Overnight brisket with GURU first run

bhedges1987

got a 17lb angus. Rubbed half mustard half pickle juice, salt, pepper, garlic.  Steady at 250 dome.

Just put her down for the long nap. Won't see it again until the sun is shining. 

YukonRon

Sleep well, she will be rolling for a while.

bhedges1987

@YukonRon

Question: My fan runs about 3 seconds, turns off for 3 seconds and keeps doing that.  When the fan turns on it blinks at least 5 times if not more.  

It is holding it steady at 250 which is what I put it in at.  Should I open the bottom a little more so it's not running so much? Or should I just let it do it's thing since it's holding steady?

YukonRon

Let it go. It is balancing the heat. Keep the bottom vent closed, slightly open the DW about 1/8".
It will be ok. Let it do its thing.
trust the force.

one question though. Pit temp. What is the clip attached to?

bhedges1987

Thanks...

It's pretty awesome though every time I go check it's holding right at 250.... Provided I can trust the thermometer on it.  Is there a way to calibrate it provided it wasn't accurate?  

I believe it's pretty close though.  My dome thermometer is reading 245 and the guru is at 250.

YukonRon

YukonRon said:

Let it go. It is balancing the heat. Keep the bottom vent closed, slightly open the DW about 1/8".
It will be ok. Let it do its thing.
trust the force.

one question though. Pit temp. What is the clip attached to?

I ask, because I attach mine to the grill grate, as close to the food as possible.

bhedges1987

@YukonRon

oh sorry I didnt see.  I have it attached to my dome thermometer.

YukonRon

Ok that will give you the temp your dome is reading, which with my XL is about 25 degrees hotter than my food grate, which means you are likely around 225F, which is no big deal, it may take just a bit longer to cook go desired texture/temp.

YukonRon

The DigiQ Guru dx2 is a very good work horse. It will deliver your cook. After you do a couple, you will learn to trust it. It gives the right amount of air to keep your programmed temp exact.

bhedges1987

@YukonRon

If I want to bump it up a little, is that okay?  My grate is actually reading 210 according to my maverick.  It is sitting VERY close to my colder meat though and on the side of my egg.  I know it's a smidge hotter at the back.

Scottborasjr

What time are you shooting to serve this masterpiece? I'd let it ride til you wake up in the morning, then judge whether or not you want to bump it up a bit.

bhedges1987

Scottborasjr said:

What time are you shooting to serve this masterpiece? I'd let it ride til you wake up in the morning, then judge whether or not you want to bump it up a bit.

I'm just letting it go until she probes like butter!  Never do I have enough time to do that.  I always have to end up pulling early and make thinner slices.

Scottborasjr

Well then enjoy the ride. If you enjoy libations have a cocktail when you get up and check the meat. I'm sure it will be absolutely stellar. 

YukonRon

I like my pit (food grate) temp to be at 225F, but 210F won't hurt it. Let it ride until the morning, then if you need to, bump it up. Get some sleep.

bhedges1987

roger - will do.

Thanks for the help.  I think I may enjoy this guru.  I mean, the egg is always steady, but this gives me some peace of mind and keeps it dead on. (So far at least)

YukonRon

No worries. You got this.

Robo2015

Excitedly waiting for an update.....! Seems like you were off to a great start.

johnmitchell

Any updates.. Interested in this one..

westernbbq

the guru has saved my life.  Purists think it is cheating.  I say if you can use technology to make life easier and get awesome results, do it.   The egg guru combo is my favorite and most useful cooking combination i have ever found.  

I was ready to walk away from bbq completely because i got sick of stoking fires all night.  Then i got an XL BGE.   So instead of stoking i was babysitting fires all night.   Then i got the guru. So now i get it set up, maintain a comstant temp and get results that are nothing short of spectacular.  

bhedges1987

No updates yet.  Haven't even opened the lid since my last spritz at 4 am.  Just broke the stall.  Been on exactly 12 hours.  It was about 14lbs after trimming.  Hoping to pull it off the pit in the next hour or so.  Will post a pic when I do.

Both the guru (attached to dome therm) and dome thermometer are showing 250.  However my maverick dropped to 190.  Didn't open the lid to see, maybe it moved and touched some meat or something.

Jeepster47

bhedges1987 said:

@YukonRon

Question: My fan runs about 3 seconds, turns off for 3 seconds and keeps doing that.  When the fan turns on it blinks at least 5 times if not more.  

It is holding it steady at 250 which is what I put it in at.  Should I open the bottom a little more so it's not running so much? Or should I just let it do it's thing since it's holding steady?

Ah yes, another male who doesn't read directions! The number of blinks represents the percent of time that the fan is running.  "5 blinks - pause - 5 blinks - pause" is Bubba's way of telling you that the fan is running 50% of the time.  That also matches up with your description of the fan running for three seconds and then pausing for three seconds before repeating the cycle.

I've had good luck with Bubba running around 20~30% of the time.  That's the correct balance for me ... investigate and see what works best for you.  If you followed @YukonRon 's advise to open the top vent a little, then you probably saw the fan usage reduced some.

You have Bubba's pit probe attached to the dome thermometer to control the temp at the meat ... and you're monitoring the temp at the meat with a Maverick?  Doesn't that seem illogical? For the next cook, please place the pit probe at the grate level so that it can really do it's thing.

Jeepster47

westernbbq said:

the guru has saved my life.  Purists think it is cheating.  ...

Yes, and the old timers cooking over an open fire thought that cooking in a kamado pot was cheating. 

bhedges1987

Probing 195. Not quite like butter yet. Looking like another hour or so. It's going to finish when it finishes today. No early pulls for me. 

YukonRon

You got this.

bhedges1987

YukonRon said:

You got this.

I've never been great with brisket.  It probes nicely through the top of the flat, but when I get half way down it still feels like it needs a while.  

I need it to probe like butter completely through right?

THanks

YukonRon

Butter in the thickest part of the flat is what I look for. 

Ozzie_Isaac

bhedges1987 said:

YukonRon said:

You got this.

I've never been great with brisket.  It probes nicely through the top of the flat, but when I get half way down it still feels like it needs a while.  

I need it to probe like butter completely through right?

THanks

Yes, probe like butter in all parts.  Don't worry about the point.  It has so much fat it will be fine.

bhedges1987

Pulled. It probes like butter!  Now to let it rest unwrapped for an hour or 2 so the interior forms that juicy gelatin  will post some sliced pics when the time is right!

Robo2015

Looks great! Post those sliced pictures.  I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on the guru so I'm interested to see how this went for you.

bhedges1987

Best brisket I've ever made

smbishop

Fun to follow your cook, thanks for posting!  Love my CyberQ Wifi...