Texas transplant in The Big Apple

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abynrml

Newbie
Original poster
Mar 17, 2012
22
10
Staten Island, NY
Howdy ya'll....okay..now that that's out of the way, it's nice to be here. I just got the Char-Griller 50/50 with side firebox. Trying my first ever brisket today, not doing too well on temp control. It's a 8 lb. and has been on for 12.5 hrs. Was using lump coal during at beginning and stayed close to 225, but ran out and have been using Hickory chunks. Internal got to 183 finally, but then the grill temp started to fall below 200 a few times. Probably should have gone to the oven after plateau started. Trying to be true to my heritage and being a bit stubborn for my first brisket. Am at 167 now with grill temp at 205. Still not tender when using my handheld digital probe...so I'll probably go to the oven. Hope to learn much about smoking and will try to ask reasonable questions. I just got tired of having frozen brisket brought to me by my mom once a year from East Texas, so going to have to try it myself. Thanks in advance for any help I may get from the group.....
 
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My horizontal smoker fluctuates a bunch, but have learned to take the meat off at bed time and put in electric roaster at 200 all night.  Then i rest it when i get up, and slice it later.  It comes out great.  Wrapped in foil in the oven to do the same thing will be more than satisfactory.  Everyone here loves my brisket.  In the roaster, it holds a bunch of the juice so it marinates in all that good juice.  No issues with dry brisket.
 
Welcome to the forum!  I'm just the opposite, a transplanted NY'er in Fort Worth, Tx!  Moved at age 46 down here from way way way upstate NY (almost Canada, aye!)  where it snows 15 ft and is -45° below zero to sunny, warm Fort Worth!  Now, in Staten Island you won't get that kind of weather, but being on the coast it can still bluster up a lot, too!  Congratulations on doing one yourself, hope it will be the first of a long string of them! 

You'll learn on here how to turn that brisket into corned beef, then into pastrami and make those NYC'rs jealous of a great home made pastrami, believe me!

Don't hesitate to ask anything, we're here to help in any way we can and we only laugh with you, nothing else, you have our greatest respect!  Please ask away; if you don't know it then we're here to help you learn it just like we all had to learn it ourselves and thank those before us for their kindness and generosity and patience teaching us!  Enjoy and welcome!
 
Happy and remember smoke it slow and low...
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 to SMF . You have come to the right place for smoking info. This site is loaded with great info just use the search bar at top of page to find what you are looking for. If you can't locate the answer just ask folks here are willing to share there knowledge. I suggest you take  the 5 day e-course on smoking its chuck full of great info, and may help ya out on briskets. Smoking  5-Day e-Course  
 
Thanks much to all of my fellow "smokies"....So, for the update.... Having problems controlling the pit temp at 225, I gave in after about 15 hrs.....internal temp still about 180, I wrapped it in foil and added some of my Hillbilly Mop Sauce and put it in the oven at 10:30 p.m....using my Maverick ET-732 to monitor internal temp to 195...which occurred about 12:30 a.m.....let set out for 1.5 hrs...then put in fridge to get some sleep since starting this ordeal at 7 a.m.....I began to carve it around 10 a.m.....starting at the flat, I did okay about 15% in until the bark on one edge started separating as I tried to slice it...I decided to cut about one inch along the length of the flat to prevent further separating...I was then able to slice most of it very nicely, and it looked like my smoke ring was pretty good...I used some of the trimmed bark and chopped some of the point to give us some chopped beef to mix with my cherished "Bodacious BBQ" sauce I got in Lufkin,TX during my trip home in October....Overall I think I did well for my first...but am considering my next plan of adjustments may be to smoke for a max. of 5 hrs., then put in oven until it's done.....IS THIS CHEATING????...I am currently looking into some temperature control modifications, as I am an Instrumentation Technician at an oil refinery, We have lots of ways of controlling temps on far more dangerous materials than beef and pork.....My wife is already laughing at the fact that I have only had my pit for three weeks and already have 7 different kinds of wood...so this will certainly be an interesting and highly enjoyable endeavor with the help of such fine people to guide me here at S.M.F......Where There's Smoke, There's Friendship!
 
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