Brisket woes

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banderson7474

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
May 24, 2016
754
225
Alabama (near Auburn)
Not my first time smoking a brisket but first time on my Longhorn off set.  Wait first, I tried the smoked mac n cheese recipe last weekend and it turned out amazing.  Okay back to the beef.  I have a few questions and thoughts. So I woke up at 430am and put the meat on the smoker at 0500.  I tended the smoker until it reached 190 IT which was around 9pm.  It seemed that half of the brisket was good and half was a lil dry and I can't explain why.

I didn't spritz the meat this time

I cooked between 220 - 250 (however, I haven't learned the smoker yet so there was a few periods that I dropped temp as I put more charcoal/wood in.

I ended up wrapping it in foil which I don't normally do but I got nervous b/c the meat was suppose to be for a party.  I think I wrapped it way too late.  I spend so many hrs from 150-166, that I didn't wrap it until it got to 170.  Looking back I think I should have foiled it earlier.

I also rested it for 1hr. I think I messed up here and should have let it rest for 2hrs min but that even crunches my timeline even more.

So I guess my question is how do you guys smoke a brisket with an offset smoker without it taking a million hrs.  I'm a little frustrated b/c it didn't turn out how I thought it would.  Maybe I just need to get a smaller brisket next time. 

I also used smoke wood in combination of charcoal the entire time. I  think I should have stopped using smoke wood at some point. I think b/c I drank while smoking, I was buzzed and didn't think about it.

I'm all over the place here I know, but I'm confused how half of the meat can be great and the other not.

oh and also, this is my first time posting here.  I should be working right now LOL
 
Your not alone buddy on this, it doesn't always go as planned.
Some of the problem is how much fat is on the flat end, 1/4" all the way down is about perfect, and of course the cap has plenty. Making sure to pick a good brisket is key.
Water pan in smoking chamber helps keep moisture in the meat, don't open lid a buttload of times.

Check out BBQ with Franklin on YouTube, dude has helped me make a better hunk of meat.
 
Thanks, as I'm reading in here there are a lot of techniques. I do admit that I forgot to add a pan of water and I also got impatient, I didn't even probe once it hit temp to see if it was like butter.  With having an offset smoker and not being able to start it the night before, I think I need to wrap it around 160ish to push thru stall and that will give me a lot of time to rest it.  The rub I used was high in brown sugar...I wonder if that hurt at all.

Thanks for your thoughts....I will have to pick up my ego and try again.
 
From what I've read here and other places, cooking a whole brisket takes a million hours no matter what you smoke it in. Besides the cost, that's the main reason I've not tried one yet. I'm just learning how to work an offset myself and there's a lot to it!
Work on some smaller cooks until you get a feel for the smoker and don't give up!!
Dan
 
If you was getting pushed for time I would have upped your temp. My briskets I usually wrap with butcher paper around 165. I smoke my briskets @ 275 just done 11lber the other week in about 8 hours. Ended up being probe tender about 203 IT.
 
If you was getting pushed for time I would have upped your temp. My briskets I usually wrap with butcher paper around 165. I smoke my briskets @ 275 just done 11lber the other week in about 8 hours. Ended up being probe tender about 203 IT.

I totally forgot to even probe check it. Rookie mistake
 
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