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    I have joined the ranks of cooking Brisket for the first time for Christmas Eve

    Posts: 455
    in EggHead Forum
    First I would like to say thanks to all of you that have posted some fantastic information and links concerning Brisket Cooks.  This place is absolutely phenomenal for learning about Egg cooking and you guys are always great about sharing.

    I fired up the XL about .5 hours ago and plan to let in settle in for about an hour.  I placed the wood chunks near the center, but far enough away so that they won't go up in smoke (pun intended) during the VOC burn off and coming to temp.  I have  a 733 dual probe wireless that has been tested on overnight cooks, so I trust it at this point.  But that probably still won't keep me from waking in the middle of the night to go and check things.

    After reading many suggestions and all of the links I could find I decided to go with a coating of mustard and Meat Church Holy Cow.  It has been coated and in the fridge for 24 hours and is ready to go. I trimmed it to about 1/4 inch fat and it weighs in just a little north of 14 pounds.

    However, in the unlikely event that everything goes south on the cook, I am prepared.  I picked up 6 racks of baby backs today that were on sale BOGO.  There is also a 7 pound spiral sliced ham in the fridge along with 10 lbs of chicken leg quarters.  The sale also included choice bone in Prime Rib Roasts at $6 a pound.  So I picked up 2 four bone roasts, about 14 pounds total.

    Hope the brisket cook goes well, because all of the other purchases are to feed this visiting crew of 13 over the next 10 days.

    The Brisket will go on in a few:





    Thanks again for your willingness to not only welcome a Noob a few months ago, but for always being willing to share info.
    Titusville, Fl. and just bought XL and Med BGE.  "Every Day is A Bonus" in my world, and my job is to choke the life out of them. Cancer Sucks.
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    Comments

    • Posts: 14,544
      Man, looks like a nice hunk of meat. Good luck! You got this easy. 
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    • Posts: 17,125
      Fabulous cook coming! This will be a very Merry Christmas indeed.
      "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

      XL and MM
      Louisville, Kentucky
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    • Posts: 11,366
      It's been fun reading your posts the last few months! You have great enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Best wishes to you and family! Now kick some arse! =)  
      "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

      Minnesota
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    • Posts: 4,974
      Merry Christmas!  Not sure what looks better right now, the brisket or the pool!
      Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
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    • Posts: 16,025
      Keep us posted 
      Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
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    • Posts: 1,961
      If you're lucky, the brisket will be done in time for the baby backs to go on too. More is more!

      Good luck. 
      (now only 16 stone)

      Joule SV
      GE induction stove
      Gasser by the community pool (currently unavailable)
      Scale (which one of my friends refuses to use)
      Friends with BGEs and myriad other fired devices (currently unavail IRL)
      Occasional access to a KBQ and Webber Kettle
      Charcuterie and sourdough enthusiast
      Prosciuttos in an undisclosed location

      Austin, TX
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    • Posts: 455
      The brisket went on about 2.5 hours ago.  Dome temp is reading steady at 250 now.  Crept up to about 280 for little bit.  Grate temp is reading 200.  Meat probe is reading 131.  Seems kinda fast climb from 52 when I put in on. But I am sure that there will be a stall somewhere along the line.

      @blind99, the pool is covered to hold in the heat til the guests come in later tonight.  The water temp is sitting at 90.  Air temp is 75 right now.  Living is Florida sure is nice this time of year.

      @20stone, I hope the brisket is enough for tomorrow, or it means another trip to the store.

      Thank you all for the comments, I hope that you and your families have a wonderful holiday season. 

      I will post updates as the cook progresses.


      Titusville, Fl. and just bought XL and Med BGE.  "Every Day is A Bonus" in my world, and my job is to choke the life out of them. Cancer Sucks.
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    • Posts: 3,865
      Wow, that sounds just awesome. I hope you like your guests, because they might never leave.
      Stillwater, MN
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    • Posts: 3,201
      Best advice I can give you for your first brisket.... I'd rather eat overcooked brisket than undercooked brisket.....Shread it for tacos, chili, burritos, pot roast... whatever.... Undercooked brisket is a no no!

      Kansas City, Missouri
      Large Egg
      Mini Egg

      "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" - Gandalf


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    • Posts: 134
      Man that looks good!!!!!!     I can't wait to cook one of those bad boys myself!  
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    • Posts: 455
      The cook is going along nicely and now I am going to bed.  Egg holding pretty steady at 250 Dome and 200 grate.  Meat probe is reading 147.

      Although I have been jonesing to take a peek, I have resisted opening the egg.  We'll just let this thing do what it will and hopefully be pleasantly surprised in the morning.

      Nite All
      Titusville, Fl. and just bought XL and Med BGE.  "Every Day is A Bonus" in my world, and my job is to choke the life out of them. Cancer Sucks.
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    • Posts: 39
      I hope all turns out well......there is always a bit of nervousness with a brisket cook.  Looks good so far.
      Montgomery, OH
      Large BGE
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    • Posts: 1,755
      Sounds like it will be a delicious brisket. Remember start to probe the thickest part of the flat at 195f till it probes like butter.
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    • Posts: 34,763
      What a great way to kick off the holidays.  Brisket-my favorite BGE cook.  Enjoy the cook and eats.  
      Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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    • Posts: 8,207
      Great start to the Christmas weekend!!  Thanks for sharing and Merry Christmas.

      "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."
                                                                                    -Umberto Eco

      2 Large
      Peachtree Corners, GA
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    • Posts: 455
      Well it may be a Brisket fail for dinner this afternoon.

      As I said earlier, when I went to bed about 2am, the egg was at 250 dome and 200 on the grate.  About 2 hours later the alarm went off and the grate temp had gone up to 240, which was about 290 on the dome.  So I got up and made some air adjustments and waited a while to see the temp start to drop.

      At 7am my wife woke me because the alarm was going off again.  The meat temp was reading 205.  So it had blasted through a stall and risen 58 degrees in just 5 hours.

      I jumped up and opened the egg.  The bark is dark and very crusty.  I probed it in a few places with the Thermopen and with a few exceptions it was reading 200-205, but probed easily.  I cut off one small corner and it appeared very well done and dry.  I am hoping that the further in it I slice will be more moist.

      So I wrapped it in foil and plenty of towels and put it in the cooler.  I am really hoping that this will softened the bark and allow some moisture back in.  No pics at this point, I was in a hurry to get it FTC'd.

      I never expected a 14 pound brisket to be finished in 13.5 hours.  Dinner time is still 7 hours away.

      I won't let this happen again, that's for sure.  I am heading out today to the local Ace to buy the Flameboss 200.  I started to buy it yesterday when I picked up the Rockwood, but held off because of all of the spending for Christmas.

      As a precaution, I will be putting the ham in the oven with the glaze.  I also will be cooking the 10lbs of chicken leg quarters for the non beef eaters, so there should be food for dinner at least.  And if the Brisket is edible there will be leftovers for the next few days so I won't have to cook as much.

      Only time will tell at this point.  Be it good or bad I will post some pics this afternoon.

      Fingers are crossed.
      Titusville, Fl. and just bought XL and Med BGE.  "Every Day is A Bonus" in my world, and my job is to choke the life out of them. Cancer Sucks.
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    • Posts: 18,459
      That happened to me on my last one. It was not my best, but edible. Good luck! 
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    • Posts: 34,763
      Of late I have been seeing my brisket cooks (average around 11-12 lb packers) take about 0.75 hrs/lb with the calibrated dome running 270-280*F.  Friggin cow always wins.  But great eats await.  Give the Aaron Franklin brisket "payoff" a look for how to slice.  Takes all the mystery out of it.  
      Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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    • Posts: 8,207
      I've decided, after my last few attempts, that brisket always cooks quicker than I expect it to.  I also feel like I get a more moist finished product when I run the grate temp at 260.  Hope it eats OK......if not make some @EggObsessed Award Winning Smoked Brisket Chili.......it never disappoints.

      "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."
                                                                                    -Umberto Eco

      2 Large
      Peachtree Corners, GA
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    • Posts: 3,201
      I read absolutely nothing here that makes me think your brisket is ruined at all.  Your temp went to 250 grate (I cook mine at 275.) So I see nothing wrong there.  
      Your probe readings are 200-205.  That is perfect.  Hell, I have honestly had a lot of mine not get done until 210.  Never once in my life have I had a brisket done to my liking that is below 200. So nothing wrong there.
       The bark is really dark and crunch. PERFECT.  Foiling it will moisten it up.
       The edge was dry. That always happens to me on my egg since it hangs over and gets burnt.  

      I commented in this post earlier and said" Best advice I can give you is, I'd rather eat an overcooked brisket than an undercooked brisket."
      Overcooked briskets aren't going to dry out.  They will get MORE moist, so much that they will turn into shredded beef, which is still great BBQ.

      My ONLY concern is that you have 7 hours to go.  Keep is tightly wrapped in double foil, and put towles around it and in a cooler, and you should be fine.

      If it's extremely overcooked (which it isn't even close to that) just shread it and chop it up.  If it's slightly overcooked - just cut thicker slices.  But I am 100% certain it is not going to be dry at all.  Please be sure to let me know.


      Kansas City, Missouri
      Large Egg
      Mini Egg

      "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" - Gandalf


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    • Posts: 455
      Thanks folks.  Yep, if it is a wash on the brisket for dinner, I will be making some chili out of it.  But damn 14lbs will make a lot of chili for sure.  May  also just chop some and add BBQ sauce.

      I also have some AuJus packets and no sodium beef broth that I can heat it up in.

      Options aplenty, but my hope is we can eat it.
      Titusville, Fl. and just bought XL and Med BGE.  "Every Day is A Bonus" in my world, and my job is to choke the life out of them. Cancer Sucks.
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    • Posts: 1,774
      I think you might be surprised when you cut into it. I don't pull mine till it hits 203. The corners will always be dry and crusty. I like to wrap mine when they hit 160. Part of the reason is to soften the bark up a bit. Merry Christmas.
      1 XXL BGE,  1 LG BGE, 2 MED. BGE, 1 MINI BGE, 1 Peoria custom cooker Meat Monster.


      Clinton, Iowa
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    • Posts: 455
      badinfluence said:
      I think you might be surprised when you cut into it. I don't pull mine till it hits 203. The corners will always be dry and crusty. I like to wrap mine when they hit 160. Part of the reason is to soften the bark up a bit. Merry Christmas.
      I truly appreciate all of the good vibes.  I sure hope that you folks are right.  It is just a family gathering, but I still want it to be good.
      Titusville, Fl. and just bought XL and Med BGE.  "Every Day is A Bonus" in my world, and my job is to choke the life out of them. Cancer Sucks.
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    • Posts: 34,763
      Ride that cow to the promised land and enjoy-
      Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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    • Posts: 455
      Well the Brisket turned out Great on the flavor scale.  And that is what it is all about after all.  It may not have the best appearance factor from the slicing standpoint, but I am proud to say that there was nothing left of the 14+ packer.  The point shredded very nicely too.  No one took any home, it was all eaten.  I saw plenty of seconds plates and a few thirds.

      Very little BBQ sauce was used and only a little of the Au Jus that I  made up.

      I think the only problem may have been that the temp got a little high and changed the edges a little.

      All in all it was a success on the edible scale.  I WILL be picking up a FlameBoss 200 before my next cook though.




      Titusville, Fl. and just bought XL and Med BGE.  "Every Day is A Bonus" in my world, and my job is to choke the life out of them. Cancer Sucks.
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    • Posts: 2,466
      edited December 2015
      That last picture of it falling apart... says it all.   Must have been fantastic. 

      And that picture is why the next time you are in a BBQ restaurant and are served a tough slice of beef as your brisket... you'll look at them like they just handed you a plate of dog sh*t.  :lol: 
      LBGE/Maryland
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    • Posts: 14,544
      Yum, I'd eat that too! Juicy!
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    • Posts: 34,763
      Nailed it-congrats on the cook and Merry Christmas!
      Wish I was wrestling a brisket today.
      Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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    • Posts: 455
      Thanks guys.  I did do a lot of fretting over the thing yesterday, but it turned out very tasty.

      No winner on appearance, but taste was blue ribbon.
      Titusville, Fl. and just bought XL and Med BGE.  "Every Day is A Bonus" in my world, and my job is to choke the life out of them. Cancer Sucks.
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    • Posts: 11,366
      No better compliment than 2nd and 3rd helpings! Glad to hear about the success 
      "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

      Minnesota
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