Hello everybody,
I am an avid BBQ eater and now cooker. After spending a month in Texas - I was hooked.
I am up here in Rochester, NY where the good bbq is hard to come by. All of the chains up here are good, but just nowhere near the Texas Q that I've had.
Been eating BBQ in NC, SC, TX, NY, PA, CA, and NJ.
So for fathers day I picked up my father an MES 30 as this is our first go around with true smoking. Let me tell you..... The brisket that I smoked yesterday was out of this world. Perfectly juicy, falling apart tender, and a good smoke kiss, not overpowering.
As this was my first time smoking any meat, I did a lot of research on the do's and don'ts.
I'll tell you a little about what I did:
> Obtained 12lb Beef Brisket
> Trimmed the bad boy down to a nice lean side and about 1/8 - 1/4 inch fat on the other
> I made a rub with fresh cracked black pepper, sea salt, a little cayenne pepper, and a little garlic powder
> I rubbed down the meat generously with the rub
> I injected a full glass (size of a bar mug) of beef broth into both pieces (I cut it in half to fit the smoker)
> I let this sit wrapped up overnight for about 12 hours
> I took it out about 45 minutes prior to placing into the smoker while I prepared the smoker (Hickory chips)
> I put the brisket in the smoker - middle racks - fat side up
> I kept the temps around 200 for the first 5 hours
> I upped the temps to 220 when I hit the stall which lasted 3 hours at 154
> I left the temps up higher because it seemed to get much better TBS with the chip tray removed
> During the smoke I kept removing the chip tray to allow more ventilation and then back in when it got heated up
> When the internal temp hit 162 I wrapped both in heavy duty tin foil nice and tight with a little bit of home made mop to put on it - not too much but just a little bit
> I put it back in the smoker until IT hit 200 then I pulled it - wrapped in a beach towel - and into the cooler for only an hour because I was chomping at the bit
The brisket came out incredible. I wanted to some what replicate or get close to the flavor I had in Texas with places like Salt Lick, Rudy's, Kreuz, etc.. I'll tell ya, it had that flavor - a nice smoke kiss, not an overpowering bitter flavor. It came out fall apart but held up enough to cut slices, and was dripping juices. It had quite a nice bark that held together real well.
All in all it took me 13 hours from placing into the smoker to slicing my first piece.
I do like that little smoker - I think I have the new model (bought it on Saturday) because I read people having issues with keeping them going but this was just perfection.
Any tips anybody can give me to improve my methods? I added some pics because I know any forum always like pictures!
Thanks to all and I'm glad to be here!
- Brandon
I am an avid BBQ eater and now cooker. After spending a month in Texas - I was hooked.
I am up here in Rochester, NY where the good bbq is hard to come by. All of the chains up here are good, but just nowhere near the Texas Q that I've had.
Been eating BBQ in NC, SC, TX, NY, PA, CA, and NJ.
So for fathers day I picked up my father an MES 30 as this is our first go around with true smoking. Let me tell you..... The brisket that I smoked yesterday was out of this world. Perfectly juicy, falling apart tender, and a good smoke kiss, not overpowering.
As this was my first time smoking any meat, I did a lot of research on the do's and don'ts.
I'll tell you a little about what I did:
> Obtained 12lb Beef Brisket
> Trimmed the bad boy down to a nice lean side and about 1/8 - 1/4 inch fat on the other
> I made a rub with fresh cracked black pepper, sea salt, a little cayenne pepper, and a little garlic powder
> I rubbed down the meat generously with the rub
> I injected a full glass (size of a bar mug) of beef broth into both pieces (I cut it in half to fit the smoker)
> I let this sit wrapped up overnight for about 12 hours
> I took it out about 45 minutes prior to placing into the smoker while I prepared the smoker (Hickory chips)
> I put the brisket in the smoker - middle racks - fat side up
> I kept the temps around 200 for the first 5 hours
> I upped the temps to 220 when I hit the stall which lasted 3 hours at 154
> I left the temps up higher because it seemed to get much better TBS with the chip tray removed
> During the smoke I kept removing the chip tray to allow more ventilation and then back in when it got heated up
> When the internal temp hit 162 I wrapped both in heavy duty tin foil nice and tight with a little bit of home made mop to put on it - not too much but just a little bit
> I put it back in the smoker until IT hit 200 then I pulled it - wrapped in a beach towel - and into the cooler for only an hour because I was chomping at the bit
The brisket came out incredible. I wanted to some what replicate or get close to the flavor I had in Texas with places like Salt Lick, Rudy's, Kreuz, etc.. I'll tell ya, it had that flavor - a nice smoke kiss, not an overpowering bitter flavor. It came out fall apart but held up enough to cut slices, and was dripping juices. It had quite a nice bark that held together real well.
All in all it took me 13 hours from placing into the smoker to slicing my first piece.
I do like that little smoker - I think I have the new model (bought it on Saturday) because I read people having issues with keeping them going but this was just perfection.
Any tips anybody can give me to improve my methods? I added some pics because I know any forum always like pictures!
Thanks to all and I'm glad to be here!
- Brandon