Brisket for first cook?

At Eggfest it was mentioned that new eggs are notorious for being all over the place with regard to temps and briskets are not the best for first cooks. As a newbie myself I think it's unnecessary....maybe even inadvisable to start with a brisket. Like others here said to me when I asked....take it easy the first time out...do easy/short cooks to play with your egg and get used to adjusting temps. I think that was and is good advice. FWIW

At Eggfest it was mentioned that new eggs are notorious for being all over the place with regard to temps and briskets are not the best for first cooks.

I don't really think it's new "Eggs" but rather new "Eggheads" who are notorious for being all over the place w/ regard to temps ;-)

I think a new Egg can hold a consistent temp just as well as a "broken in" Egg - IF you know what you're doing ;-)

With that being said, my advice is similar - get a "feel" for how the Egg works - it's NOT like a traditional grill. In fact, for MOST things (aside from searing), you actually leave the lid down (someone has a signature which is "if you're lookin, you ain't cookin") - and that is correct - the "magic" of the Egg is its incredible ability to hold & maintain a consistent temperature for HOURS on end w/out having to go out & keep shoveling in the lump or fussing w/ the vents.

If you keep opening the lid, you're introducing new air (and that new air is colder than the air inside the Egg) - so you've just affected the temp in at least 2 ways, which will show up in a fluctuation in the dome thermometer reading.

Get a feel for how your top & bottom vent settings affect temp, how long it takes changes in those settings to affect the temp, and really try to get a handle on learning how to "dial in" the settings such that the temp lands where you want it, as opposed to overshooting it then panicking & closing off the vents, then getting it too low, then getting into the cycle of "chasing" the temps up & down...

Once you master temp control (and learning to cook to temp, and not time), you are most of the way there, my friend!!!

Best of luck!!

Brisket is not a food to learn on. It is not easy nor forgiving. As Gary said in the post above this one: Briskets can be frustrating, even for a seasoned cook.

My first cook I did ribs (the 3, 2, 1 method), actually bought the ribs on the way to pick up the egg. They turned out great and to be honest I don't think we have had a bad meal from the egg yet, some were better than others but all good.

Gerhard

I disagree with most on this. In my experience, brisket is very easy if you do the following:
1. Buy a quality piece of meat.
2. Keep the calibrated dome temp between 225-400 degrees. (I do 300)
3. Pull the meat at 205 internal temp.

It isn't a hard cook, but it is hard to judge time. I've done 1 brisket and it was done in 4 hours. I planned on a 9 hour cook. Luckily it was delicious.

brisket is not a good idea for Easter if it's your first (or 10th cook). It took me years to get consistent results with brisket. I would do a killer brisket then invite 15 people over then next week to show off and it wouldn't turn out the same. They all turn out now but brisket is by far the most finicky cut to get right.If you are bent on smoking something, do a pork shoulder. Keep the dome temp between 225-250 and pull it when internal temp reaches 190-200. Pork shoulder is much easier to get consistent results and it's much easier to keep warm to feed a large group. Once you cut a brisket, the clock is ticking- it does not keep warm or reheat as well as pork shoulder so you really have to have everything timed perfectly to get the best results. Another thing to note about brisket, if you have never carved one, it can be daunting too. I would practice on several before making a holiday meal out of it. Pulled pork....well, you just take 2 forks and shred it up. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Gary be nice to :ar!

I would advise Not doing brisket as a first cook for the reasons listed above. The advice on learning your Egg first is sound. If you have your heart set on a long cook a pork shoulder is much more forgiving.

Amen on pork shoulder being much more forgiving! I love Brisket (it's my fave bbq) but I usually do shoulder for parties or big cooks because they are so much easier to do consistently perfect. I would never discourage anyone from getting after a brisket. It's the most rewarding because when you nail it, nothing is finer. I was just saying for a first cook, pulled pork it it a tall order. I do a couple a month and will gladly share my setup if you want to give it a go.