Man I used a lot of coals, doing a HH brisket.


 

MKEvenson

TVWBB Wizard
Just did my 1sy HH brisket yesterday. 4.5 hrs+ 20 min, on the WSM 18.5. First, thanks to all the help from the masters here. You know who you are and I would hate to forgett anyone.

But man did I go through the coals. I have done 1 overnighter and didn't add coals till the 10 hr mark. Yesterday runing the first 2.25 hrs at 325-360, then the second 2.5hrs at 370-400, I blew thru a full ring of lump in about 2 hrs and added more cold 2x. Now I aint complainin'. The brisket came out the best I have ever done. But man I gotta stock up on coals..
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Mark

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Gorgeous! A high heat brisket has got to be in my near future. Thanks for the inspiring pictures!
 
Thanks you all for your compliments. All the glory has to go to the folks here who are wonderful teachers.

Mark
 
Hi Mark,
I did my first HH last week.
Did a 7.4 lb. flat, never changed the target temp (started at 300 grate and kept it there).
Finished in 5.5 hrs, used only 1/3 of a full ring + 3/4 of a chimney to kick it off.
Even had to open the door to get up to temp, and left it open most of the day.
Best tasting, most tender brisket I've ever done.
 
if you want to save on fuel i see no reason you couldn't put the brisket in the oven at 375 after you foil it.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by george curtis:
tis why i do mine in my kettle.
icon_smile.gif
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ah yes, yesterday was a practice for an out of town cook this Fri. Brisket on the kettle, ribs in the smoker.mmmmmm

Mark
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Brisket on the kettle </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Don't forget to rotate 180 deg every 45min to 1hr on the kettle.

Luck to ya!
 
Mark,

I think I'm seeing a correlation here. In this post you indicated your brisket was over done. Now you are saying you cooked it almost 5 hours at temps ranging from 325 to 400. Yikes!! No wonder you went through the charcoal!

A normal sized packer, done the "High Heat Method" will take around 4 hours at temps of 325 to 350. I can't even get my WSM to 350, let alone 400 without some forced air of some sort.

I think you were way too hot for way too long. There's no way you should have used that much charcoal.

JimT
 
Next time take out the water pan all together and place a foil pan on the bottom grate to catch some of the grease. You should have no problem getting to 350 degrees and maintaining it on 2 chimneys of lump to start out with.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JimT:
Mark,

I think I'm seeing a correlation here. In this post you indicated your brisket was over done. Now you are saying you cooked it almost 5 hours at temps ranging from 325 to 400. Yikes!! No wonder you went through the charcoal!

A normal sized packer, done the "High Heat Method" will take around 4 hours at temps of 325 to 350. I can't even get my WSM to 350, let alone 400 without some forced air of some sort.

I think you were way too hot for way too long. There's no way you should have used that much charcoal.

JimT </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Jim, thanks for the reply. Even tho my temps hit 400, I think I averaged 325-360 for first 2 hrs before foiling then after foiling raised the temp to around 370. Just tryin to follow some advice found in the HH brisket post. The brisket came out very tender and moist, not sure why you thought I indicated that it was overdone. That post you reference is merely trin to determine how the probe would feel IF the meat was past done into overdone.
I am not complaining about the coal use just making an observation.

Mark
 
Mark, pics are pretty and all, but details like the packer weight and type/brand of charcoal used might've been helpful to the discussion.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave Russell:
Mark, pics are pretty and all, but details like the packer weight and type/brand of charcoal used might've been helpful to the discussion. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, I stumbled across the weight on another topic. Fifteen pounds is a pretty good sized packer, and at those temps, I bet I'd have to keep shoveling coals into my wsm too, no matter what kind they were.

Congrats on the cook. The inside texture, smokering, and moisture looked great.
 
Dave, how right you are. Packer was 14.9 lbs out of the package. Cash and carry, USDA choice. I did a very slight trim. Coals were Royal Oak lump bought at Wally world, US made. The size of the pieces were relatively small, say compared to Lazzari mesquite lump. Probably the reason for the fast burn and of course the high heat.

Mark
 
Mark, I've found that denser lumps will last a lot longer than the Royal Oak.

B&B oak lump is super, and a place called Academy Sports sells it. I prefer briquettes in the wsm, lately Stubbs natural, but I've been getting huge bags of pretty good lump from Sam's club for grilling "Roadside Chicken" and what not on. I believe it's called Frontier lump, but I'm not sure. They're big 40 lb. bags for less than $15 if I recall.

On another subject, have you thought of skipping the foil on the high heat brisket? I just don't prefer the bark when using the foil so much, and lately I'm seeing where a lot of folks are skipping it. A lot start the cook at 275 for a while, then ramp up to 325. I plan on trying it for my next packer.

As long as the outside didn't end up toast, why not? I guess if the outside looked "ahead of schedule", you could always change plans and wrap.
 

 

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