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First Brisket Flat This Morning

HDmstng
HDmstng Posts: 192
edited August 2012 in EggHead Forum
Started my first brisket this morning.  It is a 5.75# flat from Costco.  Trimmed a bit of fat off the top, used a rub called Steak Saver that I had laying around, no mustard.  Set up indirect with a drip pan and platesetter with legs up.  Have the Maverick on, and grid temp to start was 280F and dome was 250.  Although I knocked things down a bit and grid has dropped to 268F so will need to go double check.

Comments

  • Mayberry
    Mayberry Posts: 750
    Have fun! I did my first brisket last night....a small 4lb flat. It took 7hrs total,and I was worried it would end up dry. Sprayed with apple juice/cider vinegar mix every hour or so, and pulled at 195 internal temp. Turned out very good...company wanted the brisket over my ribeyes. I'll definitely do another one soon.
    Athens, GA
    XL BGE, Large BGE and RecTec590
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    Enjoy the journey as hitting a home-run with a flat can be a bit of a challenge.  Congrats Mayberry for the great cook-every one is different. 
    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.
  • HDmstng
    HDmstng Posts: 192
    Thanks for the tip Mayberry.  What was your dome and/or grid temp?  I'm sorta fighting mine right now, dome is 225, grid is about 240 with the lower vent open about 1 inch and the daisy wheel on, but with the little vents about 1/4 open.  I opened the lower vent slightly and cracked the DW vents to about 1/2 open.  
  • HDmstng
    HDmstng Posts: 192
    Well that was quick, grid temp up to 288 and dome at 255ish.  My lower vent is about 1" open, I nudged it close a bit 1/8" maybe, and also closed the DW a bit.  Not sure how you all do it with 1/4" open on the lower vents though.
  • HDmstng
    HDmstng Posts: 192
    At 10 am the Egg was at 280 at both the grid and dome. Went out for a few hours and at 130 now 140F. Doh! Got dw slots open and bottom vent wide open to get it going again. Up to 250 in the dome and 230 at the grid. Meat is at 140. Good thing I wasn't doing this as an overnight cook, but all part of the learning curve.
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168

    Good thing I wasn't doing this as an overnight cook, but all part of the learning curve.

    So true-we have all been there and it can happen any time.  Definitely the right approach-enjoy the end result and more importantly the journey which it appears you are.

    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.
  • HDmstng
    HDmstng Posts: 192
    Just checked and am back up to 280F at both the dome and grid with the dw slots fully opened.  I went ahead and closed the slots down to about 50% open and left the lower vent alone (it's about 3/4" open).  Would like to work my way down to 250 plus I'll get a better idea on how adjusting just the daisy wheel will do.

    But even better, after explaining what happened with the adjustments to my wife, she's say's, "why don't you get one of those fan thingies that help control the temperature?"  :x   Now where is that link to the DigiQ II?!?!  

    Oh, the brisket is at 156F, guess we are in the stall. 

     

  • HDmstng
    HDmstng Posts: 192
    May need to nudge the DW slots open a hair, this setting was holding pretty well at 250 but is slowly starting to drop a bit.  Here is where I'm at currently.


  • HDmstng
    HDmstng Posts: 192
    Down to 225 at the grid and that was even after opening up the DW slots to about 3/4" open.  Have the DW slots fully open now so hopefully will get back up to 150.  Still in the stall too, albeit up to 163F from 162 at 415!

  • BuckeyeBob
    BuckeyeBob Posts: 673
    HD , I had the same thing happen on an overnite where the temp fell and that got me to buy my DigiQ. Used it on my brisket yesterday for first time and it worked great. Going to make me feel better next time I cook overnight..
    Clarendon Hills, IL
  • HDmstng
    HDmstng Posts: 192
    Bob, I can see where it would come in handy.  Even after fully opening the slots on the DW it still wouldn't budge from 225.  I went and notched open the lower vent, I wouldn't even say more than an 1/8 of an inch and boom up to 288 in short order.  I closed down the DW slots to about 3/4 and I'm down to 266.  

    I see others with 1/8" openings on the bottom vent holding 260 easy, but not sure how I could get that.  Must be in the fire building techniques.  I lit at 3 and 9 oclock with starter squares and had two nice areas of coals.  I stirred a little and then put the platesetter and grid on.  Let it get up to 250 and put the brisket on the grid.  

    Good thing is internal temp is up to 172, so hopefully I'm out of the stall!  It's been going on 11 hours now, luckily I'm the only one waiting to eat!
  • HDmstng
    HDmstng Posts: 192
    Up to 187 internal but the fork test wasn't so great.  Not that easy to go in, and the brisket would lift up on the way out.  I'm thinking another 20-30 minutes and recheck.
  • HDmstng
    HDmstng Posts: 192
    Ended up pulling it at 940PM, a total of 13 hours and 40 minutes!  The area with the internal probe was reading 187F, but there was another area that was only reading 175F around 9PM.  In that 40 minutes I was able to get it up to 180 and then my grid temperature started dropping, down to about 225.  I opened the bottom vent, at least half way, but the temp wasn't increasing.  I could still see hot coals, not sure how much was really left.  Will find out tomorrow in the daylight.

    Overall though, it was the best brisket I've ever smoked, granted I have a sampling of 1!  It had a good smoked taste, bark was great and a nice smoke ring.  The thinner end was a bit dry, but still tasty (actually one of my favorite parts though) and overall tender to very tender with a few dry parts in places.  Will be interesting to see how that big center area that never got above 180 will turn out.  

    Surprised it took as long as it did though.  There still was the issue with the fire dropping down to 140, and if it happened early on, it could have been there for as much as 3 hours.  
  • Mighty_Quinn
    Mighty_Quinn Posts: 1,878
    Gotta use something as a wiggle rod and clear the ash from the holes in the fire grate. I'm guessing your airflow was blocked because your temps didn't climb after opening the bottom vent and DW.