First Brisket Concern

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sadfjnb

Newbie
Original poster
May 13, 2009
23
10
Hey guys,

Im doing my first brisket this sun... 13 pound whole brisket... I picked up a brinkman electric smoker and seasoned it like it said to... I plugged in the smoker today totally empty.... no meat, no water, no wood... let it run for an hour to see what temp I would get out of it... after an hour the temp inside was 380!!!! Unfortunatly there is no temp control... Can I expect the temp to drop to where it should be with the addition of the meat, water and wood? If not how can I knock the temp down?

FYI the set up is a pan at the bottom full of lavarocks then the element approx 1/4 inch above the lavarock.. They reccommend using wood chunks instead of chips... There are NO adjustable vents on this model and unfortunatly throwing out the basic equip and investing in a higher quality smoker is not an option at this time...

Im somewhat concerned... thanks
 
I have a charcoal brinkman, not electric. Part of the function of the water pan is to help regulate temperature. Fill the pan with water, and plug it back in for an hour and see what it says. It should be much lower.

I can't think of any scenario where adding wood would lower temps. But like I said, I don't use electric.
 
thanks guys... Ill do a little more experimentation
 
Ive got the same smoker 3 or 04 mos ago and it rocks. havnt had any issues at all with it. Once the pan is in ( i use dr pepper in mine) and the meat is in you'll be fine. Everytime time i've used it says at 200-250 Ive used chunks ive used chips So no worries at all.


STRANDID
 
Also, what kind of thermometer are you using? If you are relying on the one that came on the unit it may not be accurate, they are known for not being 100% true. Get yourself o good therm and test it in boiling water for accuracy then use it in you smoker. Just a thought. I use a maverick ET-73 which I love.

I also concur that once the water pan and food is in your temps will come down as well.
 
As has been said . . . with the water pan and meat in there, the temps will drop. They may tend to creep back up towards the end of the smoke when the meat is almost up to finished temp, but don't worry too much about that.

Smokers behave very differently completely empty than they do when they are loaded.

Dave
 
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