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Brisket Cooked Way Too Fast - Looking for Advice

Put a 14-lb choice packer on my large last night around 1:30.  Got the dome temp settled in after about an hour at 250.  Woke up this morning at 7:30, and the IT is around 190. My dome temp had increased a little, to maybe 260. I probed a couple places and I think this sucker is nearly done - a good six hours before I was expecting it to be.  

I'm not sure what happened - maybe the temps ran away in the middle of the night, but whatever.  My problem is what to do now.  We're planning on eating around 6pm tonight.  I don't think I can realistically FTC that long - almost 10 hrs?

What are my other options here folks?  Put it in the oven to hold?  At what temp?  
"I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
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Comments

  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
    edited July 2014
    @travisstrick said awhile back he FTC'd for 11 hours once.

    I would drop your dome temp down to 225* now to draw things out.

    And yes, you can hold in your oven, though I think most like to hold at 170*, not sure if your oven goes that low. I haven't done this, but I think @SGH has mentioned some of the best brisket he had was held in a warming box for something like 12 hours.

    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,823
    I have dropped the dome temp as low as I can. I have a pretty basic cooler, so I don't know how well it would hold the temp if I try to FTC it much more than say 6 hrs. Our oven can hold low temps, no problem.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • Wolfpack
    Wolfpack Posts: 3,551
    Believe @sgh mentioned covering in a foil pan with some beef broth at 170? Sure he will be on in a bit. I had one cook too fast recently too- he correctly pointed out if you have it really high in the dome you get radiant heat that makes it cook much quicker
    Greensboro, NC
  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
    If holding in your oven, get it warmed up before you put the brisket in. I would also put an temp probe in the oven and watch it's temps. The setting on most residential ovens is mostly a guideline. Good chance it will overshoot a good bit, especially when you first warm it.

    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    You can preheat your cooler by putting hot water in it. Also, put your towels in the clothes dryer to warm them up. Finally, if you have a sunny day set the cooler in the sun.

    6 hrs. for a 14lb. choice packer (at the temps you indicated) is quite fast. You should probably calibrate your thermo(s) just to make sure they are accurate.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    @JohnInCarolina‌
    Brother if it finishes early you can hold it no problem with just a few steps. If you are going to hold it more than 6 hours I would recommend holding in the oven no higher than 170 degrees. Preferably 150 if your oven will turn down that low. Simply pan the brisket and add 1 cup off beef broth to the pan and cover with foil. I have held them for near unbelievable times with this method with outstanding results. If your oven will only turn down to 180 (some do) just turn it on and let it preheat. Once it has preheated turn it off and put the pan in. Then every half hour or so turn it back on for a few minutes then turn it off again . Keep repeating this until ready to pull. Remember you are only trying to keep it warm so it does not tighten. I have honestly held them in excess of 12 hours using this method with stellar results. I'm curious myself as to why your brisket cooked so expeditiously. Did you have it high in the dome? If not I would speculate that you had a fairly large temp spike somewhere in the night . Good luck my friend.

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,823
    @SGH - thanks. Yes, the brisket was high in the dome. Also I think it was quite a bit fattier than ones I've done before. I'm going to try your method and see how it goes.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • TonyA
    TonyA Posts: 583
    It took me 5 hours to get from 175 to 200 on an 11 lber yesterday at about 250 done. I ftc'd for 5 hours
  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    @JohnInCarolina‌
    If you were fairly high in the dome then that explains it. Have had it happen to me as well. The pan trick works excellent for holding extended times. Just don't carried away with the liquid. One cup doesn't look like much but it's more than sufficient for the intended purpose.

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

  • cazzy
    cazzy Posts: 9,136
    I cook high in the dome all the time. I usually cook above the felt on the the top rig of the AR. I know John draped but I don't see that making a difference. 6.5 hours is fast for a 14# brisket. I think his temp may have spiked while he was counting sheep. Fire fat content too could attribute to that too. FTR...I have draped too and it didn't cook out of the ordinary.
    Just a hack that makes some $hitty BBQ....
  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    @SGH, you may be exactly right about the temp spike but, given that the temp was only 10* higher when OP woke up it did not seem likely to me that that's what happened. Seems like you'd have to run well above 300* for a 14lb. packer to cook in 6 hrs. Not sure how that would have happened over a 6 hour period with the temp dropping back down to 260* before he got up.

    However, unless OP comes back and says his thermo(s) were off by a substantial amount, we may never know the answer to this mystery! Just one of the things that makes l&s (especially a briket) so much "fun"!
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,823
    I didn't drape so much as bend over a pan - the brisket was pretty long.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • cazzy
    cazzy Posts: 9,136
    Could be that Texsan...Uncalibrated thermo.
    Just a hack that makes some $hitty BBQ....
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,823
    I don't think my thermos are off. I have both the BGE dome thermo and another one monitoring the grid. Moreover the vents were set for a low temperature.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    @TexanOfTheNorth‌
    With out me actually being there to see the brisket and his set up it's really hard to narrow it down. I feel that it was a compound event. First he may have been exceedingly high in the dome and them somewhere had a temp spike as well. Between the two events that would satisfy my curiosity. We may never know though. Just trying to suggest some things that could have contributed to the speedy cook.

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    SGH said:
    @TexanOfTheNorth‌ With out me actually being there to see the brisket and his set up it's really hard to narrow it down. I feel that it was a compound event. First he may have been exceedingly high in the dome and them somewhere had a temp spike as well. Between the two events that would satisfy my curiosity. We may never know though. Just trying to suggest some things that could have contributed to the speedy cook.
    Agreed. And not that OP has indicated that he does not think his thermos were off, a temp spike could be exactly what happened.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    @TexanOfTheNorth‌
    I can only think of one other thing that would have accelerated the cook the way it did. But it should not come into play on the egg.

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    SGH said:
    @TexanOfTheNorth‌ I can only think of one other thing that would have accelerated the cook the way it did. But it should not come into play on the egg.
    Pray tell.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,823
    I think a temp spike is the most likely thing. I had the brisket bent almost in a half circle. I had a drip pan but it wasn't quite big enough to cover the area. My guess is that I had some fat drip off one of the ends and spike the temp.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    @TexanOfTheNorth‌
    A circulatory or convection fan getting stuck in the on position and not cycling off. But that couldn't happen on the egg.

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,823
    I have to say, though, with all of this the thing is probing better than any brisket I've ever done. I just pulled it and placed in the oven following @SGH directions. I'll let you all know how it turns out. Thanks for all the advice on a Sunday morning guys - this forum is great.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    SGH said:
    @TexanOfTheNorth‌ A circulatory or convection fan getting stuck in the on position and not cycling off. But that couldn't happen on the egg.
    Yes, obviously not an issue on the egg. Thanks for answering though... you've obviously got a wealth of experience and knowledge and, who knows when that bit of information may be useful?
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    @JohnInCarolina‌
    You are more than welcome. Hope all turns out.

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    Don't forget some pics when you slice this thing.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,082
    Hey, It's Sunday-two more miracles and you can become saints...Gotta admit I have never had one cook so fast.  May want to inquire of @Mickey about turbo briskets (however, I don't think he does briskets for just that reason...).  Have a great day.
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,823
    Don't forget some pics when you slice this thing.

    I'll see what I can do. We have a big group coming over for dinner.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • cazzy
    cazzy Posts: 9,136
    As I told John via text, I'm most worried about the texture because of how fast it cooked. With that being said, I think holding at a low temp would be good for that. You will continue to break the meat down without overcooking it.

    I have a hunch that this may be John's best attempt at brisket. Sometimes this **** just works out weird like that.
    Just a hack that makes some $hitty BBQ....
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,823
    edited July 2014
    @cazzy was a big help setting up this cook and this morning as well. The entire house smells ridiculous right now.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    Sorry, never cooked a brisket. Travis has a Turbo Brisket.

    Turbo Brisket (Travis)

    350 until 195, need pan with beer.
    10 lb app 6/7 hr
    then in a cooler wrapped in towels for a hour or so.
    When you unwrap, foil is full of juice!!
    put a lot of wood chips and chunks to get as much smoke in before the meat hits 140, good smoke ring most of the time.
    Cut against the grain.

    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • I put my 14-lb choice packer on last night at 10PM and it is sitting at 180 right now after just over 12.5 hours.  FYI, my dome thermometer was reading the same (or very close) as my grid thermometer until I put the brisket on.  The dome thermometer has been reading about 100* lower than the grid thermometer ever since.  Not sure, but I'm guessing the dome thermometer isn't reading correctly because the brisket is too close to the probe (brisket is on the top of the AR extender).  Would have been much hotter at the grid level had I been relying on the dome thermometer...