WSC/WSK E/S6 owners - share your brisket LAS techniques


 
Brett-EDH

Brett-EDH

TVWBB Hall of Fame
Planning on doing a brisket in a few weeks on my E6 and want to plan my cook for a LAS (low and slow).

So, what tips do you have to share on temps and times? Thinking it'll be a 16-18 pound untrimmed/ 14-16 pounder once trimmed. I might lean towards the larger one and cut off the thin flat and use that for burgers so I don't get a dried, leathery end. This will give me a more even thickness and squared off brisket.

I'm planning to do an overnighter, starting at 10 or 11p, 225-245 degrees, and estimating this will run me 12-14 hours cook time and a 2-3 hour rest. Some briqs with white oak chunks set into the coals.

Let's hear your tips and tricks, please, and any notes from your previous cooks of do's and don'ts for the E/S6 WSC WSK. Pics are always helpful. I'm thinking of salt and pepper only for the seasoning. But what says you on your favorite brisket cooks for bark? And or woods for smoke flavor?

Ready, set, and ....................................................... go!
 
Mark Foreman said:
I would use diffuser plate, 250 - 275. Smoke with red or post oak. For a rub, i use SPG. Would consider a water pan cause it’s an overnighter. I use a small pan without refill. I. I wouldn’t wrap until it’s done, 3 hours minimum in a cooler.
Slice and serve with. A finishing sauce .. I like: https://theheritagecook.com/texas-style-bbq-brisket-and-perfect-brisket-bbq-sauce/.
Baked beans and slaw/salad.
Click to expand...
use a half tray with how much water, 2 inches? will that be enough atop the diffuser plate to keep me in low temp range and with enough moisture for the brisket?
 
I haven't done one in the E6 yet (though I have done a couple of chuck roasts; method, and cooking time, is roughly the same.)

Mine were done on the kettle, and I followed the procedure detailed in the America's Test Kitchen vids:

Our Best Recipe for Texas Barbecue Brisket on a Charcoal Grill
How to Make the Ultimate Texas Barbecue Brisket in Your Own Backyard

Very happy with the results.

As to wood, for beef I use madrone. It's a different taste than oak; slightly lighter and a little "tangier", and I think it complements beef really well. I don't know if it grows as far inland as you you're located, but if it does you might want to give it a try.

I used a steam table tray with water in it for my chuck cooks, and I'd definitely do so for a brisket.
 
please include your vent settings, both upper and lower if you have those in notes. IIRC, my lower vent was barely opened, just below the smoke setting on the slider and the top was around 1/8" open just to let the E6 breathe to ensure the coals had airflow through the chamber.
 
Mark Foreman said:
I would use diffuser plate, 250 - 275. Smoke with red or post oak. For a rub, i use SPG. Would consider a water pan cause it’s an overnighter. I use a small pan without refill. I. I wouldn’t wrap until it’s done, 3 hours minimum in a cooler.
Slice and serve with. A finishing sauce .. I like: https://theheritagecook.com/texas-style-bbq-brisket-and-perfect-brisket-bbq-sauce/.
Baked beans and slaw/salad.
Click to expand...
estimated cook time in those temps zone for a 16-18? what was your largest brisket cook on your E6, please? just need to budget correct start time on this cook.
 
BTW, here are my notes from my brisket cooks. (Note that these were made before I had the remote thermometer; today I don't need to stop and check the temp!) I followed these for my chuck cooks on the E6 as well.

The first time using the E6 I did the minion method, the second time I followed your lead and just dumped a big load of briquettes in. The dump method definitely works better for the E6!

Notes:
Season w/salt and pepper only. Allow to rest overnight (refrigerated) after seasoning.
Use water in drip pan to provide moisture
Looking for a steady 275-300 deg on the lid thermometer.
Cook brisket fat side down, point side toward the gap in the charcoal snake. Lid vent must be over the point (snake gap)
Don’t worry about the stall - allow it to cook through the stall.
At about 5 hours, check temp - looking for 160-170 deg, with good bark.
When temp target is reached, wrap TIGHTLY in foil; eliminate air pockets. Mark foil so that you know where the point is.
Add more fuel (if necessary), filling in the gap of the snake
Put the foiled brisket back on the grill and cook several hours more, until it hits the target of 205 deg internal. Total cook time is 8-9 hours.
Then Rest, fat side UP, in the cooler for 3 hours (finished target: 160 deg)

When I did the chuck cooks in the E6, I had the lower vent at the smoke position and the upper set to hold in the 285 degF range; the vent was 1/4-1/2 open, but the ambient temps were in the mid-40s; probably close a little more during warmer weather. Fuel was B&B briquettes.
 
Grant Cunningham said:
BTW, here are my notes from my brisket cooks. (Note that these were made before I had the remote thermometer; today I don't need to stop and check the temp!) I followed these for my chuck cooks on the E6 as well.

The first time using the E6 I did the minion method, the second time I followed your lead and just dumped a big load of briquettes in. The dump method definitely works better for the E6!

Notes:
Season w/salt and pepper only. Allow to rest overnight (refrigerated) after seasoning.
Use water in drip pan to provide moisture
Looking for a steady 275-300 deg on the lid thermometer.
Cook brisket fat side down, point side toward the gap in the charcoal snake. Lid vent must be over the point (snake gap)
Don’t worry about the stall - allow it to cook through the stall.
At about 5 hours, check temp - looking for 160-170 deg, with good bark.
When temp target is reached, wrap TIGHTLY in foil; eliminate air pockets. Mark foil so that you know where the point is.
Add more fuel (if necessary), filling in the gap of the snake
Put the foiled brisket back on the grill and cook several hours more, until it hits the target of 205 deg internal. Total cook time is 8-9 hours.
Then Rest, fat side UP, in the cooler for 3 hours (finished target: 160 deg)

When I did the chuck cooks in the E6, I had the lower vent at the smoke position and the upper set to hold in the 285 degF range; the vent was 1/4-1/2 open, but the ambient temps were in the mid-40s; probably close a little more during warmer weather. Fuel was B&B briquettes.
Click to expand...
the dump method def ensures enough fuel and the fuel is dense enough to walk the fire around the coals through the burn. i'm planning on B&B charlogs and or their briqs, might use KPro too if i don't have enough B&B on hand. to me the briqs, all brands, are just heat for this cook. flavor will come from the woods used. i'm really thinking of oak and i have a nice stash of CA white oak that's pretty dense and imparts a nice flavor onto beef cooks.

how much water you recommend in the pan? i'm thinking of a lower temp target range of that 225-250. thinking 275-300 will cook quickly in the E6 because it's so well insulated. or a 250-275 max range. i will be using Signals which I've come ot love becuase the lid never opens and i never lose time anymore. great tool and very happy with it.

i'm thinking with lower temps and water pan, i won't need to wrap. your thoughts? if i wrap, then i need to get up and do it at O'early AM.... share your thoughts, please.

i've always cooked briskets fat cap up, never down. curious as to your experience in fat cap down.
 
Mark Foreman said:
I would use diffuser plate, 250 - 275. Smoke with red or post oak. For a rub, i use SPG. Would consider a water pan cause it’s an overnighter. I use a small pan without refill. I. I wouldn’t wrap until it’s done, 3 hours minimum in a cooler.
Slice and serve with. A finishing sauce .. I like: https://theheritagecook.com/texas-style-bbq-brisket-and-perfect-brisket-bbq-sauce/.
Baked beans and slaw/salad.
Click to expand...
i have and used SP and ground dried shiitake (Asian market product). shiitake are natural MSG. umami flavor bombs yet no one can detect what the flavor is when they eat the brisket with this on it. i picked this up from some Harry Soo videos in the past. his branded rubs have some interesting ingredients in them.
 
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Brett-EDH said:
the dump method def ensures enough fuel and the fuel is dense enough to walk the fire around the coals through the burn. i'm planning on B&B charlogs and or their briqs, might use KPro too if i don't have enough B&B on hand. to me the briqs, all brands, are just heat for this cook. flavor will come from the woods used. i'm really thinking of oak and i have a nice stash of CA white oak that's pretty dense and imparts a nice flavor onto beef cooks.

how much water you recommend in the pan? i'm thinking of a lower temp target range of that 225-250. thinking 275-300 will cook quickly in the E6 because it's so well insulated. or a 250-275 max range. i will be using Signals which I've come ot love becuase the lid never opens and i never lose time anymore. great tool and very happy with it.

i'm thinking with lower temps and water pan, i won't need to wrap. your thoughts? if i wrap, then i need to get up and do it at O'early AM.... share your thoughts, please.

i've always cooked briskets fat cap up, never down. curious as to your experience in fat cap down.
Click to expand...
Temp is temp; the E6 isn't any warmer at 275 than the kettle is, it's just a lot more stable. In other words, the cook time didn't vary appreciably between them as long as the temp was the same.

Nothing wrong with white oak if you already have it on hand — it's definitely traditional for brisket!

I used a 2" deep 1/2-size steam pan under the meat, and it was probably 3/4 full of water when I started (I have one of those large Simply Orange juice bottles that I use to carry water to the BBQ area, and I used a full bottle.) There was still water in the pan when I wrapped. After the wrap the water doesn't have any effect on the meat, but it definitely helps to maintain a stable temp. There's always been water in the pan at the end of the cook.

The thing I like about running a slightly higher temp is that it really reduces the cook time — 8-9 hours total, depending on the weight. IIRC, mine were in the 12-13 lb range (I trimmed them to be more "square" by taking part of the point off) and they ran about 8 hours, wrap happened at about 5 hrs in.

On my last chuck cook I tried without wrapping and reduced the temp to the 275 range; never doing that again. Not only was the cook time MUCH longer (12 hrs total!), but the meat was dryer than the wrapped cooks. It had a nice crusty bark, but that's about the only thing it had going for it. I don't know what the fascination for crispy bark is (perhaps it's a competition thing), but I'll live without that to get better meat.

I checked my notes for seasonings; on the briskets I did salt and pepper, just like the videos. On the chucks I've tried SPG and SPOG. Of them, I think the SPG was my favorite, and the SPOG my least. On the chucks I also slathered them with mustard, which definitely helped hold the rub and contributed to a little more smoke flavor. It's now my SOP for all L-n-S cooks, beef and pork.

Next time I plan to try SPG but substituting Lawry's for the kosher salt.
 
Brett-EDH said:
you saw i jacked up my lox into a hot smoked salmon, using JUST A SMOKE TUBE AND PELLETS!!!!!!!! the E6 is SUPER INSULATED.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I was really surprised at that. The E6 just continues to amaze me every time I use it. It is, hands down, the best charcoal cooking device available as far as I'm concerned.
 
Grant Cunningham said:
Yeah, I was really surprised at that. The E6 just continues to amaze me every time I use it. It is, hands down, the best charcoal cooking device available as far as I'm concerned.
Click to expand...
you and me both. in all my years, using other chambers to smoke in, i never cooked a lox into hot smoked salmon, and from a device that barely makes heat. the salmon was really good though. made a salmon spread with it and everyone fought over it. so now i have two recipes from one. hahahahahaha.
 
Brett-EDH said:
no blowers. it'll be June and warm outside and overnights are maybe 56-60, or so. in past cooks, the E6 holds temps incredibly well, w/o a blower.
Click to expand...
For me the fan is my insurance policy for sleeping soundly through an overnight cook.

The last couple of cooks on the BGE, I set it for 25F under my desired temp and I don't think it ever turned on.

I'm sure the E6 will do fine.
 
Lots of great tips above....mine are:
  • Best smoke on the S6/E6 IMO is at 270ish...not 225. Kamado's are NOT stick burners. Spread out smaller smoking wood chunks all over the place so you get a small, but continual smoke.
  • Double diffuser to protect the bottom of your brisket. Two layers of pan, or water pan + diffuser, or whatever...but fat side up, and well protected bottom from any direct heat.
 
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