Brisket Question


 
J

Jason A

New member
I plan on smoking my first brisket this weekend. I recently watched a YouTube video where ceramic briquettes were placed in the water pan instead of water...does anyone typically do this, and what is the benefit? Also, I was thinking of using my standard homemade bbq rub which contains brown sugar (I use this on pork butts all the time). Will that be alright, or should I just use salt and pepper?
 
Some use different item for a heat sink in an effort to help keep temperatures constant. Could be water, sand, ceramic plate/pot, steel plate, or the ceramic briquettes you noted. There are also some that use no water nor heat sink.

Flavor is really a personal thing. Just a quick question... Would you put your rub on steaks you cook ?
 
Jason A said:
I plan on smoking my first brisket this weekend. I recently watched a YouTube video where ceramic briquettes were placed in the water pan instead of water...does anyone typically do this, and what is the benefit? Also, I was thinking of using my standard homemade bbq rub which contains brown sugar (I use this on pork butts all the time). Will that be alright, or should I just use salt and pepper?
Click to expand...

There are two benefits of using a pan full of water, and philosophy to go with it. From what I can tell, the major advantage to using a pan full of water is to smooth out the temperature variations over time. It's called thermal mass. Yes, you could add ceramic briquettes, chunks of heavy metal, sand, etc. The effect would be about the same. The second benefit of using water is raise the moister within the pit; that keeps your food from drying out during the cook. At least half of the big winners on the competition circuit use water in their pits.

The rub you go with is purely a matter of personal taste. There are some rubs that go better with pork and some that go better with beef. The decision as to what rub to use may be more difficult than technique. Good luck........
 
Thermal mass AND humidity.
Thermal mass = pizza stone
Humidity = drip pan over the pizza stone.
IMO, you don't need to much water, just enough to ensure a moist enviroment in the first 2-3 of smoking at 250F, maybe 1/2 litre. Stop. Later in the process the enviroment should be dryer to let the bark forming.

Taste is a personal matter. I usually use a double layer of flavour. My favorite beef dry rub as a base (not too much) and SPOG.
 
Personally I think salt and pepper is all you need on beef. There is no reason you can't put whatever you want on it. I like SPOG too. I'm not a fan of sweet with beef but like others have said, that's totally a personal taste. Water is fine. I'm lazy so I typically just wrap the pan without water putting a layer of foil on top so the drippings don't burn. I typically cook in the 225-250 range. If you are closer to 250 I think 1 hr per lb is not unreasonable.
 
I agree with Dustin. For beef I us just equal parts kosher salt and coarse black pepper. As for for a heat sink I'm in the pizza stone camp as well. It's worked well for me.
 
I just bought my wsm. I've done 2 cooks on it and I used lava rocks in the water pan and covered the top in foil. It was fairly easy to hold temp around 250, but I used a lot of fuel in my first two cooks. I'm not sure if the lava rocks are the problem or if the conditions I've been smoking in are. I read that the wsm use less fuel after they get gunked up. It doesn't help that the temps for my first two cooks were in the high 20s and with a slight wind. My last cook was a 5 lb pork shoulder and I was just about out of fuel after 8 hrs.

Did you watch JBs video (Louisiana Cajun kitchens) on smoking a brisket? His Heey Boy rub is pretty good.
 
Den L said:
I just bought my wsm. I've done 2 cooks on it and I used lava rocks in the water pan and covered the top in foil. It was fairly easy to hold temp around 250, but I used a lot of fuel in my first two cooks. I'm not sure if the lava rocks are the problem or if the conditions I've been smoking in are. I read that the wsm use less fuel after they get gunked up. It doesn't help that the temps for my first two cooks were in the high 20s and with a slight wind. My last cook was a 5 lb pork shoulder and I was just about out of fuel after 8 hrs.

Did you watch JBs video (Louisiana Cajun kitchens) on smoking a brisket? His Heey Boy rub is pretty good.
Click to expand...

That's guy is wild. I enjoy the one where you can clearly see him scratch himself inside his pants in the reflection of the wsm.
 
So I just threw my brisket on the smoker at 6:00 am here in chilly Connecticut. I ended up using my bbq rub, along with some extra kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper on the brisket. I also ended up using a terra cotta plate wrapped in foil, which I placed in the water pan in lieu of water. At the moment it seems like it might be running hot. I have a probe stuck in an onion on the grate that is reading 275 (which is making me nervous), but the thermometer on the WSM is reading just under 250.
 
Jason A said:
So I just threw my brisket on the smoker at 6:00 am here in chilly Connecticut. I ended up using my bbq rub, along with some extra kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper on the brisket. I also ended up using a terra cotta plate wrapped in foil, which I placed in the water pan in lieu of water. At the moment it seems like it might be running hot. I have a probe stuck in an onion on the grate that is reading 275 (which is making me nervous), but the thermometer on the WSM is reading just under 250.
Click to expand...

A 25 deg swing up or down ain't gonna kill you as long as you pay attention to time at a certain temp and how the meat feels when you think it should be done.
Terracotta plates are fine for a heat sink, but once they absorb so much heat they start to release it and IME that happens @ 270 ish.

Tim
 
I'm going to wrap next time at 150.or 4 hours before the stall.I used 3 bags of charcoal last cook it was 16 in the morning and 20 in the day.I think I'm going to take out the water pan to and just spritz.


:wsm22::blackkettle:
 
I'm new too and like Den on my first cook I used a lot of fuel. Same case, temps were in the low 20s with some wind and it was only my 3rd cook.
 
After a lot of fiddling, experimentation and angst with many briskets, I have settled on this simple procedure:

Buy only USDA Prime
Watch an Aaron Franklin vid about trimming
Kosher salt and coarse-ground pepper only
Minion fire with full chamber (20-22 briquettes)
5-6 fist-sized chunks of oak or hickory
Full water pan (start with hot water and let it run dry ... whenever)
Terra cotta saucer (foil wrapped) on lower grate
Fat side down
Maintain 250 at the grate
Don't wrap; don't peek
Spritz with apple cider vinegar at about 190 internal
Continue cook until it probes like buttah in the flat
Rest on counter until about 175
Wrap in double foil and into a cooler for 3 hours
Slice and enjoy.

I usually cook overnight and this method works for me.
 
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