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np307

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Finally got a real smoker so we're gonna try it out tomorrow. First try at a brisket and a pork butt for backup.
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Dang, I wish I didn't have to work tomorrow. You may have had a unexpected guest.
 
Can't go wrong with either... Cook one for 12 hrs, cook the other for 24 hrs.
Pics of smoker or it didn't happen....
 
Just checked in at the 2 hour mark. Switched the brisket to the lower rack and butt to the upper rack because the butt was coming up to temp really slowly. That bottom rack may be too low in the cooking chamber. Both are looking good though and the hickory smells great. No pic because I already had the door open too long to swap them.
 
6 hours in and stalling. Starting to form some bark on the brisket but the pork juices are keeping it from forming on top. Having some consistency issues with the meat thermometers, so that may be a necessary upgrade. Smoker is doing great.
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I have never had the guts to do a brisket. Pretty much a pig and chicken guy so far. Tuned in for brisket results!
 
Brisket is now resting. Pork butt still fighting through the stall. I didn't wrap the brisket until now, for it to rest. May regret it because the bark was nice and crunchy.
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Still waiting on the butt to finish but I couldn't wait any longer to eat. Brisket was pretty good, especially for a first try. Little dry but flavor was there.
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What would you change to combat the dryness?

Looks great, though!
 
What would you change to combat the dryness?

Looks great, though!
My thermometer problems yielded too many probe spots and I suspect I lost a good bit of moisture there. I also bought the only brisket I could find since I wanted to cook today, but in the future I'll look for something graded 'choice'.
 
My thermometer problems yielded too many probe spots and I suspect I lost a good bit of moisture there. I also bought the only brisket I could find since I wanted to cook today, but in the future I'll look for something graded 'choice'.

It all looks good!
I have bought a couple briskets from Sam's warehouse before and they have been good meat at a pretty good price if your a member there.
 
Still waiting on the butt to finish but I couldn't wait any longer to eat. Brisket was pretty good, especially for a first try. Little dry but flavor was there.
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Looks good with a nice smoke ring. Higher grade cuts can help but are not essential for good brisket. If you have a Costco near you and are a member you can get Prime Briskets there at a reasonable price. The cut is as important if not more important IMHO. Look past the fat cap. You are going to cut all but 1.4" of it off anyway. You want a whole packer with the most visible fat striations in the meat. Good marbling in meat will help yield better results. I can't tell if your cut was a full packer of just the flat. The flat without the rest often will dry out before it is done.

To keep the meat moist some people will do what is known as the "pump" of basically injecting beef broth or other flavored liquid of choice in the meat before cooking. Also a dry brine will help the meat stay moist during the cooking. I recommend 16-24 hours of a salt only dry brine. The salt is absorbed into the meat and it helps it retain moisture. It also changes the chemical nature of the external part of the meat which helps in crust formation and better burnt ends. I do not put my rub on until I cook it. It does not absorb into the meat. Leaving it on the meat overnight does not yield more flavor. I think if you had dry brined the meat for 24 you would have had moister meat.

Brisket is the king of BBQ IMHO. It takes a lot of trial and error but once you get it down there is no better reward. The best part is the experiments are still good eats. I look forward to pics of your future experiments.
 
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Looks good with a nice smoke ring. Higher grade cuts can help but are not essential for good brisket. If you have a Costco near you and are a member you can get Prime Briskets there at a reasonable price. The cut is as important if not more important IMHO. Look past the fat cap. You are going to cut all but 1.4" of it off anyway. You want a whole packer with the most visible fat striations in the meat. Good marbling in meat will help yield better results. I can't tell if your cut was a full packer of just the flat. The flat without the rest often will dry out before it is done.

To keep the meat moist some people will do what is known as the "pump" of basically injecting beef broth or other flavored liquid of choice in the meat before cooking. Also a dry brine will help the meat stay moist during the cooking. I recommend 16-24 hours of a salt only dry brine. The salt is absorbed into the meat and it helps it retain moisture. It also changes the chemical nature of the external part of the meat which helps in crust formation and better burnt ends. I do not put my rub on until I cook it. It does not absorb into the meat. Leaving it on the meat overnight does not yield more flavor. I think if you had dry brined the meat for 24 you would have had moister meat.

Brisket is the king of BBQ IMHO. It takes a lot of trial and error but once you get it down there is no better reward. The best part is the experiments are still good eats. I look forward to pics of your future experiments.
Unfortunately I'm not near a Costco or Sam's, but I've heard many people say they've got a good meat section. I have a place local that will order for me, I just didn't give them any advance notice when looking for a brisket. I've also seen the injection methods but don't really want to go down that road. I'll probably wrap in the future, but for this first attempt I wanted to go as basic as possible. I hadn't seen much info about brines for brisket, so I'll definitely look into that. I've had some really good brisket before, but in my opinion, nothing tops Lexington style pork bbq. Thanks for the tips!
 
I had beef rib from Southern Q (competition BBQ and food trailer) and it was amazing. He said he did it for 14 hours at 200!
 
I had beef rib from Southern Q (competition BBQ and food trailer) and it was amazing. He said he did it for 14 hours at 200!

I grabbed an awesome, massive beef rib a while back from a local butcher shop. Put it on the Big Green Egg early in the AM and had it that night. It was very good. Love beef ribs. Hard to find good ones. BUT! IMO they are way too expensive a cut of meat for what you get. I'd rather buy a good brisket and get 2 or 3 time the amount of meet. The flavor and texture is a bit different, but it is still beef. For me brisket is a staple and those ribs are a once a year treat.

BTW, Angus Barn in Raleigh makes an OK beef rib. But they don't quite get the good smoke flavor of a good b'cue joint. Gotta hate those big, phoney commercial cookers.
 
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