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Re: Question for the BBQ experts
tomtuttle #414375 09/05/15 12:25 AM
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Thanks Tom. I'm having a lot of fun with this thing.

Bridgeman. Mine is nicely under a roof on my balcony so I can enjoy it no matter the weather.


Fred

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Blujays1: Spending Fred's money one bottle at a time, no two... Oh crap!
Re: Question for the BBQ experts
fredk #414405 09/08/15 05:11 PM
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I’m irritated……

I’ve used my ex-father-in-law’s brisket cooking technique on numerous occasions and it ALWAYS turns out fantastic. He’s an old Texan and uses a side arm type, indirect charcoal / wood grill. His brisket is quite famous around here, and he’s always volunteering (asked to cook it) at events. Real simple too. Charcoal with Mesquite wood chips. 225F temp. Lots of salt and pepper, and he squeezes fresh lime juice on it from time to time while cooking and turning it over every half hour or so. He would pull it off the grill at about 165, or thereabouts, let it rest a bit and slice it up. Nothing written in stone on the temp ("It's done when it’s done" is what he’d say)…. So yesterday I tried following internet recommendations that I kept seeing. Pretty much every ‘smoker’ recipe said to smoke it at 210 – 220 until it reached 165 internal. Then wrap it tightly in foil, and continue cooking at 225-250 till it reached 180+, or two hours minimum. Something about it reaching 165 and “stalling”, and that it needed to cook longer wrapped tightly or it would just get dry.

I tried this new technique and it came out dry. Right at the two hours mark it reached 180, and I then let it rest for 30 minutes (as recommended). There must have been a cup of juice in the foil. I used hickory pellets, and the smoke flavor was great, but it was dry. Tender, but dry. Screw that technique. I’m sticking to the old man’s technique of just turning it and cooking it “till it’s done”. Anyone else have better luck than I did?

Re: Question for the BBQ experts
michael_d #414406 09/08/15 07:09 PM
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I haven't tried brisket yet. From what I've read, its hard to get it right.

One thing I notice is that your ex-father in law cooked to 165 vs the 180 recommended to you by others. That will make a huge difference in moisture content of the meat.

I also wonder if your thermometer is reading high.


Fred

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Blujays1: Spending Fred's money one bottle at a time, no two... Oh crap!
Re: Question for the BBQ experts
fredk #414407 09/08/15 07:17 PM
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When smoking brisket I smoke it at 250 and go till the internal temp is at 195 to 200. Don't know how a temp of 165 works but evidently it does for him.

Let it rest at least an hour in a cooler, a bit longer at times. Some time I foil sometimes I don't but it always comes out real juicy.


Rick


"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud

Re: Question for the BBQ experts
fredk #414408 09/08/15 07:26 PM
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I think smoking it at 210-220 is to low and more like a dehydrator.


Rick


"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud

Re: Question for the BBQ experts
michael_d #414411 09/09/15 07:29 AM
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How big was the brisket ? Both I and friends have tried smoking smaller briskets (a few pounds) and it's a totally hair-trigger exercise where "dry and gnarly" is the natural state.

My first brisket (a full-sized flat+point) was awesome and people still talk about it occasionally. Everything since then has been considerably less awesome, although they were generally much smaller chunks of meat.

The "stalling" thing is apparently connective tissue transmogrifying into gelatin and other yummy things, and certainly helps, but the challenge AFAICS is that you have two parallel activities going on -- conversion of connective tissue and drying out of everything else.


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Re: Question for the BBQ experts
fredk #414412 09/09/15 01:11 PM
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I need to follow up with the F-I-L and make sure I am remembering the temp. He doesn't use a temp probe, but just pokes whatever it is he's grilling to tell if it's done or not.

It was about five pounds. Choice cut.

I'll continue to experiment. I'll try 250 next time. I'm smoking hole chickens this next weekend. I love this smoker. It's pretty freaking cool.

Re: Question for the BBQ experts
michael_d #414414 09/09/15 07:05 PM
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Originally Posted By michael_d
I need to follow up with the F-I-L and make sure I am remembering the temp. He doesn't use a temp probe, but just pokes whatever it is he's grilling to tell if it's done or not.

It was about five pounds. Choice cut.

I'll continue to experiment. I'll try 250 next time. I'm smoking hole chickens this next weekend. I love this smoker. It's pretty freaking cool.

From my limited experience, I suspect his internal temp is higher than 165. At 165 your connective tissue would not be broken down yet. That has been my experience with the pork butts I've done. Only the last one that I pulled at 195 was fully melt in your mouth tender.

I would not want to do a lean cut to that temperature though. My last pork tenderloin was done to 165 and, while it was still moist, it was on the edge. It is much better at 155 (well, whatever 155 really is on my temp probe).

It's amazing to me that different cuts need to be cooked so differently to get them tender and tasty. I did not realize the chemistry that is involved in cooking meats with a lot of connective tissue.


Fred

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Blujays1: Spending Fred's money one bottle at a time, no two... Oh crap!
Re: Question for the BBQ experts
fredk #414415 09/09/15 08:33 PM
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Yeah, Fred is right saying that 165 is far to low to break down all the connective tissues. Try a big ol 12 to 14 pound packer brisket with plenty of fat in it.

When you touch a brisket that is done, it should feel like jello. That just won't happen at 165, I guaranty you that.


Rick


"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud

Re: Question for the BBQ experts
Wid #414416 09/09/15 09:01 PM
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fredk Offline OP
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Rick. How long would you smoke a 12 pounder for?

In general I find it much easier to cook larger chunks of meat to a desired internal temp. All that mass seems to slow down cooking at the critical points.


Fred

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Blujays1: Spending Fred's money one bottle at a time, no two... Oh crap!
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