First time smoking brisket. Come along and see how it goes! Posts are delayed by almost 2 hours now due to captcha being a faggot on my phone.
I started the grill at 4.
Boiled some hotdogs because I was famished at that point.
Next up was to mix up some spice rub. I used garlic powder, sea salt, paprika, black pepper, and some ground mustard. Why? I dunno sounded good to me. Smelled alright too.
Then I rubbed my meat.
>>7568387
That is one dinky ass brisket.
Grill was looking good, so I snapped a picture...
...before splitting up a round of hickory
>>7568387
>that hand
oldfag
>>7568393
Yeah, but if I screw it up I've only wasted the little one.
Temp was a little low, but I'm only here for the smoke ring right now. I'll finish it in the oven.
>>7568410
Because you recognize it or because I have the hands of a middle aged man?
How we're currently cooking at a stable 250F
>>7568393
it's probably beef rather than ass. he could be a giant, also
>>7568467
Not giant. It's only 2.87 lbs.
Status update.
Are there any comments on my seasoning? I posted asking about a rub recipe here once and I got a couple of idiots replying with "The rub could be perfect and destroyed by cooking method" and nothing else.
>Char-Broil
>Brisket for ants
>white smoke
>>7568424
you're choking your fire too much my man, let it breathe
>>7568598
Perhaps. But the temperature skyrockets when I do that. What do I lose by choking it?
>>7568559
Since you are asking, I think it's pretty good. Personally I would have added a little bit of cumin, and maybe some brown sugar.
>>7568817
Noted for next time. Thank you.
>>7568415
My first brisket was just a flat too but this just looks like small portion cut from the flat. The point is you probably won't learn much unless this is the size you'll always be cooking. Use Choice whole packers at least if you can find them.
>>7568812
Choking it can cause a 'dirty fire' or incomplete combustion. Some describe it as stale or warm air. You seem to be fine but I usually always leave the chimney wide open.
>>7568880
My goal is to have a smolder rather than a fire, because a fire in my shitty grill usually ends up in temps way over 300. The chimney is always drawing even when partially covered. At that point I was trying to get the temperature up and had the vents on the smoke box open and the top closed. Works like a charm on my wood stove indoors when I want a lot of heat.
I've smoked boston butts on here before and they came out pretty well, but temperature regulation is my biggest challenge. That's why my plan here is to get the smoke on it and then finish cooking in the oven for the consistent higher temps.
I picked up this cut back in October for just under $4/lb on clearance and tossed it in the freezer. I don't even know where to source a whole brisket from a store at the moment. My neighbor works for a food supplier and can definitely get one though.
Turned it again and snapped a picture.
>>7568812
full combustion=cleaner smoke and better flavor. White smoke usually tastes bad to me. If it's working for you though thats cool.
>>7568382
Competition fag here, good choice on laying off sugars for your rub. Sweet should go on the end with a finishing sauce that should be caramalized on at the very tail end. Think of adding smoked paprika to the mix and a decent chili powder. Hunt down a proper packer if you can, no matter what you do to it a trimmed brisket will always be drier and of lower quality compared to a untrimmed full cut. The only thing trimmed are good for is corned beef. It is a massive pain in the ass but one thing you can do to regulate temp is to build a secondary fire and simply shovel in hickory coals. You can bring it up and finish in your oven but your bark is screwed that method.
>>7568930
A water pan nearer the firebox side could help. I wish I could get consistently high (and even) temps without using so much split in my bigger cooker. As a result, I like to do more of a 'hot and fast' method because anything else will turn into a 20+ hour affair. Purchased about 1/3 cord to be safe.
Shame that whole brisket is hard to find there. What you have is generally used for braising/corned beef. When you do source one, be sure to buy the highest grade you can afford in order to increase your margin of error. You'll be able to cook at a higher temp as a result.
>>7569002
I've used the water pan with both the turkeys I've smoked. Those can get tricky because you've gotta get it cooked before it spoils which means a higher temp. Brining helps turkey though. I accidentally overcooked one by 15 degrees last Christmas and it still came out okay. Not as moist as the one that came off at a perfect 170, but gravy wasn't required either.
>consistently high (and even) temps
It's not consistent though. I can usually manage anything 200-275 for an extended period without much adjustment, but to keep 300 or greater is a task.
>>7568987
Not really worried about bark and i think it's overrated. Thanks for the tip though I'll keep that in mind. The smoke isn't as white as pictured, it's got a blue/gray tint to it. The sun completely bleached it out.
Okay just took it off the grill after 5 hours. A shot right before.
Better picture? The oven is at 350.
Double wrapped in foil to prevent drying out as much as possible. How long at 350 do we reckon this will take to finish? It's been at 200-300 for 5 hours mostly in the low-mid 200s.
>>7569176
No clue. Instant thermometer?
>>7569176
keep it at 250 for another 4ish hours. dont go higher than that. the whole point of slow cooking the meat is to break down the fatty tissue and connective tissue. if you rush it, it will stay tough and then dry out
>>7569377
Nope, don't have a thermometer anymore. Mine went haywire and decided to just display everything at once and nothing less permanently.
It started off at less than 200 for the first half hour or so. I wasn't really TRYING to cook it on the smoker and instead just wanted to get the flavor.
>>7569419
Kicked the temp up to 350 for 45 minutes and pulled it out. We'll see how it goes. Made the decision after seeing guides for finishing brisket with high heat and decided that mine was probably close to done before going in the oven.
Where the fuck do you buy brisket anyway? Butchers only?
Oh man this tastes good. I could probably pull this right now.
>>7569726
Nice, that looks juicy
>>7569726
Under cooked. Have fun in hell
>>7569720
Sam's club used to carry the whole packers cut, but I haven't seen it in a while. Restaurant suppliers should have them. My food lion sells portions like the one I cooked. I'm sure they could order the whole thing for me now that I think of it...
>>7569726
that looks fuckin good
>>7569744
There's always that one who's never seen a smoke ring.
>>7569742
Thanks. I don't think it's too bad for a first time with this cut. Definitely could use some refinement though.
>>7569770
>There's always that one who's never seen a smoke ring.
Its literally bleeding. Might as well take a bite right out of a cow
>>7569781
It's not bleeding, ya idjit.
There's no blood on the board or anywhere else.
Must be babby's first smoke ring.
Welcome to /ck/. Enjoy your stay. Try not to shitpost much while you're here.
>>7569781
0/10 troll
>>7568387
you'll go blind! dirty boy
>>7568930
>a fire in my shitty grill usually ends up in temps way over 300
>That's why my plan here is to get the smoke on it and then finish cooking in the oven for the consistent higher temps
wut? you have the smoke holes closed to keep the temp down, then you will finish at higher temp?
>>7570972
What I mean is that if my fire gets actual flames burning the temperature skyrockets, so I keep the flow of air low enough to prevent most flames, but plenty for charcoal to smolder. Wood added to the fire doesn't burn in flames, but essentially turns to charcoal first before burning, lasts a long time this way. I start with briquettes, then add hardwood lump charcoal, then I add nothing but hickory after that. Next time I might try nothing but oak to see how the flavor varies on beef. I know I prefer hickory on pork.
Yes, I smoked at a low temperature to add flavor to the meat, but to actually finish cooking it I put it in the oven to get even, high temperature. I've read about finishing this way and it came out pretty good even without checking with a thermometer. Trying to cook at 300+ in my grill not only is difficult, but I imagine the heat is very uneven with the fire on one side compared to my oven.
>>7570982
You can cut those slices with a fork. I'll definitely be doing another one in the future.
Last time I did a brisket, it was 10 pounds and I had to slow smoke it for almost 15 hours at 225.
I ran out of apple chips and had to cut up a branch of the cherry tree I had in the back yard, but it turned out pretty delicious and moist.
>>7568349
I lik youre grill op
I want to get an offset smoker, are they harder to use than a kettle type bbq?
>>7568387
good old rub
>>7571117
Depends on what you're doing. Mine has a charcoal tray under the bars for doing anything high heat. It's cheap and functions better as just a grill, but the smoke box DOES get the job done. The brick hanging on the handle is to keep the top shut and prevent smoke from escaping directly above. Like I said- it's cheap. It cost $150 at target all together. We bought it when we moved in here in order to have a grill. I want to build a smoker out of heavier gauge steel that seals up well and I can have better control over the heat. I've got a couple ideas in mind but they'd be easier to mount on a trailer.
>>7568559
Needs more of every spice and sugar, but the mix is different. I add an 1/8 cup of spices/sugar per pound, so yours shouldve had and about 3/8 cup.
>>7571117
Just got an offset made out of 1/4" steel. Makes me appreciate something like my old WSM that much more. I've been smoking a couple times a week on it just to get a feel. It's very inefficient if you don't know what you're doing in terms of fire management. You're going to spend a lot of time sitting by the fire and watching the temp. Will have to do some mods to help retain heat (gaskets, insulation etc) and distribute it more evenly (baffle/tuning plates). Results are amazing, though.
>>7571247
Any sauce you'd recommend or something to baste with at the end to add some sweetness? I do NOT like sweet BBQ, but a hint or touch of sweet is okay.
>>7571606
I was thinking about making something like the crappy picture I made The pipes would have some sort of baffle to prevent hot spots over them. The box would be sealed and the cooking area would be sealed as well and be made of 3/16 steel or something similar. It would probably be better mounted on a trailer because of the weight.
