J Grotz
TVWBB Wizard
Other than spares a couple times a year, my WSM has stood neglected for far too long. But like the shingles, the bbq bug resurfaced after being dormant for years. (Be sure to get the new vax, boys and girls of a certain age.) My wife gifted me one of Harry Soo's classes. His enthusiasm is infectious, his knowledge and experience are vast, and I left armed with new knowledge and a ton of leftovers.
My long neglected 22 leaked like a sieve from day one and not even my Stoker could control the temps. So I rehabilitated it by installing gaskets, a CB door, an Unknown BBQ hinge, all new dampers, a new therm, a new coal grate and 2 new Killa Grilla cooking grates. I did a successful test burn where it held temps of 250, 350, 375, and even 400 before I shut it down and it extinguished itself in short order with some good unused coals remaining. Amazing. I never had left over coals; my WSM would continue burning until it ran out of fuel even with everything closed up.
Since I've never cooked a decent brisket, why not cook one Central Texas style for friends and family as my first cook? Here's my 13lb Costco prime packer after trimming.
I woke up at 3:25am rubbed it with SPOG and fired up the WSM with lump and some chunks of post oak set to 250. I put it on at 4:30am.
After a short nap, I spritzed it with water once an hour starting at 7:30am. At 1pm it had a nicely set bark and it seemed to be emerging from the stall (166), so I wrapped it in butcher paper and returned it to the WSM. I checked it at the 10 hour mark but it was still firm. At the 11.5 hour mark, it was quite jiggly and a skewer went in nicely (I thought). So I pulled it and let it rest for 2 hours. Here is the finished product:
It did not pass the pull test, but it was more tender and juicy than any brisket I've ever cooked. I enjoyed it and our company loved it.
I think I wrapped a little too soon and pulled it a little too soon. Harry suggested later that an additional 45 minutes of cooking would have made the difference. I might try cooking at 275 next time, to keep it more in the 10-11 hour range and hopefully render more of the fat. (Maybe I needed to trim a little bit more from the fat cap?) Still, it was still really delicious and the best brisket I've ever made.
Any ideas for improvement would be greatly appreciated.
My long neglected 22 leaked like a sieve from day one and not even my Stoker could control the temps. So I rehabilitated it by installing gaskets, a CB door, an Unknown BBQ hinge, all new dampers, a new therm, a new coal grate and 2 new Killa Grilla cooking grates. I did a successful test burn where it held temps of 250, 350, 375, and even 400 before I shut it down and it extinguished itself in short order with some good unused coals remaining. Amazing. I never had left over coals; my WSM would continue burning until it ran out of fuel even with everything closed up.
Since I've never cooked a decent brisket, why not cook one Central Texas style for friends and family as my first cook? Here's my 13lb Costco prime packer after trimming.
I woke up at 3:25am rubbed it with SPOG and fired up the WSM with lump and some chunks of post oak set to 250. I put it on at 4:30am.
After a short nap, I spritzed it with water once an hour starting at 7:30am. At 1pm it had a nicely set bark and it seemed to be emerging from the stall (166), so I wrapped it in butcher paper and returned it to the WSM. I checked it at the 10 hour mark but it was still firm. At the 11.5 hour mark, it was quite jiggly and a skewer went in nicely (I thought). So I pulled it and let it rest for 2 hours. Here is the finished product:
It did not pass the pull test, but it was more tender and juicy than any brisket I've ever cooked. I enjoyed it and our company loved it.
I think I wrapped a little too soon and pulled it a little too soon. Harry suggested later that an additional 45 minutes of cooking would have made the difference. I might try cooking at 275 next time, to keep it more in the 10-11 hour range and hopefully render more of the fat. (Maybe I needed to trim a little bit more from the fat cap?) Still, it was still really delicious and the best brisket I've ever made.
Any ideas for improvement would be greatly appreciated.
Last edited:
so much! Hope you are sharing with friends and family or you and the wife have a LOT of Brisket to eat 
