'm trying to be careful NOT to overcook them. This does not matter whether I foil boated it, or did it with no boat.

The consistent problem I've been having is that the flat is ALWAYS cooking faster and higher temp than the point. This has been the case of 4/5 of my cooks so far.

Ironically, the first brisket and the 3rd brisket I've made are the "best" ones so far. with the 1st one (the pictures above) being the best visually, good smoke ring and best texture.

I think i'm preferring foil boat / wrap. I tend to foil-boat at around 170-175 (whichever part gets there first) It speeds up the cook considerably compared to no wrap (goldee's does no wrap, but they do it in an offset)
You DO get a big puddle of NICE FAT around the brisket. I'm assuming this helps keep it moist. DO NOT POUR THIS OUT as you check it. (I learned the hard way)

SO back to my current in-progress puzzle solve / questions.

I haven't tested it yet, but is the temperature UNDER the grate HIGHER than the top of the grate? I'll try testing this out later by putting a probe in the lower grate. Some say higher, some say lower. All i know is that the higher you go (like at the dome lid) the temp reads LOWER. So it makes sense that the temp UNDER the brisket (fat side up) is cooking at a higher temp than the point (on top).

IF this is the case. I have a few tests that I'm going to do.

1) Cook fat side down before boating (this will ruin my presentation side, but I only care about the end product).

-or-

2) put in the lower grate and Foil it and force more of the air to go up the sides of the smoker

I've considered getting something like a firedial or some diffuser to make temps more even. But from what I've gathered from other posts, your temps seem to settle at the higher end.

Any tips / tricks still greatly appreciated! Otherwise i'm gonna keep updating here on my lessons.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

Curtis,
I’m really lazy, I do not foil, wrap, spritz, or use a water pan. But, that admitted, I do some things that end up being pretty simple,
1- fat side DOWN.
2- no boating.
3- no peeking ever!
4- “Sidewinder Minion” method, for me it just maintains a very even heat for the long overnight cooks that I prefer. Load as full as possible (smokewood on the bottom) light one side through the hatch (torch maybe 2 minutes) button everything up and go to bed, sleep soundly until about 6:00 and then check it.
5- Long resting in double foil and towels. The last one was a four hour rest and the results were incredible!
To be honest, the flat is always going to be more susceptible to drying out but, I find that if I take off about two or three inches and dice that I’m in really good shape for Texas Twinkies!
I’m not sure if any of that helps but, that just seems to work well for me.

 

[Curtis Chu]

Curtis,
I’m really lazy, I do not foil, wrap, spritz, or use a water pan. But, that admitted, I do some things that end up being pretty simple,
1- fat side DOWN.
2- no boating.
3- no peeking ever!
4- “Sidewinder Minion” method, for me it just maintains a very even heat for the long overnight cooks that I prefer. Load as full as possible (smokewood on the bottom) light one side through the hatch (torch maybe 2 minutes) button everything up and go to bed, sleep soundly until about 6:00 and then check it.
5- Long resting in double foil and towels. The last one was a four hour rest and the results were incredible!
To be honest, the flat is always going to be more susceptible to drying out but, I find that if I take off about two or three inches and dice that I’m in really good shape for Texas Twinkies!
I’m not sure if any of that helps but, that just seems to work well for me.

Thanks! Fat side DOWN is definitely my next play. I think that will solve most of my problems if indeed the temps on the bottom are higher than the top. I usually have a grate-level thermometer. I then stuck a probing thermometer through the side gasket and noticed that the temps reading there were ~20-25 degrees HIGHER. I think the port is somewhere just under the grate. This is when I started to suspect that either my pen probe is not great (and something was wrong with taking the temp just sticking it through the grommet), or the airflow is NOT going completely up the sides and over the dome onto the meat. In the FAQ it says that the lower grate is LOWER in temp. Maybe I just have a different working smoker? haha

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

Curtis, just remember heat rises so typically the top is hotter. The pen probe may have an issue. Test and replace as required. I keep a crazy number of spare probes, as well as an entire backup remote thermometer set up. It’s a whole “gizmosis” facet to outdoor cookery. Without the right tools, things can go sideways in a hurry.

 

[Bob Bailey]

Starting out with brisket was a brave move. Sounds like you did pretty well, all things considered. As others have said, practicing temperature control with a more forgiving cut, like pork butt, and using briquets until you've mastered the cooker are usually good places to start. Also keep in mind that every chunk of protein is different so cook times for similar cuts can vary considerably. That's why we cook to temperature. You've got a lot of good advice here. Hang in there and you'll be cooking brisket like a Texas pit master before you know it!

 

[Curtis Chu]

ON A SIDE NOTE: Instead of starting a new thread I'm just gonna use this to document my WSM journey and hopefully it helps anyone looking to learn with me!!
I smoked some pork ribs on the WSM and it was WAAAAAY easier than any brisket.
For reference: No water in the pan. Smoked at 225 for 4 hours (spritzed every 20 mins the last hour); Then 275 for another hour. Wrapped in lard for an additional 30 mins. Removed when i felt that they were floppy in my hands (approx 208 F). Rested for 30 mins. I scored the membrane in the back rather than removed it (in hindsight, I think removing it is better)

Turned out pretty well!

 

[ChuckO]

Welcome Curtis, like you I went for gold on my first cook in a WSM, and I was really disappointed. Smoking Brisket is simply put; "it's the road, not the destination." That said, you can buy or you can cut it yourself, the point from the flat. I typically only buy the point, it's my favorite part of the brisket. Smoking one or the other is my go to, but I almost always pick the point