Extended Cook


 
C

Chris Brown

TVWBB Member
Hi folks. Well after lurking about on the boards and reading what the pros have to say, I finally got up the nerve and decided to try a brisket myself for the first time. I decided on using the high heat method to cook it. The night before I rubbed it down with savory dry rub. Next day fired up a chimney with lump, and when ready dumped it in. I used the MM to fire up my WSM with a combo of apple/hickory and lump. Put the brisket on and took the front door off and away she went! Temp. quickly rose to 350. Shut the front door and it began to settle in at around 350 for the next 2 hrs. Pulled when internal reached 160, foiled and returned to smoker another hour. Pulled to let rest at least another hour. I thought the appearance was a little on the dry side. What do you think?

Cooked brisket

Still had plenty of heat left, so I threw on a beer can chicken. Temp was rock steady at 330 for the next hour or so. Pulled the bird when thigh reached 165 internal. Still had plenty of residual heat in the cooking chamber, so I decided to do something with the plethora of Roma tomatoes I have from our garden. Dressed them in a little extra virgin olive oil, s/p and onto the smoker. Temp was still in the high 200 range so I shut one bottom vent completely and let the little beauties stay on all night. Next morning pulled them off. Have done this type of thing in a conventional oven before but decided to give them a try this way. A real nice sweet smoky treat. May use in chili or pasta sauce.

Chicken getting happy

Chicken really happy

Tomatos on

Tomatos off
Many thanks to all the pros who wittingly (Don Irish) or un-wittingly have given me the gumption to try this. Will definitely try this again. What a fun day of smoking plus, the best part, you can enjoy the fruits of your labor!
 
Hey Chris,

Looks and taste can be two different things. How did the brisket taste? If it was dry, foil it a little sooner next time. Did you cook a flat only or a whole brisket (packer)? When cooking flats only, they don't get the benefit of extra fat found in the point of a whole packer and can be dryer. Chicken and tomatoes look very nice. For some of us, if you can eat your first cook; you've come out ahead!!
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Paul,

I cooked a 5# flat form Costco. This was the first cook where I’ve used exclusively lump. Since this was my first brisket, I really have nothing to compare the taste to except some of the local BBQ places, and needless to say I have a lot of room for improvement. I would say it was “good” but not great. I will definitely take your advice to heart next cook. Thanks.

Chris
 
Hi Chris... The tomatoes look great but just wondering... They are not completely dried, just smoked, right?
 
Chris, beautiful smoke ring on your brisket. And it looks much better than my first attempt for sure.

I would give you a word of caution though about putting tomatoes on and leaving them overnight, allowing them to sit at temps that are conducive to bacterial growth for that long. Unless they were temping at near 150 or so when you pulled them off, you're putting yourself at risk for a food borne illness.
 
Awesome looking pics...how was the flavor of the brisket - nice and smokey? Smoke ring is great!

The chicken also looks tasty - hmmmmm mexican beer can chicken.

My motto is "The worst meat I ever smoked made some of the best chili I ever ate."
 
Don & Tom..

Thanks for the kind words. The brisket did seem to have an okay smoke flavor, but again, with never cooking one at home, my only comparison is with chain stores that do it everyday. I did separate the point cut from the flat before smoking. Plan to save that for chili, and as for the tomatoes….. I intend to thoroughly “cook” them again in chili or pasta sauce which should kill any sickening bacteria. Right now they are sitting in olive oil hanging out in the deep freeze. But you are right Tom, gotta come up with a better system to monitor temps from a distance /over night.
 
The problem with that strategy is that certain pathogenic bacteria(which may or may not be present) create toxins that are relatively impervious to reheat temps. Once they are there, they are there to stay. I'm not trying to raise a huge red flag and tell you that you're definitely going to get sick or kill someone, but I certainly wouldn't serve food to someone if I had doubts about its safety.
 
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