# Newbie: Smoked Brisket With Poor Results



## mayweather (Jun 16, 2017)

Hi guys, 

So i smoked some brisket for the first time last weekend with some poor results in my opinion. I had a PID controlling the temp at 225F. Given i did not want to cook a whole brisket i cut the brisket in half and smoked just the point half. My assumption was that given i was only smoking half the brisket that i would be done in 6-7 hours. To my surprise it took me a full 12-13 hours to get this up to 195F temp. I believe i made many mistakes along the way and would like some feedback from experienced people. Below i have outlined the process and appreciate any feedback and advice:

1) Waited for smoker to heat up to 225F. Once up to temp i placed the brisket on the middle rack. I had one large water pan down below to diffuse the burnt pucks and provide moisture. The Pan was large enough to last the entire cook and still be full with water. 
2) Temp cabin probe was at the front of the bottom rack to maintain a steady 225F using the PID. 
3) I let the brisket smoke for a full 3-3.5 hours without touching it. I noticed the PID does take a long time to get the smoker up to temp once the door has been opened. After 3.5 hours i opened the door and sprayed the brisket with apple cider vinegar. 
4) Continued smoking process until brisket internal temp reached 160F. Took out of smoker, wrapped in foil and poured Apple Cider Vinegar over brisket. 
5) Turned smoke off, and left in Bradley smoker with just the oven on until internal temp of Brisket reached 195 degrees.
6) Took out of Bradley and left the brisket wrapped in foil on my kitchen bench top to rest for a full 1 hour
7) Took brisket out, cut in thin slices to serve. 

Now i'm not saying this was a disaster, but it wasn't anything like what I've seen from people on YouTube. The brisket was a bit moist in some parts, but dry in other areas. The meat also had a bitter taste to it, that seemed like it was coming from the apple cider vinegar that i poured into the foil to let it steam until it reached temp. In my opinion this was a mistake as i think drenching the brisket in cider vinegar ruined the taste. The seasoning i used was a mix of salt, pepper, onion powder, mustard powder, and cayenne pepper.

The wood pucks i used were cherry wood. I decided to try this as i had never used cherry before, but there was no smoke ring, and not much of a smokey flavour. 

I appreciate any advice on how i can improve my brisket making process and where i went wrong?


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## hardcookin (Jun 16, 2017)

Good Morning! 
 I'm not completely familiar with your smoker. I use a offset smoker.
First question to ask is your temp gauge accurate? If you pulled your brisket at 195 and your gauge is reading high your brisket might not have been done. Was the brisket probe tender when you pulled it?
I would say If the brisket was dry it probably wasn't done.
Cherry is a milder wood, but I smoke with it 80% of the time. For brisket a lot of people like oak and hickory for brisket.
I'm not sure why the bitter taste,what kind of smoke was your smoker putting out? Clean burning or a white smoke?

Myself I do my brisket at a higher temp. 280 wrap with butcher paper at around 170 and then pull when it probe tender with is usually 200-205 .
If I spritz it is usually with beef broth for brisket.

Do a search on brisket there is lots of good reading...probably so much you will get confused. :biggrin:

If you still have questions ask.


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## brentos260 (Jun 16, 2017)

Smoking time (go by temp, not time) goes by thickness, not total weight.  Therefore if you have a large brisket and you cut it in half the thickness still remains the same and will still take the same amount of time to reach your desired finish temp despite the 50% reduction in weight.  IMO, you pulled the brisket too early.  Wait until it passes the toothpick test.  For me my desired finish temp is 203 degrees F.  The reason it was dry in some parts and moist in the others is that towards the center of the brisket where you cut it in half you actually have part of the flat (drier portion) and part point (more moist).  I also second what was said above regarding the cherry wood - this would account for the lack of smoke ring.  Lastly, start with a basic rub consisting of just S&P until you get your brisket dialed in.  I spritz my brisket with apple cider vinegar & a couple other things and have never tasted any adverse affects.

This is the fun of bbq in general, creating great food with the desire to improve.  Keep trying, and keep enjoying!!


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## daveomak (Jun 16, 2017)

Mayweather, morning....  Try cutting back on the ACV....   Try adding apple juice....    Personally I don't like cherry wood smoke..  I think it has an off flavor....   That's what makes smoking meats personal preference... 

If the texture was OK, then 195 was a good temp for you....  If you want it a bit more tender, try a final IT of 200 or 205 F...

Also, try Apple or Oak wood flavors...    Try Oak and a small bit of Mesquite...  maybe 1 Mesquite puck added to the mix...   I think a small amount of Mesquite can add a unique "Texas" flavor to beef and even BBQ'd shrimp....   

Keep notes on what you do...   times, temps, spritzes etc...   flavor woods...     even try a smaller amount of water so part of the smoke has no water in the pan, if your smoker will operate like that... 

Unfortunately, you will be forced to eat a lot of BBQ during the "testing" stage...   HAHAHAHA...    Enjoy the long arduous ride...


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