New Toy, Happy Boy - Almost

Kelly Keefe · November 2001

Got my new toy yesterday, a NuTemp 701 wireless thermometer. It's wonderful! I was scurrying around the house all afternoon looking for "dead spots" and found nary a one. Had a beef brisket in the fridge marinating in the 2 cups suger, etc. and decided to initiate the new thermometer. This is the almost part - the brisket. It was a 4 lb one with a nice fat cap on top. Cooked it 1 hour direct at 250°, 1 hour in rack over drip pan, then 3 hours in foil with beer, onions at 200°. Second one I've done this way. Both tasted great, but where's the "so tender you can cut it with a plastic fork" part? Both of mine were slightly tough. I've followed the recipes to a T, so it's not technique. Should I be looking for a more internally fat streaked brisket? Appreciate any advice.[p]Kelly Keefe
Jefferson City, MO

Unknown · November 2001

Kelly Keefe,
Hi Kelly. I usually shoot for about 2 hours per pound @225-250*, indirect all the way. The last one I did was just over 6 lbs. and took almost 12 hours to reach 200* internal temp. Have you calibrated the BGE thermometer? Use boiling water a see what it reads. 5 hour cook time seems alittle fast to me for a 4 lb. piece of meat when cooking "low & slow". Just my opinion.

Kelly Keefe · November 2001

MikeS.,[p]Forgot to mention that the internal temp on the brisket was 170° which should have been well done. The NuTemp and the dome thermometer were both calibrated and were on the money. It wasn't that the brisket wasn't cooked through, it was. It was just not as tender as it should have been. The only explaination that comes to my mind is that the meat was too lean inside. [p]Kelly

WessB · November 2001

Kelly Keefe,
I have only done 1 brisket so far...but from the posts here I was under the impression you should shoot for an internal of 200°..[p]Wess

J Appledog · November 2001

Kelly Keefe, Keep trying! My husband's first 3 briskets were AWFUL. I usually run when he mentions cooking another....

Kelly Keefe · November 2001

WessB,[p]Maybe shooting for a 200° internal temp is the answer. I have two versions of the same recipe I followed and neither says what the internal temp should be. I just followed the rule of thumb for beef that 170° was well done. I suppose since the last 3 hours are in foil going to 200° wouldn't burn the meat....[p]Thanks![p]Kelly

Kelly Keefe · November 2001

J Appledog,[p]Oh I'll continue trying. As I said, the brisket tasted good even though it was a bit tough. My motto, when it comes to cooking disappointments is to eat the evidence![p]Thanks Julie![p]Kelly[p]

ColoradoCook · November 2001

Kelly Keefe,[p]If you watch the post here on briskets they all shoot for that 190 to 200 degree mark. I've done three briskets since March and all have come out fork tender; I use 225 to 250 degrees. There's a point at 160 to 170 that the temp will plateau for a very long time. It's very tempting to think somethings wrong and jack the temp up to get it to 200 but you have to be patient. It's the plateau period that the collagen in the meat breaks down; it goes from being tough at this point to fall apart tender. I always do 14lb briskets (I freeze leftovers for individual meals)and they take 22 hours (2 hrs per pound). [p]I use my wireless thermometer to monitor dome temp at the top vent rather than in the meat, this way you can stay in your nice warm bed if nothing is going wrong. I use a Polder in the meat.[p]Good luck on the next one.[p]CC

Kelly Keefe · November 2001

ColoradoCook,[p]I stand bloody and bowed and will shoot for a higher temp the next time around. The recipe though does promise a tender brisket in 5 hours (got the copy I was using from the cookbook on Tim's web site, page 20).[p]I'm going to use the NuTemp exactly as you descibed it, in the dome not the meat. Yesterday I had the time to keep an eye on the Egg and just wanted to play with my toy. One area of the house I DID test it in (to see if it could still get the signal from the remote) was the bed room. It's gonna be great not having to get out of bed and go outside to know that things are ok.[p]Thanks to everyone for helping me out![p]Kelly

Big Murth · November 2001

ColoradoCook,
Just picked up Boston Butt (10lb.) which I thought was a deal at 95cents/lb. @Sam';s Club---so another low 'n slow is on the horizon. How do you guys place the NuTemp probe in the dome, to keep track of dome temp, & so you can monitor your wireless from your bedside through the night? Do just hang it in there through the top vents? Place it on the grid next to the meat? Just trying to avoid waking up at 3:00 a.m. to a stalled burn, and internal and dome temps dropping like stones!! Thanks.............Big Murth
p.s. My remote read-out is frozen at 49 degrees, regardless of what ambient temp is being recorded at the base unit. Is this a low battery problem, or a defective unit?

Unknown · November 2001

Kelly Keefe,[p]Hi, I just purchased two of the NuTemp 701's at Costco for $20.00 each. Included a temperature fork and batteries [p]Great product.. I just wish you could set a high and low temp. alarm on the receiver active at the same time for a single probe . I now run two transmitters .. one through a potato sitting on the grill to get an accurate grill level reading and one in the meat. [p]On a couple overnight cooks the high and low alarms have waken me from my sleep and saved me. [p]Wise purchase Take care and happy Egging. [p] [p]

Kelly Keefe · November 2001

BB,[p]Sure wish we had a Costco round these parts. Closest one is 250 miles East or West (St. Louis or KC). I got mine from Gas Grills Now and paid $35. Still, that's better than the $70 price I've seen elsewhere. [p]I'm pretty excited about it (as are the wife and dog since I will no longer wake them as I trundle downstairs to check things out) and can hardly wait to replace my dome thermo with it. Pork Butts anyone??[p]Kelly

Unknown · November 2001

Big Murth,[p]I would try pulling the batteries and then reinstalling them. If that didn't work... I would try new ones. [p]I never have fried a probe yet....but the probe may have something to do with it I imagine. That's why I bough two of them... I figure some day im going to have an accident and go over 375 deg. and fry the probe. [p]Good Luck... BB

ColoradoCook · November 2001

Big Murth,[p]I have the Redi-Chek, sorry I can't help you with the frozen display.[p]Just hang it through the fine adjustment holes of the daisy wheel and you are in business. Last week when I did my Turkey I had to push my probe through a wine cork then put it in the vent, otherwise it was too long and it rested on the turkey.[p]The Nu-Temp has a low temp alarm, you'll be set to sleep through the night if you use Elder Ward's technique for setting up the lump. I have to set the alarm clock a few times during the night with the Redi-Chek to monitor the dome temp.[p][p]CC

ColoradoCook · November 2001

BB,[p]Help me with this potato idea. Is the tip of the probe still in the potato and you are reading the temp of the potato? Or, is the tip of the probe out the other end of the potato and you are reading ambient temperature at grill level? I've heard the use of a potato before but I am having a tough time picturing its use.[p]Thank you,[p]CC

The Naked Whiz · November 2001

Kelly Keefe,
Absolutely the internal temp needs to get up around 200. At 170, you are just beginning to tenderize. [p]TNW

Big Murth · November 2001

ColoradoCook,
Thanks for the word on setting up my additional remote temp sensor to monitor dome temps. I'll lick this yet!
Big Murth down in the tropics of Nuevo Mexico--38 degree high today!
p.s. maybe play golf tomorrow

Earl · November 2001

ColoradoCook,[p]
I believe our form member Cat first introduced this method
some time ago & it works great, we use it all the time.
The main reason for the potato is only to keep the polder off the grill. You push the probe all the way through the spud & lay it down on the grill. Can't give you a picture as i am in the office, if you need one, e-mail me i'll do one up.[p]Earl [p]Earl

New Toy, Happy Boy - Almost

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