Brisket going on tonight

DoubleEgger said:

Cold meat on the egg = smoke ring 

It was cold. I kept it prepped in the fridge for 12 hours, prior to placing on the BGE.
I will do that. Don't think I will do the tropical storm thing again, unless I absolutely have to.

Totally.^^^^^^^^^

northGAcock said:

Time to put the one I sent you on Ron. Lets see it or it didn't happen.

@northGAcock
Funny. Robin, you are a good friend, indeed. You guys make me laugh. A lot.

da87 said:

Wow - Simply awesome!  I am both motivated and frightened to embark on the brisket journey.  I have an SRF brisket in the freezer bought on sale but afraid to use that on my first brisket...  Think I'll go get something less $ and try your technique this weekend!  Is apple too subtle for brisket?  Only big chunks I have left...  Thank you for sharing - not just the brisket but all of your cooks!

@da87
 Smoke flavor is a personal preference. I typically go with just a few types:
Pecan
Peach
Sugar Maple
Cherry
Apple
Hickory
These are the ones I use most, probably in order.
For red meats, I typically use pecan, Sugar Maple and Cherry.
I use apple for pork and chicken mostly.
Apple would be fine, I am sure, but this is a long cook going low and slow. Just be sure your smoking wood is in adequate quantity, and dispersed throughout the lump to maintain the amount of smoke you desire.
I am sort of anal about my fires, and I am "That Guy" that is extremely particular in the manner in which the lump is stacked for the burn, meat placed on the grate, where I start the fire, how long I let it burn before putting the meat on, etc., so I can control the things I can control.
If you do this, your shot at a good result is better, I think, using the BGE, than not.
If you do not wish to use your SRF, go to Costco or any of the other stores and get a prime for 1/2 the money.
If you want, give me a call. I will be glad to help in anyway that I can.
I am not a Brisket God, like the others on here, but, I might be able to provide some logic if needed.
Fear not the brisket. They will make more. If it is not perfect, that is what chili, nachos, tacos and other tasty dishes are for.
You can't hit a home run if you never swing the bat.
Good luck, you will do fine.

lousubcap said:

@da87 -  give the search function a look or add egghead forum to a google query and you will find lots of brisket threads-information overload comes to mind.  Should you have questions start a thread and you will get more than enough info.
I'm with @YukonRon about starting with a prime grade brisket cut for the first go round but if you can'f find one, the SRF cook will be quite forgiving and you will do just fine with either.  FWIW-

This is the guy who mentored me through my first brisket cook. All I knew about using the BGE was what the handle on the dome was used for.
'Cap' has forgotten more about cooking a brisket than I will ever know.

SmokeyPitt said:

YukonRon said:

SmokeyPitt said:

She's a beaut! That is an impressive smoke ring.  I have read that moisture and humidity helps the smoke ring, so it may be necessary to make brisket during a tropical storm from now on. 

If that is indeed the case, I have no interest in getting a smoke ring on my brisket ever again.
I will say I was surprised to see such a pronounced smoke ring using pecan. I seldom see smoke rings like that with pecan.
Maybe the marinade I injected and brushed on, and the pan underneath to catch the drippings had something to do with it, in keeping the moisture in the BGE? I dunno.
I will use this exact method again, next time I do a cook, without the tropical storm.

The smoke ring can be elusive for me.  I swear I have done "everything right" before and had zero smoke ring...then other times I get a ring without trying. 

Last few I have been using celery salt to cheat a little and it has worked...although I have never had a ring as pronounced as the one in your pics. 

On my next beef cook I am going to try rubbing ahead of time to see if that makes a difference. As you mentioned going straight from the fridge to the smoker will probably help as well. 

I believe Michael, @DoubleEgger nailed it when he mentioned cold meat equals smoke ring. I prepped and let it sit in the fridge for about 12 hours, then went straight to the XL.
I have had it before, and the circumstances were similar, except for my last rib cook. I got a ring on those and the IT was around ambient when I put them on. You never know when that bad boy will show....