"Instant" Brisket


 
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Matt Warren

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Just cooked up a 12.7 lb brisket. It took a mere 11 hours. My WSM went up to 300 degrees and probably stayed there for up to six hours during the night.

I lit it via the minion method. I mixed some unlit charcoal with chunks of non-soaked hickory. Any idea why the temp would soar like that? There was water in the pan.

Anyhow I pulled it off around 190-195. Hope that's right.

Any ideas on how to regulate the temp better. Of the three bottom openings, one was closed and the other two were at 1/3 open. Top was fully open.

Thanks,
Matt
 
If you start with too many lit coals you can have a problem with the higher heat initially and if you don't control it on the way up it's a problem. Maybe start with fewer lit coals and cut back on the vents sooner if you're seeing a rapid assent.

Paul
 
Matt,
First of all welcome aboard. Well there are many reasons why you had a temp spike for so long. What were the weather conditions? Wind, will cause temp spikes. Air leak in the WSM, ie. gap in the door or mid section/top not set flush. Also check to make sure your vents are set flush against the bottom. How many lit coals did you begin with using the Minion Method? On warm days I start off with about 10 lit briquettes, cold days about 20 lit briquettes. Hope this helps with the temp spike problem.

As far as regulating your temps. I put my meat in as soon as I dump the lit coals on top of the unlit coals. I leave the bottom vents open 100% until my WSM reaches 190-200 temperature at the dome. Then I close the bottom vents 75%, check it in 20 minutes to see where my temperature is and tweak the bottom vents accordingly. If the dome temp is not between 240-250 I will open each vent just a touch, not very much at all. If it is climbing too fast I will close each vent just a touch. I check the temps about every 15 minutes for the first hour. By then you should have your temps where you need them. After you have a few more cooks on your WSM under your belt you will definitely be able to know where to set the bottom vents.

Even though your temp was a bit high for a brisket, it is not un-heard of to get a brisket that "turbos" in cook time. Hope this helps you out. Good luck.
 
Thanks, all. This was part of a 'Q I put on today. I also included two pork butts. The brisket came out great despite the speed with which it cooked. I've had better luck with temp control on shorter cooks (butts).

It's So. Cal heat wave weather. What some would call "earthquake weather" due to the still air. Probably 90s and quite humid due to some tropical storms south, I reckon.

I started with 20 lit briquettes. I'll try less next time and monitor the temp more, despite the fact that on this cook, it behaved well into the second hour at 250 solid.

Thanks again,
Matt
 
Matt, when it's that hot out I would start w/ 10 or 12 at the most. Gives you more control of the temp as it climbs. Also, Start closing the vents at 195. I usually shut down 2 vents compltetly and the 3rd about 1/2 closed. You can tell if the fire is hot the way the temp will continue to rise of hold!

Hope that helps!!
 
i agree with greg, 20 is way too many. 10 or even less is plenty if you're trying ot maintain low temps. if the heat goes up too high and you know it try spraying the coals down with some water to bring the temp down. you can even add some ice to the water bowl and that will help bring the temp down. once these things get hot it's some work bringin em down. if you like to do long or overnight smokes you might be interested in lookin at one of the bbq guru devices. they work great. you'll never have to worry about temp again.
 
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