First high heat smoke not high enough


 
K

Kerim R.

New member
Thanks to all the helpful folks here I'm trying my first high heat smoke: brisket on the bottom, 4 racks of baby backs on the top. First problem right out of the gate (and maybe I'm being impatient) is the temp at the top grate is only about 270. I've got the door on upside down and the lid cracked open. Maybe it just needs some more time? It's only been 30 minutes.

I'm trying to get this done in 4 hours. For the brisket was going to cook to 160 internal (at the flat), foil and then cook to tenderness. Any suggestions on the approximate time from foil to done (11 pound packer)?

For the ribs, I'm not sure. I estimated 2 hours, then foil for 30 min then 30 min unfoiled.

Any last minute suggestions? I'm a little nervous as I've got to arrive with the food in 5.5 hours.
 
Used MM with about 40 lit (half chimney). No water or clay saucer in the pan. Temps were up to 300 at the top grate a few minutes ago. I took the lid off to spritz with apple/pineapple juice, and temps came back down temporarily.
 
I took the lid off to spritz with apple/pineapple juice, and temps came back down temporarily.
Click to expand...
Forgo the spritz thing.
The temp coming down is missleading. When you take the lid off, the temp reading drops, but will go back up once the lid goes back on. Everytime you take the lid off, it adds to your cook time and introduces more O2 into the coals. If you remove the lid enough, it'll raise the temps a great deal.
 
It takes a little time for oxygen to affect temps. Like making vent adjustments, cracking the door can take 10-20 min before an increased temp is fully realized, sometimes a little more.

I don't temp the flat at all (I just foil at ~2.5 hours into the cook) but comparing my approach to other's I don't see much of a difference. I do bump the temps up once the brisket is foiled by about 25-35 degrees. Thickness is more of the issue than weight. 10lbs to 14lbs, all my briskets come in at 3:50-4:10 or so, irrespective of weight, as they are all of the same relative thickness.

Note the time you foil and judge whne you should check it first from there.
 
For the ribs, I'm not sure. I estimated 2 hours, then foil for 30 min then 30 min unfoiled.
Click to expand...
This might be too long. For high heat backs I'm usually done in ~2 hours tops, depending on temps. I check them at 90 min. Sometimes they're done or close to it--cook temps are usually higher in this case--and I'll just let them finish. At a bit lower temps they won't be and I'll foil, usually. I cook ribs to tender while in the foil so I check them in 20-30 min the first time. As soon as they are tender I remove and rest, or remove from the foil and apply a thin glaze, returning them to the cooker just long enough for the glaze to set, about 5-7 min.
 
Wow, you guys are awesome. Posted at 7:30am and you're right there with me. I feel like I'm in a class with an instructor.

I foiled everything at about 2 hours. One of the racks of ribs seemed pretty tender but the others were still rubbery. I'll be really careful with the ribs and try not to over do them. Brisket seems on target, though.

By the way, the top grate got to about 330-345 after 2 hours, so I assume my cook times will be a little longer as they held 270-290 for the first 2 hours.
 
Maybe--but don't assume too much. Cooking increases exponentially as temps rise. You easily may have countered the slower beginning. Check for tender sooner than later. It only takes a moment.
 
Took the ribs out of foil, sauced and back on the smoker after 45 min. They've been on for 15 min and still not quite tender. One rack is partially but not the others. Brisket in the mid 170s.
 
2 of the racks are particularly meaty and thick on one end. Should I take the others out sooner and let the meaty ones smoke longer?
 
If you've foiled the brisket don't bother temping the internal--or ignore it (frankly, I'd get the probe out of there). Use your probe to check for tender by feel, when the time comes. The internal has little meaning
 
Well, I took your advice and took the probe out. I used it to check for tenderness. At 4:45 hours into the cook the point was tender in spots and slightly firm in others. But I was out of time. I foiled it and put it in the cooler. The ribs also came off at that time.

The brisket flat was a little firm but extremely moist, more much so than any low and slow I had ever done. The point was awesome. Very tender, very moist. Don't know if the point turned out better than usual because it was fat cap down, or it was high heat, or it was less fatty in the middle. Overall, easily the best brisket I had ever done. Won't be doing a low/slow again.

The ribs also turned out best ever done. Some were falling off the bone. Some were more firm. All very good.

Just wanted to thank all for the great advice.
 
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