First Brisket

jpeden

Put my first brisket on last night around midnight. It was a 12lb prime packer from Sams club. We are sitting right around 190 and pretty tender (I think it needs a little more time so I’m gonna check it in half hour intervals until I’m ready to pull it). Dinner is at 6 tonight so I’ll FTC and have it rest until then. 

I’m happy with how the cook has progressed so far but I feel like my bark didn’t get as dark as most people’s. I used the Lanes BBQ rub which is salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, and thyme so nothing too crazy. I also haven’t wrapped it and it was consistently 230-250 all night. Not sure how to take that next step for that perfect meteorite bark. 

lkapigian

Looks like a winner to me,  bark as well

jpeden

lkapigian said:

Looks like a winner to me,  bark as well

Thanks! Just pulled it and put it in the FTC. Probe was like buttah in the point per most everyone’s recommendations. Bark developed a little better over the past hour but nothing like what you see online. Gonna have dinner between 5:30 and 6 and I’m looking forward to it. 

Hans61

Maybe just add some fresh cracked pepper to your rub? 

Shiff

Looks great.  Have you calibrated your thermometer to make sure it is accurate. Perhaps it is reading higher than the real temperature.

bicktrav

Nice job! I second the motion to add black pepper. I would also cut the paprika; it's the most likely culprit for the mahogany color. 

jpeden

Thanks for the advice guys! When i pulled it off it actually had a nice bark. The rub was a store bought one so next time I’ll just go 50/50 kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. 

Flat was a little dry but not too bad. Point was excellent. Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of the finished product. Going to make some brisket chili tomorrow with the leftovers. 

jpeden

Shiff said:

Looks great.  Have you calibrated your thermometer to make sure it is accurate. Perhaps it is reading higher than the real temperature.

I haven’t recently recalibrated - I probably should but it tends to be accurate. I don’t use a flame boss or any remote probes - just a good instant read thermometer. 

brentm

Looks good!!!  

My experience has been that the sugars in the rub tend to darken the crust.  I didn't see any sugar in your recipe, so this might be the reason.

bluebird66

Looks darn good to me!

YukonRon

Your cook looks excellent.

Try probing in the thickest part of the flat on your next cook. Also on thin edges of the flat you may wish to cap with foil.

Not sure of the orientation on the BGE, but I always put the point (thickest part) to the rear or back of the egg, as that seems to be where most of the heat comes from.

I also inject. Most people think it sacrilege to do so, but if a moist flat is a desired result, and it being fork tender, it really helps.

I use a combination of 50% beef broth, 25% garlic juice and 25% onion juice.  I inject a couple of times prior and during the cook, primarily at various points around the flat. If any is left over you can baste with it.

I also use 6 fist sized chunks of pecan to smoke with. 

Rub with whatever fits your taste. I have used many different rubs and all were good, providing a nice crust. 

There is no chili anywhere better than brisket chili. I need to make another big batch. It freezes very well, too.

Congrats on your first and hoping for many more successful brisket cooks in your future.

ericwelsch

YukonRon said:

Your cook looks excellent.

Try probing in the thickest part of the flat on your next cook. Also on thin edges of the flat you may wish to cap with foil.

Not sure of the orientation on the BGE, but I always put the point (thickest part) to the rear or back of the egg, as that seems to be where most of the heat comes from.

I also inject. Most people think it sacrilege to do so, but if a moist flat is a desired result, and it being fork tender, it really helps.

I use a combination of 50% beef broth, 25% garlic juice and 25% onion juice.  I inject a couple of times prior and during the cook, primarily at various points around the flat. If any is left over you can baste with it.

I also use 6 fist sized chunks of pecan to smoke with. 

Rub with whatever fits your taste. I have used many different rubs and all were good, providing a nice crust. 

There is no chili anywhere better than brisket chili. I need to make another big batch. It freezes very well, too.

Congrats on your first and hoping for many more successful brisket cooks in your future.

This sounds great. I would like to try injecting. This might be a dumb question but what is garlic juice and onion juice? Just put in a food processor and liquify?