First Brisket attempt

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Lambshank
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Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2015 7:19 pm
Location: Safety Bay, Western Australia

First Brisket attempt

Post by Lambshank »

Hi guys

I have spent many hours researching cooking and also locally sourcing a brisket. There is a gourmet butcher on the Rockingham foreshore who assures me that he do a good quality brisket for me.

I will be doing it on a 57cm weber kettle using the snake method. My biggest concern and advice that i need perfecting the smoking.

I done quite a few ribs and smoked them with Hickory and i finally get the thin blue smoke but not after a lot heavy white smoke which i'm convinced affects the flavour. My question - should you be putting the chunks of Hickory directly on the heat beads or is there a better method? Also i have heard a lot of people say that there is really no point in smoking meat any more that 1 1/2 - 2hrs as after that the meat will not take up any more smoke and will affect the taste?

Also i'm looking at both the WSM and Pro Q's has anybody got pros and cons on them?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, hopefully will do the brisket this weekend so will take pics and submit next week.

Thanks

Mick
57cm Weber Kettle, Weber Q, Saving for a WSM!
KBBQ
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Re: First Brisket attempt

Post by KBBQ »

Read this and you will understand brisket my friend
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showt ... t+tutorial
Lambshank
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Location: Safety Bay, Western Australia

Re: First Brisket attempt

Post by Lambshank »

Thank you

A great tutorial but can you advise on my question about smoking techniques?

Mick
57cm Weber Kettle, Weber Q, Saving for a WSM!
Bentley
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Re: First Brisket attempt

Post by Bentley »

Mick, I have not cooked on your guys heat beads, but I have come to believe they are like our Kingsford Briquettes...I will also state that I have not cooked on anything but 100% hardwood pellets in almost 20 years, but I did cut my teeth on charcoal and sticks.

I don't consider myself a BBQ snob, but I do think there is a difference between Lump (I think this is what you all refer to as charcoal) and briquettes (Kingsford/Heat beads). The lump, if you can get it, will not have the binders and coal that the briquettes do. So step 1 to less white smoke. As far as the hardwood right on the heat source, it should not be an issue.

To your 2nd question, time in the smoke...there is a train of thought amongst the Food Scientist that meat protein will not absorb more smoke flavor once the meat has reached appx. 140° internal temperature, whether it is true or not, I don't know, but I have always bought into it...Is a 7kg brisket gonna reach 140°IT in 2 hours, well, maybe if it is cook at 500° it will. My suggestion, and take it for what it is worth (I will say that I took 11th out of 500 teams in Brisket at the 2010 American Royal) is to start your meat at as cold a temperature as possible. I will also say if you are a fan of Brisket bark ( I am not), that develops a much more pronounced flavor the more it is left in the smoke. Along with a deeper/richer color!

Good luck my friend!



Lambshank wrote: My question - should you be putting the chunks of Hickory directly on the heat beads or is there a better method? Also i have heard a lot of people say that there is really no point in smoking meat any more that 1 1/2 - 2hrs as after that the meat will not take up any more smoke and will affect the taste?
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Davo
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Re: First Brisket attempt

Post by Davo »

Firstly just to note lambshank that Bentley comes from the US and has competed in many national BBQ comps and his experience and advice is top notch....also get used to using and/or converting Farenheit to Celcius and visa versa as most Low N Slow is done in the old (to Aussies) farenheit measures...not to mention pounds v's kilos etc

I have a WSM and only use the heatbeads, they are pretty neutral in their smell...the binders are only vegetable starches anyhow....but it is fine brown coal which is the best to use...been using Heat beads for yonks.

You'll get the best out of your WSM by using the famous Minion Method which is named after a US Comp Champion Jim Minion by placing a whole heaps of UNLIT heat beads in the charcoal ring until it's almost to the top, bury a few chunks of smoking wood in amongst those but not too deep....then place a chimney full of LIT and ashed over heatbeads ontop of the UNLIT and place 2 fist sized chunks of unsoaked smoking wood ontop of the hot coals....ok that's the fire sorted....

The reason for this method is that a fire will burn down a lot slower than a up burning fire....but it does and will happen and as the fire burns down, it also catches onto the other smoke wood to smoke your food. Smoking chunks are better for this than chips and because our fire is burning low, it won't make the wood catch fire, instead it'll smoulder and smoke and that's what you want to make happen. What you're aiming for is a very light, almost invisible blue line of smoke coming out of the exhaust vent. Don't soak smoke wood chunks....the liquid will not penetrate into chunks like they do with thin chips.

Place the middle section back on then insert waterpan....fill waterpan with cold water ( I use hot water to hurry things but know my cooker enough to know when to catch the temps) then place the both food grates back on and place the lid......you have ALL vents open at this stage....the cold water will take a lot of heat energy to heat up but will make the temps rise slowly and steadily.....when it gets to about 180F inside cooker, shut all bottom vents completely but leave top vent wide open....just watch the temp until it stops climbing then it'll start to fall a little....open up your bottom vents to about 25% open.

I use hot tap water (about 70C) in my water pan but by doing this, you save heat energy as he fire doesn't have to heat the water from scratch but you MUST be able to catch the temps quicker as they rise quickly...no biggie and easy to do after the first couple of cold water tries. Check and top up your water pan about every 3 hours.....using a metal garden watering can is ideal as you need to get a nozzle inside otherwise you risk tipping water on hot coals sending ash all over the inside of your cooker...including the meat....you really don't want that to happen!! :lol:

Low n slow temp is ideal at around 225F but that's just a guide...don't be too stressed if it goes a little higher like 230-250 F just close bottom vents more....if it goes down to 200 or lower...ope bottom vents more. Bottom vents give the fire oxygen to burn to make hot air to cook...it literally sucks air from anywhere it can get it to survive...if not..it suffocates.

Always leave your top vent open....if you close it...the smoke finds it more difficult to escape and will leave a sooty film called creosote on your food...you don't want that!!
You only close all vents if you want to suffocate the fire and save some coals for next session.

The WSM is very very stable in temps....just give it a quick check and make bottom vent adjustment if the temp goes up or down.....I believe to have some input into controlling the cooking beast....automation is to me a bit boring.

If you have a day that the wind is blowing a bit and one of your bottom vents face into the wind's direction, close that vent down more than the others otherwise you will get a uneven burning fire.

Hope this helps in your low n slow BBQ quests with a WSM.....good luck and happy BBQing.

Cheers

Davo
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Lambshank
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Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2015 7:19 pm
Location: Safety Bay, Western Australia

Re: First Brisket attempt

Post by Lambshank »

Hi Davo

And thanks for the wealth of information.

I'm actually using a weber kettle not the WSM, i'm saving my bickies for one, hence why i'm using the snake method.

Mick
57cm Weber Kettle, Weber Q, Saving for a WSM!
Davo
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Re: First Brisket attempt

Post by Davo »

Yeah ...I noticed that.....but so when you buy a WSM...I won't have to type all that up again :mrgreen:

I like using the snake method when I want to smoke smaller quantities of meat as he Kettle will take less coals to do it but with jobs like Brisket, the WSM is far superior in the way it just goes and goes and goes and goes........blah blah blah!! :D

Really, even a new one at around the $700 mark is a pretty good investment in your BBQ path and if looked after, will outlast you.....

If you say spent $1,000 on a gasser.....you'd probably go through about 2-3 gassers in the time the WSM will look like it's on it's last legs....can ya see where i'm going with this :wink:

Cheers

Davo
Moderator/ Admin

Weber Q320
Weber Performer Kettle
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Lambshank
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2015 7:19 pm
Location: Safety Bay, Western Australia

Re: First Brisket attempt

Post by Lambshank »

Yeah i'm hearing you mate and don't worry i'm a smoke convert!

I do however have a weber Q which is great for when i want to do a quick cook.

Anyhow i'm grabbing the Brisket tomorrow and give it a crack on the weekend it weighs 5.5 pounds so i'm thinking around 11 hour cook would that be a good guestimate?

I know i'm asking a lot of questions here but if you don't ask you don't receive! Can i ask your advice or even Bentley's advice on DYI rubs for briskets and do you put mustard on the meat as well. Some say put the brisket on straight out of the fridge but my butcher says let sit for an hour after taking it out of the fridge?

Do you wrap it in foil when it hits the stall?
57cm Weber Kettle, Weber Q, Saving for a WSM!
KBBQ
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Re: First Brisket attempt

Post by KBBQ »

costco have a Montreal rub just salt and pepper really, I put mustard on mine, and you want the meat as cold as possible so you can infuse as much smoke flavor in the beginning of the cook, your butcher does not do low and slow I think :roll: :roll:
Bentley
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Re: First Brisket attempt

Post by Bentley »

Sorry about the bad intel on the heat beads! Over here Kingsford uses a bunch of nasty stuff in what they make and it sounds like heat beads don't, so again, sorry about that!

You have to determine if you like a heavy bark. I don't, so I put my Brisket in a steam pan and foil when the color I like has been achieved. this is usually somewhere between 150-170°F. Will usually add some liquid and finish cook. Not only do I get the juices for later use, I keep my meat moist and I mellow that bark out!

5 1/2 lb. Brisket is a challenge, I have always done Packers and they are usually 13-17lbs. You may want to pan and foil just to keep it from drying out!
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Lambshank
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Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2015 7:19 pm
Location: Safety Bay, Western Australia

Re: First Brisket attempt

Post by Lambshank »

Hi guys

Brisket went well but i'm having trouble uploading pics any advice on how to do this?

Thanks

Mick
57cm Weber Kettle, Weber Q, Saving for a WSM!
MadDocker
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Joined: Mon Nov 23, 2015 1:29 pm

Re: First Brisket attempt

Post by MadDocker »

Upload the pics to a hosting site (tinypic, photobucket etc.) and post the URL in img tags [img ] url goes here [/img ] (take the space out between the G and the ] on both tags or it wont work.

Most of the hosting sites will have a direct link with the IMG tags already there for you. If so, just copy and paste that into a reply.
Smokey
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Re: First Brisket attempt

Post by Smokey »

Bentley wrote:Sorry about the bad intel on the heat beads! Over here Kingsford uses a bunch of nasty stuff in what they make and it sounds like heat beads don't, so again, sorry about that!

You have to determine if you like a heavy bark. I don't, so I put my Brisket in a steam pan and foil when the color I like has been achieved. this is usually somewhere between 150-170°F. Will usually add some liquid and finish cook. Not only do I get the juices for later use, I keep my meat moist and I mellow that bark out!

5 1/2 lb. Brisket is a challenge, I have always done Packers and they are usually 13-17lbs. You may want to pan and foil just to keep it from drying out!
The way Bentley describes is how I do mine, I also dont care too much for over the top bark and a baking pan foiled over is more economical with all juices kept. Unless holding in an esky where more foil is required of course.
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