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Need help with brisket!

BGEinMaine
BGEinMaine Posts: 49
in EggHead Forum
I'm smoking my first brisket and it's cooking faster than expected. I put it on around 3ish AM, been almost 7 hours and I'm already at 181. I was planning to eat around 6 but I think it will finish too early and need to FTC for too long. Am I being paranoid or is it right on track for finishing and then a good long FTC before serving? Anything I should be doing now to help this? Thanks for the help!!
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Comments

  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,813
    Need you to fill in some gaps in provided information such as;  What is your cook temp (calibrated dome temp)?  what cut of brisket? (packer or flat) and how much did it weigh when you started the cook? 
    Can't offer anything of value absent the above.  FWIW-
     
    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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  • BGEinMaine
    BGEinMaine Posts: 49
    I'm at 250 air temp at the grate, packer brisket was 14lb before trimming so maybe ~12 after trimming. Thanks!
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  • BGEinMaine
    BGEinMaine Posts: 49
    Also, it's not wrapped but I do have butcher paper 
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,813
    edited July 2019
    For a 12 lb packer to get to 181 in 7 hours is pushing it but not way outside what I have seen.  Since you are watching this you can drop the temp (with 250 at the grate what is your dome reading?) around 20-30*F to slow it down.  The goal is to get inside the FTC window which for me is 2hr (preferred minimum FTC time) to 6+ hrs wide (cooler and pre-FTC work dependent) so, you likely will be in the FTC window when this crosses the finish-line.  I have seen them really crawl along from the low 180's to mid 190's. 
    Time for an adult supervisory beverage or more and relax.  You're only 90 minutes from the FTC window. 
    Edit:  Just saw the BP comment-used to maintain your bark if it is where you want it.  Now HDAF is used to power the cow across the finish-line.  Declare victory when the thick part probes smooth, temperature is only a guide as to when to start checking. 
    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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  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 19,182
    Have you probed elsewhere on the brisket flat to ensure you’re not in a hot spot? 
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  • TexasisBestest
    TexasisBestest Posts: 122
    Doing briskets myself today. I would NOT wrap it (eggs dont really need the wrap). Drop the temp on the egg as stated above and let it crawl a bit slower.   That will slow things down (wrapping will speed it up and TOO much time wrapped ruins bark. 

    Let it crawl to FTC time... you're ok! 

    FYI in my XL eggs 7 to 8 hours usually gets me to 160/175 ish but every cow is different.  Agree with the feedback to probe all over the brisket to make sure you're consistent, I've seen probes stick right into the deckle vs the beef which will be inconsistent as it renders.
    Dallas Texas.
    2 x XLBGE 1 x LBGE.
    Tech:  EggGenius and Thermoworks Smoke w Gateway
    Lump: Rockwood/Fogo
    Wood: Cherry, Apple, PostOak, Pecan
    Meat: Costco, Deep Cuts
    Rubs: Meat Church, HardcoreCarnivore, John Henry's
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  • BGEinMaine
    BGEinMaine Posts: 49
    Good advice, I probed other parts and was about 10deg cooler! On the plus side parts were probe tender which I now know what that feels like. I wrapped in butcher paper and threw it back on. Thinking I should be good now! Now that it's wrapped do I do the probe check through the butcher paper??
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,813
    Chances are that the probe tender parts at this stage were in the point.  Pay no attention to it.  The feel you are looking for is in the thick part of the flat.  You may have the very thin end of the flat probe tender sooner but it can become a sacrificial anode for the main part.
    Regarding probing, make sure your temp probe is in the thick part of the flat.  Don't worry about checking til you are up to 199*F or higher.  Then probe thru the paper but I doubt you will get the finish-line feel til around 203-208*F.  FWIW-
    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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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,813
    Time for the final exam results...
    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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  • BGEinMaine
    BGEinMaine Posts: 49
    It came out awesome, really happy with it for my first cook! Thanks to all for the advice and help! Made all the fixings and smoked some chicken wings while the brisket was FTC, which were a big hit too.  Really looking forward to the next one!













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  • mEGG_My_Day
    mEGG_My_Day Posts: 1,661
    Winner winner brisket dinner !!! Well done, it all looks great. 
    Memphis, TN 

    LBGE, 2 SBGE, Hasty-Bake Gourmet
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  • XC242
    XC242 Posts: 1,208
    Nail’d it!!
    LBGE (still waitin' for my free T-Shirt), DIgiQ DX2 (In Blue, cause it's the fastest), Heavy Duty Kick Ash Basket, Mc Farland, WI. :glasses:  B)
    If it wasn't for my BGE I'd have no use for my backyard...
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,813
    Congrats.  That is a great result.  Nailed it.  I would take that every time.  You set the bar way up there for your first one.  Wings for the closer-way to bring it home. 
    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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  • SmokeyLopey
    SmokeyLopey Posts: 435
    Glad it worked out. Nice looking brisket and meal!
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