Doug, no offense taken and great calls. Your correct about slicing it the wrong way. I realized it after slicing. We had a house full, so I was preoccupied and not paying attention. As you stated, the slicing didn't change the taste.
Regarding the smoke ring, I thought the same thing. My last brisket had a great smoke ring. You're correct about the temperature. I put the brisket on at 3:45am and had lit the charcoal at about 11pm. I was trying to minimize the amount of time I had to spend awake. So in essense, I simply woke up, double checked the temp of the WSM (it was perfect), then put on the brisket and went back to sleep. I was pretty dissapointed in the smoke ring myself, but had the exact same thought about the temp of the smoker.
Some things I learned during this smoke. Although my lid thermometer may read 240, my cooking grate temperature is actually 20 to 40 degrees warmer. I had always assumed that the lid would be warmer. Maybe it was that it was below 30 outside? I have no clue but I will always measure both the lid and the cooking grate temp from now on.
Regardless, it was a super moist, great tasting brisket.
Regarding the smoke ring, I thought the same thing. My last brisket had a great smoke ring. You're correct about the temperature. I put the brisket on at 3:45am and had lit the charcoal at about 11pm. I was trying to minimize the amount of time I had to spend awake. So in essense, I simply woke up, double checked the temp of the WSM (it was perfect), then put on the brisket and went back to sleep. I was pretty dissapointed in the smoke ring myself, but had the exact same thought about the temp of the smoker.
Some things I learned during this smoke. Although my lid thermometer may read 240, my cooking grate temperature is actually 20 to 40 degrees warmer. I had always assumed that the lid would be warmer. Maybe it was that it was below 30 outside? I have no clue but I will always measure both the lid and the cooking grate temp from now on.
Regardless, it was a super moist, great tasting brisket.