Newbie Brisket Question...


 
S

Spencer P

TVWBB Member
I'm getting ready to do a 6lb brisket flat. I'm a little confused as far as how much fuel to use. I have a 18.5 smoker and I will be using Stubb's charcoal briquettes with water in the water pan (this is only because of what I have done in the past. I'm looking forward to trying with either sand or empty pan in the future.)

I have read that even with the MM that it's possible to over load the charcoal basket and get the smoker temp out of control. Some say, filler up and others say, use half as much.

Any help would greatly be appreciated. Thanks...
 
Hey Spencer, I find that half a ring or a full ring of charcoal does not make too much of a difference with heat control. When I start MM with a full chimney I run hot, but when I start with half or a little less and let the smoker come to temp slow I can control temps all night. Just my two cents.
 
Thanks Brian!

Last weekend when I tried this, I was using RO lump. I used 2/3 chimney of lit charcoal in a packed full ring. It wasn't long and the smoker was climbing over 350 degrees. The meat was uneditable and went into the trash. If I understand this correctly, it's not how much unlit that is loaded, it's how much LIT that you start off with that determines how fast and hot the smoker will get.
 
Sorry to hear about your last cook. I'm sure one of the pro's on this site will chime in but starting with a small amount of lit and going slow has worked for me. Hope your next cook goes better.
 
Spencer,when I use briquettes I always put in a full ring of charcoal packed tight. Found out when doing an overnighter use all or mostly fresh charcoal. I used to use my old stuff from previous cooks along with new charcoal. Found out the cooker would just seem to run out of "steam". Would have to add more fresh during the cook. For overnighters, I now use mostly fresh on the bottom with some of the old on top or no old at all. Better burn times. I also use the old stuff in my chimney. Don't need a full chimney either. I flip the chimney over and use the bottom for holding the charcoal. Fill it maybe to the top and that's it. Now, on short cooks like for ribs,meatloaf,etc. I'll use all charcoal from previous cooks. Experiment and find what works for you. Good luck.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Spencer P:
Thanks Brian!

Last weekend when I tried this, I was using RO lump. I used 2/3 chimney of lit charcoal in a packed full ring. It wasn't long and the smoker was climbing over 350 degrees. The meat was uneditable and went into the trash. If I understand this correctly, it's not how much unlit that is loaded, it's how much LIT that you start off with that determines how fast and hot the smoker will get. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi Spencer,
While the above is true about lit v. unlit, if you've got water in the pan, and are watching your temps to catch them on the way up, the only reasons your WSM should have gotten that hot is an air leak (check for gaps or out of round) or it's just not seasoned well yet.
 
Great point Charles, I let the WSM rise to about 220 with vents wide open then start to close and adjust them and let it coast and settle at 225. It is kind of like a train,the higher the heat the larger the gap I start to close the vents down. If shooting for 300 I start closing vents at 285ish because the coals will be going real good by then and the carryover heat will be quit high.
 
Here's the update, I put the brisket on at 8:30 this morning. About every 30 minutes, I look inside to check the therometer that I placed at the grate level. I know the more you look, the more the heat will raise with the air hitting coals. After 30 minutes, the smoker was running at 250. I put the brisket on and checked it at 9:00. It was holding so I closed the vents to about 25%. I just checked it at 9:30 and the temperature was climbing to 300. I added more water to the pan and closed off the vents completely. I will check it again in about 15 minutes to see where it's at.

After many of you mentioned about a air leak I inspected the unit further. The bottom is tight against the bottom portion. There isn't any smoke coming out the access door so I'm guessing that the door is mostly sealed. As far as the lid goes, there is a 1/4 to 1/2 gap in places where the lid meets the center section. I'm starting to thing that the lid is supposed to seal on the center section. Is it correct to assume that this gap is drawing the fire?

I apologize for all of the confusion. All I want is some Q!
 
That is a good place to start to look, for a quick fix put some foil around the lip where the lis and center meet. You may want to read up on hot and fast just in case.
 
It's 11:15 and here is the outcome. I pulled the brisket off the smoker and I am now finishing it in the oven. I can't bare to throw away another piece of meat! As I was keeping an eye on the temp gauge that I placed on the grate, it was still humming away at 300 degrees.

I called the local hardware store and they can get me a new WSM in two days from the warehouse. I think I will go down and place the order.

I hope that the new wsm will be completely sealed and will perform as well as they do for all the people here. I appreciate everyone's patience with me and my adventure. Thanks again...

Spencer
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">It wasn't long and the smoker was climbing over 350 degrees. The meat was uneditable and went into the trash. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
If the meat was inedible it was the cook (sorry), not the cooker. Briskets can be cooked at 350 (or higher, I do it all the time). Inedible meat comes from overcooking - or in some cases undercooking. Not the cooker temp.

Gaps of that size at the lid will cause the draft to be more substantial. More draft = higher heat.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Spencer P:
It's 11:15 and here is the outcome. I pulled the brisket off the smoker and I am now finishing it in the oven. I can't bare to throw away another piece of meat! As I was keeping an eye on the temp gauge that I placed on the grate, it was still humming away at 300 degrees.

I called the local hardware store and they can get me a new WSM in two days from the warehouse. I think I will go down and place the order.

I hope that the new wsm will be completely sealed and will perform as well as they do for all the people here. I appreciate everyone's patience with me and my adventure. Thanks again...

Spencer </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

call Weber Service. They will probably send you a new middle and lid ASAP.

300 degrees for a brisket shouldn't be a problem. Most people who have dry brisket have usually undercooked it. Over cooked brisket tends to fall apart like stewed beef or pulled pork when you cut it. Unless you've really overcooked it.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I hope that the new wsm will be completely sealed </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
WSMs are not designed to be completely sealed and need not be to perform as they are supposed to. The center section must seat well into the bottom section. i.e., no out-of-round condition, and the lid should seat well. The door is not designed to be air tight and it doesn't need to be. Many will add some sort of sealing stuff for the door - or replace it with an aftermarket door - but this, imo, is a wholly unnecessary expense. The stock door can be bent gently, if necessary, to seal better. But minor gaps around the door are not at all a problem in terms of cooker performance.
 
To add to Kevins' answer. After a period of time grease will build up in the unit and kind of seal itself. KK is right the unit is not meant to be air tight
 
Very good points. I will see about getting replacement parts and going from there.

Last week, I tried my first brisket. I saw the smoker temp was over 350 degrees. I pulled the meat at 170. I let it rest for an hour and cut it across the grain. As noted, I probably did something wrong as the meat was so tough you couldn't eat it. I hope to have better luck next time.

Again, I appreciate the community support and patience for beginners like me. Thanks again...
 
Only use temps as a guide, Spencer. Meat is done when a temp probe or toothpick will slide through with little resistance. For brisket, that usually doesn't happen until the temp is around 190. If you pulled it at 170, it wasn't anywhere near done.
 
Right.

The meat will be tough until sufficient time has passed that it becomes tender, due to softening of the connective tissue, moisture release, etc.

When this occurs it will be tender. As Jerry also notes, a probe or pick will enter the meat nearly effortlessly.

If the meat cooks past tenderness it loses the lubricating moisture and renderings and becomes dry and stringy.
 
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