• Enter the TVWB 27th Anniversary Prize Drawing for a chance to win a Weber Traveler Portable Gas Grill! Click here to enter!

Jake's 2nd Brisket


 

Jake Wilson

TVWBB Fan
15239675648_a56f420c3b_b.jpg



11.65 lbs. out of the cryovac, I trimmed 2.4 lbs. of fat, then seasoned

the skewer is inserted into the meat for my pit blower's pit temps...the probe IQ120 (Pitmaster) provides is soldered into an alligator clip, so both times I've run the blower in this pit, I insert a skewer (wood) into the meat for the pit probe to clip onto

Went with Texas seasonings...for the rub (salt/pepper)

15239546209_bbf1d0c13a_b.jpg



got out a 1/3 dry measure cup then started grinding pepper using the white 7" Peugeot pepper mill seen here on a sheet of paper, dump into the cup, grind some more, until I had the 1/3 cup measure almost full, then dumped that into a 1 quart dish and measured out a 1/3 cup (almost) of the Lawry's Seasoning Salt...mixed the two together then applied liberally to both sides of the trimmed brisket

FWIW, I put the brisket on at 12:30 AM today (10/3/14), and here was the starting temps as seen via my Maverick ET-732 receiver-

15239725428_fd64ba2bb5_b.jpg


Right now at around 4:55 AM, I'm looking at the Maverick receiver sitting on my desktop and the food probe is reading 154 degrees f and pit temp is 244 degrees f

Pit temps have been bouncing between 226 and 248 all through this cook (so far), I'm running my pit blower on this smoke

15426356075_d826461fd8_b.jpg


seen hanging from the door of the 14.5" WSM while the brisket is smoking in my 18.5" WSM

when I run the pit blower I close two of the three bottom vents, so all of the air is coming through the blown vent, and right now, I've left the top vent on the lid of the smoker set at 3/4 open, & that said, on this IQ120 Pitmaster blower, I have the air control on the first opened position, for those that are interested

As mentioned in the subject, this is my 2nd brisket, both of which done up in the 18.5 WSM, and both cooks using the IQ120. I'm having fun with this cook but I think I'm going to get a little sleep while I can...I have the food probe alarm on the Maverick set to sound off at 170 degrees f, which when it wakes me up, I'll pull the meat, bring it indoors (into the kitchen) and wrap it with heavy duty Reynolds tinfoil.

One more pic before I get some sleep...

15425966692_11acf9964c_b.jpg


this is what the brisket looked like right after setting it on/in the WSM. the pit probe for the IQ 120 is clipped on the bamboo skewer stuck in the brisket, the food probe goes to the Maverick as does the straight probe (for the pit temps) on the grate clip in the foreground


Aight, doubt I'll get much sleep, at the rate this cook is rolling along=:-)
 
(((Update)))

Talk about hitting the stall...surprisingly, I just awoke...not from hearing the Maverick's alarm, yet 6 + hours later, she's only picked up 6 degrees...

that's right, 160 degrees food probe temps, so I went outside and sure enough...the transmitter is reading/showing the same as the receiver (Maverick). Pit temp indicates 232, 234 but I'm so shocked the food probe isn't any higher as we're on the 11th hour of the cook, the brisket's starting weight was nine and a quarter pounds, so figuring an hour and a half per pound for the total time in this cook...the brisket should be finished in two hours, approx.

I'm having a hard time imaging this cook will wrap up, not to mention, pick up, 20 + more degrees in the next 120 minutes...

May be time to insert that cheesy little ($10) digital/electronic Brinkmann meat thermometer I bought at home despot last week, for another POV...the one I thought I would return as I ordered (bought and paid for) a Thermopen, which wont be here until tomorrow=:-( <LOL>

For $10, I thought later, after ordering the Thermapen, it would be worth it to keep it (instead of returning it), just to have as an emergency sort of spare. Or in this case, something other than a slow boat *dial* thermometer

Not that I'm impatient, and it has more to do with my inexperience, but it's a real shocker for me to see the food temp only progressing a measly little 4 degrees Fahrenheit, in 5 hours...yes, that's the beauty of the stall, as it relates to watching and waiting for the joyous slab of brisket, to turn and convert, collagen into gelatin, and all of those other wondrous things brisket does as it goes low and slow
 
That is a beautiful looking brisket. I love those early morning cooks. As long as your pit temp is holding, just wait it out. Once the stall breaks, and it will, it will finish up fast. Good luck.
 
Patience is a virtue=:-)

Stall is over...around 40 minutes ago?, I saw 163-164 degrees on the food probe, so I pulled and wrapped it. I took and posted pics to flickr, but they haven't showed up yet...last I looked at the food probe, I saw 172 degrees f=:-) My gums are starting to sweat
 
As of 2:30 PM, food probe is reading 187 degrees f

I'm going to pull the meat when it hits 190 and check for tenderness, using either my new friend, the $10 Brinkmann digital meat thermometer=:-) and or one of my bamboo wood skewers

FWIW, I overshot the temp on my first brisket several months back, ultimately pulling it at 209 degrees f, then making the rookie mistake of wrapping it in several bath towels while still in the tin foil, then placing it in a cooler to hold for a few hours...that's the way some of us have to learn<LOL>
 
darn this thing is rolling...189 now!

BTW, can't get into flickr at all

no problems working with my photos there at 5 AM
 
Keep posting this story. It's going to rain soon so be aware!


~~~Hi Jose!, I pulled the brisket just when the rain started coming down (6 PM here in north central Fla., between Ocala and Gainesville). I learned some more on this cook. Ill post a few pics...
 
what a difference 12 hours makes<LOL>...IIRC, I took this pic when I pulled the brisket, to wrap in tin foil, then finish

15247725350_2ed2aec476_b.jpg


15247890907_9239886ddf_b.jpg


This is the $10 digital thermometer Brinkmann makes I bought at Home Depot. Not instant read, but it will read the temp and do it well

15431278631_c7a0f066bb_b.jpg


here she is, after it reached the point where the probe went into the thickest part of the flat, like going into room temp butter

I brought the Maverick into the kitchen so I could record the temp, for the heck of it. Notice the skinned knuckle=:-) IIRC, I cut into it when I pulled it previously checking on doneness. Just couldn't wait=:-)

15247854718_149ea0d22c_b.jpg


pic of slices you fellas have been waiting for...

15411382216_f0135cab9c_b.jpg


another slice pic, from the thinner end of the flat. Even these slices, were cut approx. 3/16" and pulled (tear test) nicely w/o coming apart, just a nice stretch, but to me, I like to eat the point, and we cobbled it and gobbled it up

I felt much more comfortable smoking this brisket, my second to date. One thing I like about my IQ120 pit blower, is at the end of this cook, when the coals started dying down, I could get lotsa heat out of them quickly by increasing the pit set temperature, and letting that 15 CFM fan roll. Otherwise, I could do without the blower, me thinks. It's a fun tool and nice to have but not necessary

Looking forward to smoking brisket #3. Thanks for stopping by and looking at my thread!
 

 

Back
Top