First "hot" brisket in the WSM


 
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Keri C

TVWBB Wizard
Okay, boys and girls, I'm 50 minutes in to my first "hot" brisket in the WSM. I've tried them on the stickburner once before with less than stellar results, which were possibly due to weather conditions at that time and the fact that I was doing a 17-lb brisket as my guinea pig. I have no problems in running the WSM hot, so we'll see what happens.

This is a small one - scant 10-lb packer that I had in the freezer. Trimmed more of the fat off than I usually do, well-rubbed with SGH, and onto the top rack, flat down, foiled empty waterpan as for chicken. Fired lump with the weed burner, and was up to 300 within ten minutes. (Not really looking for smokering here, so I'm not too worried about a slow ramp-up). In at 2:00 CST, with three chunks of oak. Currently running at 367 in the lid, and 129 or 144 meat temp depending on which of the probes you believe (one's actually deeper in the point, I think, and the other is in the flat.) Plan on foiling at 170-ish, watching them go to 190, and then watch the tenderness from there ala Kevin Kruger.

Depending on how it runs, I'll probably separate the point and flat, and leave the point on for a while longer. I'm counting on brisket for dinner tonight, else Robert's gonna get leftovers.
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(And I can't do that to him because he's been working so hard on building us a new upright Stumps-style gravity feed cooker - man is he having fun with the new welder!)

Wish me luck!

Keri C, still smokin' on Tulsa Time
 
This lil' guy turned out to be right at a four-hour brisket, at which time I removed the point and put it back on the cooker for an hour or so. I took notes on times and temps but I don't have them here with me at the moment.

I was quite pleased with this one. When I drained the juices at the end, I replaced them with 1.5 cups beef broth, a few liberal shakes of Worcestershire, and a tablespoon of my rub de jour. Re-wrapped in foil, wrapped in polar fleece, and into the microwave to rest ala Kevin Kruger. If anything, the wee beast was just a bit overdone on the side of tenderness, though still respectably juicy. A bit of the juices drizzled on the slices enhanced the flavor nicely. I believe the actual meat temp reading before the final foiling was 208, if I remember correctly, though I was going by the feel with a serving fork and not temp for doneness. Thin but deeply colored smokering, but then I wasn't expecting much of one since even though I took the meat straight from the fridge, I took the cooker to the "HOT" setting pretty much immediately.

I'm trying the Cooks Illustrated approach with the leftover flat. They suggest chilling the brisket with it sitting in the replaced juices, then slicing cold and reheating in those same juices. They claim to see a big difference in the way it slices and in the texture after the chilling and further soaking up of juices.

I'm glad of my old habit of piling up scrap fat under the ends of the brisket to catch the brunt of the heat coming up around the waterpan - from the looks of those heroic fat chunks, the ends of my brisket would have been quite crispily-burnt ends without the protection.
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I'd like to try this with a nice big flat, I think. Overall, a very successfull cooking session. (1st the brisket from 2 to 6 running at 350-360 in the lid the whole time, then roasted spiced sweet potato wedges on the top rack 6-6:45, and then a 10-lb load of brined chicken leg quarters from 7 till 10, to use during the week this week. All on one 10-lb bag of lump.
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Keri C
 
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