ToddC-IN
New member
I also broke my brisket cherry today. It was just a little guy, though. I went in on half a cow with some coworkers (I got about an 1/8th), and my "brisket" was only 3 lbs untrimmed. It was 2 after trimming. 
It only took about 3 hours to cook. There was no bark to speak of, but I was impressed with the amount of smoke that it got in only 3 hours. The smoke was present, but not overpowering, just the way I like it.
I wrapped it up in a foil pan at 150. There was no stall that I could tell, but I'm not surprised since it was so small. The thing shot up from 150 to 205 in less than an hour. I pulled it at 205, then let it rest in a cooler for 45 min. It was about half flat meat and half point, so I separated them and sliced all of it. I can't wait to try my hand at burnt ends with a full packer. The tenderness wasn't great, but I don't think anyone at the table was too upset.
I also made a half batch of the No. 5 sauce, with some drippings. I added a little chipotle powder and Texas Firewater for heat. I should have backed off the brown sugar because it was a little too sweet for brisket. Would be perfect for pork however, as I like my pork with a sweet sauce.
I couldn't be happier with the performance of my new WSM. I was able to maintain 250 +/-5 deg without even trying. It was a really windy day, and this bad boy just shook it off. I would've had my hands full trying to maintain temps on my old offset. I think I adjusted the vents 1 time. I started with maybe 1/4 load of charcoal, ran it at about 325 for 45 min to burn off any residues, then choked off the airflow and it quickly settled down to 250. Just a foiled pan, no water. I'll try water, sand, and a clay pot on longer cooks, but I'm not sure they're even necessary.
Sooooo, my first brisket was far from great, but good enough to keep me coming back for more. The WSM really lived up to all the hype and I look forward to long and happy life together.
Look at this little bugger. So cute... Somehow seems like a huge waste of space. Next time I'll throw 10 or 15 chickens and half a pig on this beast.
Made some cast iron cornbread (my favorite) and marinated, grilled veggies. The cornbread was so good that "someone" took a bite before the piece even hit the plate.
It only took about 3 hours to cook. There was no bark to speak of, but I was impressed with the amount of smoke that it got in only 3 hours. The smoke was present, but not overpowering, just the way I like it. I wrapped it up in a foil pan at 150. There was no stall that I could tell, but I'm not surprised since it was so small. The thing shot up from 150 to 205 in less than an hour. I pulled it at 205, then let it rest in a cooler for 45 min. It was about half flat meat and half point, so I separated them and sliced all of it. I can't wait to try my hand at burnt ends with a full packer. The tenderness wasn't great, but I don't think anyone at the table was too upset.
I also made a half batch of the No. 5 sauce, with some drippings. I added a little chipotle powder and Texas Firewater for heat. I should have backed off the brown sugar because it was a little too sweet for brisket. Would be perfect for pork however, as I like my pork with a sweet sauce.
I couldn't be happier with the performance of my new WSM. I was able to maintain 250 +/-5 deg without even trying. It was a really windy day, and this bad boy just shook it off. I would've had my hands full trying to maintain temps on my old offset. I think I adjusted the vents 1 time. I started with maybe 1/4 load of charcoal, ran it at about 325 for 45 min to burn off any residues, then choked off the airflow and it quickly settled down to 250. Just a foiled pan, no water. I'll try water, sand, and a clay pot on longer cooks, but I'm not sure they're even necessary.
Sooooo, my first brisket was far from great, but good enough to keep me coming back for more. The WSM really lived up to all the hype and I look forward to long and happy life together.
Look at this little bugger. So cute... Somehow seems like a huge waste of space. Next time I'll throw 10 or 15 chickens and half a pig on this beast.
Made some cast iron cornbread (my favorite) and marinated, grilled veggies. The cornbread was so good that "someone" took a bite before the piece even hit the plate.
