first overnight brisket

[Phillip Moore]

I got my WSM on Friday and cooked my first WSM brisket over night last night. I've done brisket in my 22" weber kettle many times, smoking a while and finishing in the oven. This was my first 'all smoker' cooking.

I used the minion method and buried a combination of mesquite and pecan chips (I ran out of chunks). Initially the smoker came up to around 230-240 and held for a few hours, but then started shooting up to 260-270. I added more water and closed the vents almost entirely. It stayed at 270 and I just barely had the vents opened. I decided to just leave it with 2 vents closed and one barely open. After 4 hours I flipped the brisket and went to bed. I woke up this morning and smoker temp was 246, and the brisket was at 201F.

Now, I don't know where I got this number from, but some where in my head suggested I was shooting for 205F on the brisket. So I left it along a little while longer and when it got to 204F I pulled it off and let it rest tented in foil for 30 minutes.

I think my extra heat might be because the WSM is brand new, and also the access door isn't fitting snuggly. It was quite misshapen when I assembled, I was able to bend it to a relatively tight fit, but it would still allow a lot of air in. I'm going to try to find some sort of heat proof gasket material that might make this door seal a little better.

I think I leaned some lessons:

1. Baste the brisket during cooking. I never basted it when I did the grill smoke -> oven method, because I guess being wrapped in foil didn't require it. My full smoker brisket's bark came out a bit dry and hard. Some bits super tasty, but over all a little too dry/hard to eat the bark. Sad because thats my favorite part.

2. Maybe cook it a little less than to 205F. While it is very tender, it was almost impossible to slice. I have a sharp knife, but when I go to slice into it, the slices fall right apart.

3. I'm going to either try that clay saucer method or find some better way to refill the water pan. I had a devil of a time trying to get water in there without splashing. I had no ketchup bottle or water bottle, so i was using a metal bowl.

4. My rub was a bit too over powering. I used a rub from Cook's Illustrated, which was made for doing the indirect grill smoke -> oven method. Maybe something about that method would soften the flavors a bit, but for some reason it was a bit over powering for entirely smoke cooked brisket.

I can't wait to try again. Having a big party for my daughter's first birthday and wanted to be able to make BBQ for a crowd. My 22" weber grill just wasn't up to task, so here I am with a 22" WSM!

Did I miss some lessons to be learned here?

 

[Jack Henry]

Hey Phillip,

Congrats on the new WSM!

Sounds like you konw what you're doing and the true experts will probably weigh in here, but it does indeed sound like it might have been overdone (if the meat was crumbling when you cut it, and assuming you were cutting against the grain).

I think the main thing is don't worry about the temps so much, particulary the meat temp. As you'll read here often: it is done when it is done. Try to go by feel rather than temp. There are all sorts of threads on here that can give a good idea of when to start checking, foiling (if you go that route), etc., but the time to pull is when it is fork/probe tender.

Also check out the threads on high heat briskets. Folks are getting great results without having to do an overnight (though I love overnights myself).

See you on the boards...

 

[Russ Sylvester]

Hello Phillip,

Sounds like you weren't too far off the mark. Once your WSM gets greased-in (my term) it will settle down quite a bit.

You did the right thing to close off vents as the temps went up. Don't be afraid to go with all of the bottom vents closed off. There's enough air leaking to keep the fire going. I find that if I can't get the temps down with all bottom vents closed, then I'll start closing the top vent too. That always brings them down. Just be careful as that will kill the fire.

I would pull the brisket at a much lower temperature. I normally pull at around 180 as the meat will continue cooking for a while as it is resting. Think of it as a steak. You wouldn't cook a steak to over 200, so don't take your brisket that high.

Good Luck!

Russ

 

[Gary H. NJ]

Phil, sounds as if your brisket was overcooked, hence dry and crunchy. I start testing for tenderness at 185 internal (in the flat). Basting does seem to help. Add a little veg/canola oil to the basting liquid.
The waterpan thing is a drag. Agreed. Try the foiled clay saucer.
The door that comes with the WSM is pretty flexible. Give it a gentle flex; it should fit better. It doesn't have to be perfect.
I've taken Kevin Kruger's recommendation and use a salt-free rub. Salt the meat first, then add the rub. It should tone down the saltiness (if that's a problem).
Check out this High Heat Brisket compilation if considering HH.
With experience, each smoke gets better and easier. Cheers!