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How not to smoke a brisket...

caliking
caliking Posts: 19,780
in EggHead Forum
My sister requested brisket for her visit this past weekend, so I tried to oblige. Picked one up from the store earlier in the week, and then was all giggly about a weekend brisket cook. 

This cook was destined to be a disaster. Firstly, I bungled the timing. Was supposed to serve it at lunch on Father's Day, but for whatever reason, I thought her flight out was on Sunday night. So instead of putting the brisket on the egg early in the morning, I put it on at about 11am. That's when I realized that I had goofed. Strike 1.

Filled up the egg with Fogo (first bag - I like it), pecan chunks,  and set it up indirect, goal temp 300°F. Went inside to finish prep. Checked on the egg, and the temp was 550°F. FARK!! Strike 2. Shut the top and bottom vents until it cooled to about 450°F and then put the brisket on. Opened the vents a tad, because I figured I would check on it in a bit.  Plan was to cook at 300°F for 4 hours, then wrap in butcher paper for another hour or two. I actually felt good about it, because my best brisket ever had started out as a cook that didn't go according to plan, so there was still hope for today. 

Caliprince decided to wake up from nap time an hour earlier than expected. SWMBO was busy, so I went to try and put him back to sleep. Took an hour, meanwhile I'm pretty sure the egg is running too hot. Go to check the egg, and its running at 700°F. FARK! FARK!!! Now I was pissed. It looked kinda scorched and parts of it felt crispy. I was *almost* devastated. Strike 3.

Threw it in the oven, wrapped in butcher paper, in a pan, and foiled, at 250°F for 2 hours. Let it rest for another 2 hours. This is what it looked like in the end:


Sliced it and served with mac n cheese that I made indoors.   The point was decent, but the rub was kinda charred. The portion of the flat underneath the point was also decent. 



The flat itself was tender, but dry, so I didn't serve it. I'll probably chop it up for spaghetti sauce. No plated shot since I was still mad. Salvageable for dinner, but chalked up as a fail.

Moral of the story - i like Fogo. Don't let the temp hit 700°F when you're smoking a brisket.

Anyways, just needed to get this off my chest. This forum is better than therapy :smile: 

#1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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Comments

  • Ladeback69
    Ladeback69 Posts: 4,484
    Sorry for your problem cook @caliking.  At least it sounds like it was edible so that's a plus.  I don't like to rush brisket and so far I haven't had to.  I like it more then my wife so I don't get to do as mush as I like, but have one planed for the 4th.  Better luck on you next one.
    XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas Grill

    Kansas City, Mo.
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  • YYZegger
    YYZegger Posts: 231
    OMG, sometimes things don't work out the way you plan them in your mind...  Happens some times to all of us Egging or in Life!  So you like the Fogo  :)
    Toronto, Canada  LBGE
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  • Grillin_beers
    Grillin_beers Posts: 1,345
    How in the world did the egg get to 700 with the bottom vent barely open and the Daisey wheel almost shut?  Bad luck man. 
    1 large BGE, Spartanburg SC

    My dog thinks I'm a grilling god. 
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  • GregW
    GregW Posts: 2,678
    It's easy to have things go wrong. Once the temp is too high its hard to ever get it back under control. How many places did you light the lump in?
    I usually only light one location.
    I also use a Stoker temp controller.
    True Egg masters don't need no stinkin controller.........I however am not that guy. 
    I rest and sleep much better knowing my Egg is in the hands of the Stoker.
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 19,780

    YYZegger said:
    OMG, sometimes things don't work out the way you plan them in your mind...  Happens some times to all of us Egging or in Life!  So you like the Fogo  :)
    So very true. I just have to learn how to deal with it better :)

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • GeorgiaGirl
    GeorgiaGirl Posts: 50
    Great story!
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 19,780
    Grillin_beers said:
    How in the world did the egg get to 700 with the bottom vent barely open and the Daisey wheel almost shut?  Bad luck man. 
    Yeah that was a definite WTF moment. The bottom vent was more than barely open, as was the smokware cap. I was banking on being able to check on it in 15-20mins and that's where things went south.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • DieselkW
    DieselkW Posts: 915
    I just put a 17 lb. monster brisket on Saturday night, about 9pm. Thought I'd take it off about 15 hours (noon) later, rest it in a blanket wrapped cooler for 3-4 hours and slice for Father's Day dinner.

    Checked on it at 6am, Egg temp 280f, burnt ends pretty burnt. 205f internal temp and already "butter" on the probe.

    $75 for a point I had to shred for pit beef, the flat was "just OK" - tender enough, but not what I'd hoped for.

    I felt like the compliments I was getting was more for my ego, not for the quality of this brisket.

    Today I've got the point soaking in the crock pot with some vinegar and Sweet Baby Ray's to shred it later.

    It happens.

    Indianapolis, IN

    BBQ is a celebration of culture in America. It is the closest thing we have to the wines and cheeses of Europe. 

    Drive a few hundred miles in any direction, and the experience changes dramatically. 



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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 19,780
    @GregW - i made up my mind to buy a Stoker a few months ago, just haven't pulled the trigger yet. Just when i was about to order it (March?) it seemed like folks were having some issues with new systems, so I held off. I think this was a cosmic message that i need to follow through on the Stoker mission. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,989
    Brother you not only hung in there, but you ultimately saved what could have been a total disaster. You had everything go wrong but you still pulled it off. I call that a win brother. I like the idea of using the flat for spaghetti. Sounds great. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 19,780
    @SGH - I guess that's some consolation. 

    The brisket spaghetti sauce is pretty easy. My preferred way to use up leftover flats. 
    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1153112/blingity-bling-bling-and-brisket-spaghetti-sauce-on-the-mini

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,809
    Echoing @SGH and others, you more than salvaged a cook that went sideways several times.  Great job with the audibles as the events unfolded. 
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
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  • cazzy
    cazzy Posts: 9,136
    Hmm...how did it get to 700?  What were your settings?

    Next time you're asked for brisket, I'd be happy to make one for you!!
    Just a hack that makes some $hitty BBQ....
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  • GregW
    GregW Posts: 2,678
    edited June 2015
    My Stoker is not the latest model. It is the last generation. Other than poor wireless performance it has worked well. I believe it controls the temp better than my old BBQ Guru. I had the wireless Procom 4. Tragically I loaned the Guru to a family member that proceeded to let a fire get out of control and burned up the probes. I replaced the probes, however the the burning of the probes also damaged the Procom base unit as well.
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  • Ladeback69
    Ladeback69 Posts: 4,484
    DieselkW said:
    I just put a 17 lb. monster brisket on Saturday night, about 9pm. Thought I'd take it off about 15 hours (noon) later, rest it in a blanket wrapped cooler for 3-4 hours and slice for Father's Day dinner.

    Checked on it at 6am, Egg temp 280f, burnt ends pretty burnt. 205f internal temp and already "butter" on the probe.

    $75 for a point I had to shred for pit beef, the flat was "just OK" - tender enough, but not what I'd hoped for.

    I felt like the compliments I was getting was more for my ego, not for the quality of this brisket.

    Today I've got the point soaking in the crock pot with some vinegar and Sweet Baby Ray's to shred it later.

    It happens.
    @DieselkW, when I do a brisket for dinner the next day I don't usually put it on tell about 11 or 12 at about 225 to 250 for a brisket that size.  Most the times my XL has gone up to about 265 even though I stabilized it for an hour with the meat on it.  It is usually at the stall by this point sometimes and I can either let it ride or try and take it down a little if I want.  I usually let it ride.  Sounds like your were able to salvage yours too.  The thing about getting complements is we are own worst enemy about what we think it ought to be.  I did one once where I thought I would just take it to 150 or so, pull it and finish it the next day at a party I did it for.  It was good, but not my best.  I won't do that again.  Next time I will finish it and slowly heat it up to 140 before slicing.  I have now learned from you @caliking.  
    XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas Grill

    Kansas City, Mo.
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  • jonnymack
    jonnymack Posts: 627
    You should be proud you were able to salvage something edible. I wouldn't get too down but I understand your anger. I have yet to tackle the Brisket Beast.
    Firing up the BGE in Covington, GA

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  • Angus1978
    Angus1978 Posts: 390
    I've found that my temps get out of whack when I load up the firebox with many chunks of wood.  I suspect the wood is actually catching fire and not smoldering.  I've since controlled the urge to layer wood chunks in my fire box and just put 2 at the bottom.  The fire will migrate to the bottom of the egg and the wood can catch fire or smolder there for a bit, but won't throw the temps out of whack.

    This is just a theory and I'm still mulling my logic over...
    LBGE and Primo XL Plano TX All right all right alllll riight
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  • Grillin_beers
    Grillin_beers Posts: 1,345
    caliking said:
    Grillin_beers said:
    How in the world did the egg get to 700 with the bottom vent barely open and the Daisey wheel almost shut?  Bad luck man. 
    Yeah that was a definite WTF moment. The bottom vent was more than barely open, as was the smokware cap. I was banking on being able to check on it in 15-20mins and that's where things went south.
    Sometimes the egg has a mind of its own.  I was puffing along Friday night at 425 for an hour before I put some tenderloins on. (I don't typically wait that long I just got distracted)  I put them on and went inside to make a drink.  5 minutes later I'm at 750 degrees.  I checked my settings and they were right where I left them.  Who knows. 
    1 large BGE, Spartanburg SC

    My dog thinks I'm a grilling god. 
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  • hondabbq
    hondabbq Posts: 1,986
    I made beercan burgers just last night and had the egg steady at 400. went downstairs wo watch an episode of Suits and came up and it was at 700F. top was a little scorched but still was edible. In fact the best ones I have made according to SWMBO. They were good.
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  • Ladeback69
    Ladeback69 Posts: 4,484
    hondabbq said:
    I made beercan burgers just last night and had the egg steady at 400. went downstairs wo watch an episode of Suits and came up and it was at 700F. top was a little scorched but still was edible. In fact the best ones I have made according to SWMBO. They were good.
    @hondabbq, what is your beercan burger recipe?  I have yet to try this.  I was thinking some suited onions and mushrooms with an egg and cheese on top.  Wrapped in bacon of course.
    XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas Grill

    Kansas City, Mo.
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,989
    @caliking
    Just something maybe worthy of mention. While a temp spike is never ideal, it's not always the end of the world. Now granted this is totally dependant on a few things such as how large is the cut of meat, how high the spike was, how long it lasted, and equally important, what stage of the cook it happened at. With that said, I feel you did a excellent job by not panicking and making the necessary adjustments to at least salvage it. I only bring this up to compare it to something that myself, Nolaegghead and brother Tex did out of desperation and time constraints at last years brisket camp. With time running short, we made the decision to run the final four briskets at a confirmed and witnessed temp of 440 degrees. Up to this point, the highest I had ever ran brisket before was 375 degrees. I took the weight of the brisket as well as a estimated draft velocity into account and took a guess that I should be able to get away with cooking at around 450 degrees as long as I flipped and rotated them occasionally. Unit #1 decided to settle at 440 degrees without me pushing it so I thought close enough. I share this story only because a lot of people assume that a temp spike automatically means that all is lost or ruined. Our experiment certainly disproves this theory.  As does your events. Also, thanks for sharing the link above my friend.  

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 19,780
    @SGH - I appreciate the advice. Things would have been better if the egg had hit 450... 700 was a different ballgame altogether. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 19,780
    Grillin_beers said:
    Sometimes the egg has a mind of its own.  I was puffing along Friday night at 425 for an hour before I put some tenderloins on. (I don't typically wait that long I just got distracted)  I put them on and went inside to make a drink.  5 minutes later I'm at 750 degrees.  I checked my settings and they were right where I left them.  Who knows.  
    What makes it even more sad is that I wasn't even drinking! Maybe that's what the real problem with this cook was...

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 19,780

    cazzy said:
    Hmm...how did it get to 700?  What were your settings?

    Next time you're asked for brisket, I'd be happy to make one for you!!
    Dude, the settings were wrong. Opened the vents more than they needed to be. The planets were not aligned right yesterday.

    And don't worry - I may have plans for you and your Pitmaker next January :smiley: 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 19,780
    @Angus1978 - you may be  on to something. I usually throw a few chunks of wood on top, after filling the lump, but this time i added chunks of wood throughout the lump as I filled the egg. I wonder if that contributed to things going crazy. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • Angus1978
    Angus1978 Posts: 390
    yeah...and the more I think about my theory is that chunks in the middle or bottom of the pile might not be good either....fire goes down towards the lowest vent....if the wood catches fire there, it can ignite more lump than desired.    Maybe couple chunks on top is the ideal positioning.  And I'm sure size of chunks probably matters too

    $hit...I'm gonna have to experiment
    LBGE and Primo XL Plano TX All right all right alllll riight
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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,109
    Angus1978 said:
    yeah...and the more I think about my theory is that chunks in the middle or bottom of the pile might not be good either....fire goes down towards the lowest vent....if the wood catches fire there, it can ignite more lump than desired.    Maybe couple chunks on top is the ideal positioning.  And I'm sure size of chunks probably matters too

    $hit...I'm gonna have to experiment
    Nope. The fire and heat is controlled (limited) by the amount of air you introduce through the vents.  
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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  • johnmitchell
    johnmitchell Posts: 7,365
    Funny, Great story... 
    Greensboro North Carolina
    When in doubt Accelerate....
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  • Angus1978
    Angus1978 Posts: 390
    @nolaegghead  Thanks...as I said my logic may not be sound :)
    LBGE and Primo XL Plano TX All right all right alllll riight
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