How do I slow this train down? Woke to 275 grid on prime brisket. Also replacement gauge thoughts??

Beaumonty · April 2017

I am smoking and 11 pound prime brisket and woke up to a big disparity between dome and grid. Grid with a Maverick was 275. dome was 200. i calibrated and found out my gauge is toast.

I need it to be done no earlier than six hours from now. It's 160... so, to summarize. On at 1 am. at 2:30 am meat temp was 114. at 7:30 am meat temp had risen to 160. i am hoping for a loooooong stall but my last prime brisket went quickly through it.

so, i have a quickly cooked brisket and am afraid i am going to make it a turbo brisket when i didn't want to. now, i am having a hard time getting the temp back down. i have to leave for three hours and don't want to choke off temp so much that i put the fire out.

So, now i can only trust my grid temp via Maverick and it's usually just my backup. i am used to cooking from gauge temperatures. What should i try to get my grid to for a brisket that i want to be looooow and slooooow?

also, any suggestions on good replacement gauges? i happen to need one.

ColtsFan · April 2017

That's a long title.

I'm not a brisket expert but you still have a few hours left of cooking. Back it down and FTC if it finishes early. I'm buying smokeware's thermometer as a replacement.

smbishop · April 2017

My last brisket took several hours after it reached 160, you will be fine. Nothing wrong with 275, just make sure your vents are open just a crack....

JohnInCarolina · April 2017

You're aiming to serve this at 7pm, right? If it finishes around 11 this morning or so, you'll be fine FTCing for 8hrs. I know some folks get squeemish about that long of a hold, but several folks here have done it.

minniemoh · April 2017

I would trust grid temp. (that's where the meat is) If your thermo is the original Tru tel, you can calibrate it by turning the nut on the back while the tip is in boiling water. (you likely already knew this)

You could make a slight adjustment of the vents and hope for 225-250 for temp while you're gone. You still have a couple of hours to stabilize the temp. From my experience, the stall won't last all that long at 275. Hope this helps.

Hntnhrd · April 2017

You could place a pan of water in the egg, acts as a heat sink and should bring your grate temp
down. I have a hard time keeping my egg below 250 even with vents barely open.

jtcBoynton · April 2017

What should i try to get my grid to for a brisket that i want to be looooow and slooooow?

Since you are already a long way into the cook, you are at the point where grid and dome temps often converge. Depends on size of egg and your location. Depends on the exact placement of the probe. Does the Maverick probe fit into the dome temp hole? If so, pull your bad gauge and replace it with the Maverick probe and aim for 230-250º.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/01/7oe6429ssgc0.jpg

lousubcap · April 2017

Great advice above- just get inside the FTC window and you are there. You can easily FTC for 4-5 hours and as noted above longer if needed with a prepped cooler and towels. The key is to nail the finish and then deal with the eat time from there. At the temp you have been running you can figure around 1 hr/lb cook rate (or faster if the cow so decides) so plan on that-get into the window and enjoy.

minniemoh · April 2017

If I am trying to slow things down, I would not open the dome until I returned home at 2 PM. You already know your cooking temp (grid) which is enough to know how you're doing. Dome temp means nothing at this point.

I would make the slightest of vent adjustments to take a little air from the fire, and check for tenderness as soon as I got out of the car. You should be OK unless the cow gets impatient. If it's done when you get home, give it a rest on the counter for 20 minutes or so before wrapping to stop the cooking.

Beaumonty · April 2017

i got the grid down to 230 and it's nice and stable. i did calibrate my original gauge it looks consistent by being about 25 degrees warmer. still feel like replacing it.

I think i am going to go ahead and warm a cooler with boiling water and such. i have yet to hear someone say they had a problem with an overly long FTC so I am going to go with JohnInCarolina's plan if i need to.

I took some pics. i'll try to report back

minniemoh · April 2017

The only problem I have ever had with FTC for a brisket was pulling it directly off the egg, foiling, and hitting the road for 4 hours to a gathering. I put it in the foil too hot and the thing went from perfect to "fall apart" when we got there. That's the basis for my suggestion to rest it a bit before FTC. If your cooler is warmed up, you can let the brisket cool a bit and stop cooking and it will be fine to FTC for hours and it shouldn't fall apart.

Beaumonty · April 2017

so, grid went down to 223, dome 250ish and brisket only 181 degrees. my gamble paid off. now, i am kicking it up a slight notch to make sure I can FTC for a bit.

i also got some beef ribs, but i don't know if i'll have enough time to finish them for meal. they take a bit, even with wrapping and braising. worth it though. delicious.

Botch · April 2017

Beaumonty said:

i got the grid down to 230 and it's nice and stable. i did calibrate my original gauge it looks consistent by being about 25 degrees warmer. still feel like replacing it.

The Smokeware folks just sent me an email yesterday, March Madness sale, 15% off if you use the code "HOOPS". I picked up a couple replacements myself.

Beaumonty · April 2017

Botch said:

The Smokeware folks just sent me an email yesterday, March Madness sale, 15% off if you use the code "HOOPS". I picked up a couple replacements myself.

crap. i just ordered my gauge on amazon. it wouldn't save me much anyway but i signed up for the newsletter.

i use a smokeware cap and love it. never falls off. rain tight. i like their products.

How do I slow this train down? Woke to 275 grid on prime brisket. Also replacement gauge thoughts??

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