First brisket, best cook yet!

[Guest]

Hi everyone,

Last week whole briskets went on sale here for under a dollar per pound at two stores that never carried them before. I figured that was a sign that I should try q'ing my first brisket.

I cooked overnight, from Saturday night to Sunday morning. I have to say, it was my best cook yet. Not so much because the food tasted great--which it did--but more because everything went so well.

This was the first time I felt like I could relax and not check the temp every 10 minutes. I finally felt confident enough with my skills that I wasn't worried. I didn't keep a formal log this time, just jotted a few notes to remind me when the next time to mop was. Everything was done early, and I had plenty of time to get things ready before dinner.

I couldn't have gotten to this stage without all of your help. Thanks very much!

By the way, I also experimented more on this cook, and I didn't use the traditional barbecue flavorings. Instead I used ingredients I was more accustomed to from my Cuban background, so I came up with an entirely new recipe. I'll post it in the recipe forum.

Thanks again!

--Mickey

 

[Sonny Jordan]

Thanks for posting your recipe.

Got to ask, what gave you the idea to throw in some pecan shells as fuel? Sounds like a great idea! You have me thinking about walnut shells.

 

[Guest]

I actually got the idea of using pecans from the following thread:

Mildew smoke wood

I still don't know how many is a good amount to use, but I personally used the shells from 10 nuts. I couldn't tell if it added flavor, but I do know that they didn't last long in the fire. The first time I added water (about 2 hours into the cook) I couldn't see them anymore. Either they burnt up, or they fell into the coals.

I still have a lot of pecans left, so I'll probably try them alone next time to see what flavor I get. I'll probably use more than 10, though.

I think walnut wood is supposed to be stronger than pecan wood, so I would guess that the shells would follow the same pattern. You might want to start out light if you try the walnut shells.

--Mickey