Nate C
TVWBB Fan
For those of you offered your assistance after my first brisket "cook" (term used loosely), many recommended that I jump right back in and tackle another. Unfortunately I was not able to attempt my second brisket as quickly as I would have liked but wanted to update everyone on my second attempt today. For those that didn't read my first "How Not To Cook Brisket" it can be found here linky. It is a series of blunders and misteps that many first time brisket cookers can learn something from. Aside from being a literal train wreck on my part, there is a tremendous amount of advice by others who attempted to help me learn from my mistakes.
Last time, I tackled an entire packer from Wal Mart and for my second attempt, I decided to try something small yet it cost more!!
I selected a 7 pound Choice flat from Costco and began by opening it from the cryovac. I noticed there was some blood that had pooled on the ends and I didn't want to spill it on my counter so hanging it over the kitchen sink, I began to open it with one of my knifes. Much to my chagrin, I accidentally sliced several cuts into the brisket. The morning was not starting well and I thought to myself "here we go again!!". I wasn't sure how much damage I had done but decided if I had ruined the meat, I was at least going to focus on improving over last time and work on the main piece of advice I had received, CONTROL YOUR TEMPS!!.
The flat from Costco didn't have alot of fat on it so I decided not to trim it at all. Given my love for Texas BBQ, I lightly dusted it with salt and pepper and began to prep the WSM. Note the slice in the meat, there were two others on the other side. I chose to show you the good side!!
One of the things I really struggled with last time was my temperature control. My temps were all over the place and having a WSM, this shouldn't have been the case. I got alot of great pieces of advice that I applied today and next photo will show you what I mean. @Brian Lee recommended using a cut out can to load the lit coals into vs. spreading them out (minion) which I have always done. @Steven P (Tupelo) recommended red oak (vs the hickory I had used the first time.) Below you will see the empty can waiting for some lit coals and six red oak chunks.
Once I dropped the lit coals in the middle and removed the can, I started following @Dave Alvarado's advice. I left all vents open and immediately dropped the brisket at 0800. Once the temps hit 200f, I closed 1 and 2 and left 3 at 30%. @Dave Alvarado also recommended I leave the top vent and the bottom open vent down wind which would also assist in temperature control. For the next hour, the temp gradually rose until it hit 270f. I didn't want it to get much higher so I closed vent 3 and the temps stabilized at 265-270 for the next three hours. This was my first sign that I was showing improvement from my first attempt. 3 hours with a stable temperature may not seem like much, but up until today, I have never been able to run a consistent temperature. First win of the day!!
Staying with the @Dave Alvarado theme, I foiled the brisket about 3.5 hours later when it hit an internal temp of 168f. This was my first time taking the lid off and once I put it back on (wrapped brisket), the temp spiked to 300f. The temps rode at 300f for several minutes and I feared it would not drop. So I dialed back the top vent about 25% and was able to get the temps back down to 275f pretty quickly. Opened the top vent back up and WSM putted along at 275f with no hickups. At 1250, the internal temp hit 190f and I pulled the temperature probe and began testing for tenderness (another @Dave Alvarado). Every hour, I would check for tenderness and at 1730, I felt it was ready and pulled the brisket and let it rest for one hour.
I began slicing the brisket and my first response was "this doesn't look like Aaron Franklins". Seriously that was my first thought...lol. I quickly reminded myself that Mr. Franklin took years and years to perfect his trade and this was my second brisket. I was disappointed though that it didn't "look" tender or juicy but after taking my first bite, I was pleasantly surprised. It was very tender, had great flavor, and pulled apart nicely. My wife and I ate the brisket on it's own and my oldest son threw it on a sandwich. As you will see I need some practice on cutting but hey, baby steps is my mantra.
First off, temperature control was a new term I can now add to my smoking arsenal. After 9 hours, I still had about a third of the coals that were still not lit. Big thanks to @Brian Lee for the empty can idea. It made a big difference in the steady burn I experienced and a HUGE thanks to @Dave Alvarado. He offered several pieces of key information that made this a successful cook and gave me a great foundation for future cooks. I also want to thank everyone else that offered advice. This is an exceptional community and i'm blessed to be a part of it.
EDIT: Any idea why no smoke ring? Maybe I should have had my chunks closer to the center where the lit coals were??
Last time, I tackled an entire packer from Wal Mart and for my second attempt, I decided to try something small yet it cost more!!
I selected a 7 pound Choice flat from Costco and began by opening it from the cryovac. I noticed there was some blood that had pooled on the ends and I didn't want to spill it on my counter so hanging it over the kitchen sink, I began to open it with one of my knifes. Much to my chagrin, I accidentally sliced several cuts into the brisket. The morning was not starting well and I thought to myself "here we go again!!". I wasn't sure how much damage I had done but decided if I had ruined the meat, I was at least going to focus on improving over last time and work on the main piece of advice I had received, CONTROL YOUR TEMPS!!. The flat from Costco didn't have alot of fat on it so I decided not to trim it at all. Given my love for Texas BBQ, I lightly dusted it with salt and pepper and began to prep the WSM. Note the slice in the meat, there were two others on the other side. I chose to show you the good side!!
One of the things I really struggled with last time was my temperature control. My temps were all over the place and having a WSM, this shouldn't have been the case. I got alot of great pieces of advice that I applied today and next photo will show you what I mean. @Brian Lee recommended using a cut out can to load the lit coals into vs. spreading them out (minion) which I have always done. @Steven P (Tupelo) recommended red oak (vs the hickory I had used the first time.) Below you will see the empty can waiting for some lit coals and six red oak chunks.
Once I dropped the lit coals in the middle and removed the can, I started following @Dave Alvarado's advice. I left all vents open and immediately dropped the brisket at 0800. Once the temps hit 200f, I closed 1 and 2 and left 3 at 30%. @Dave Alvarado also recommended I leave the top vent and the bottom open vent down wind which would also assist in temperature control. For the next hour, the temp gradually rose until it hit 270f. I didn't want it to get much higher so I closed vent 3 and the temps stabilized at 265-270 for the next three hours. This was my first sign that I was showing improvement from my first attempt. 3 hours with a stable temperature may not seem like much, but up until today, I have never been able to run a consistent temperature. First win of the day!!
Staying with the @Dave Alvarado theme, I foiled the brisket about 3.5 hours later when it hit an internal temp of 168f. This was my first time taking the lid off and once I put it back on (wrapped brisket), the temp spiked to 300f. The temps rode at 300f for several minutes and I feared it would not drop. So I dialed back the top vent about 25% and was able to get the temps back down to 275f pretty quickly. Opened the top vent back up and WSM putted along at 275f with no hickups. At 1250, the internal temp hit 190f and I pulled the temperature probe and began testing for tenderness (another @Dave Alvarado). Every hour, I would check for tenderness and at 1730, I felt it was ready and pulled the brisket and let it rest for one hour.
I began slicing the brisket and my first response was "this doesn't look like Aaron Franklins". Seriously that was my first thought...lol. I quickly reminded myself that Mr. Franklin took years and years to perfect his trade and this was my second brisket. I was disappointed though that it didn't "look" tender or juicy but after taking my first bite, I was pleasantly surprised. It was very tender, had great flavor, and pulled apart nicely. My wife and I ate the brisket on it's own and my oldest son threw it on a sandwich. As you will see I need some practice on cutting but hey, baby steps is my mantra.
First off, temperature control was a new term I can now add to my smoking arsenal. After 9 hours, I still had about a third of the coals that were still not lit. Big thanks to @Brian Lee for the empty can idea. It made a big difference in the steady burn I experienced and a HUGE thanks to @Dave Alvarado. He offered several pieces of key information that made this a successful cook and gave me a great foundation for future cooks. I also want to thank everyone else that offered advice. This is an exceptional community and i'm blessed to be a part of it.
EDIT: Any idea why no smoke ring? Maybe I should have had my chunks closer to the center where the lit coals were??
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