# Newbie here with a few questions



## Spennysmoker (Mar 29, 2021)

hell yall my names mark and im from the UK,  having been a long time fan of American style BBQ thought id start trying to make some of my own

i have just invested in a Masterbuilt 130b smoker and i give it its first test run at the weekend i brought myself a nice peice of brisket and 2 beef short ribs i followed the manual in terms of timings

basically the brisket was a 7lb peice cut into half  so in total 3.5lbs of Brisket according to the booklet it should be 1 hour per lb yet all the guids on youtube etc say 12 hours +, anyway to get to the point my brisket certaining didnt turn out tender (juicy), there was hardly any bark as such it felt like an overcooked joing of beef not the fall apart juicy brisket i have had previously, also the sort ribs the fat on those certainly hadnt rendered well and again it looked more wll done than juicy

one positive i was able to get my chicken wings spot on with a lovely Iron Bru  (Scottish Soda) and chipotle rub they tasted amazing.


any suggestions and also how many times should i be replacing the woodchips


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## bregent (Mar 29, 2021)

Welcome Mark.
So how long did you end up cooking it, and at what temp?  12 hours would be much too long for a 3.5lb'er Was there any fat cap and do you know if this was a flat or point. In the past, briskets I've seen posted from the UK sometimes don't resemble one's we get in the US. Do you have any before and after images?
A 3.5lb flat is usually better off cooked in a pan with some liquid - otherwise they tend to dry out.
In any case, time and internal temps are only estimates and can be way off. You need to cook em until they just probe tender.


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## JCAP (Mar 29, 2021)

I don't have experience with that kind of smoker, but my guess is that they were pulled off too soon. How long did they cook for, at what temp, and how did you determine if they were done? Best guide is that a probe should slide in to the mean with little resistance.


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## smokerjim (Mar 29, 2021)

welcome to smf Mark,  great place here, how are you checking your smoker temps, internal temp of meat. don't trust the factory thermometer they are known not to be accruate. brisket needs to get to around 205 or so before it will be tender basically the same with short ribs. don't go by hours try and go by temp. what did you have your smoker set at.


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## smokeymose (Mar 29, 2021)

Hi Spenny and welcome to the forum!
I don't know what a 130b is. Is it gas or electric? One of the first things you'll learn here is that you cook by temperature, not time. You take a cut to a desired temp (say 195 to 203F for a brisket or a shoulder butt) and every piece of meat is different. What temp did you run the smoker? Usually a brisket will be wrapped at some point also.
YouTube can be informative but you need to be careful. I've had 12# brisket packers be done in 8hrs, but my off-set smoker likes to run at 260 to 280F.
Do some research on the site here. Many folks have questions like yours.
Can't help much with wood chips. In my old gasser I replaced them about every half hour.


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## Spennysmoker (Mar 29, 2021)

thanks so much for the help guys i cooked both the brisket and short rib at 250 F about 120 C they were in for roughly 6 hours then a further 2 hours wrapped

on the Digital Thermometer the internal temp on bother was what was recommended from the Master built instructions... i actually had better results from a conventual oven obviously minus the smoky flavour

i checked my temps using a digital thermos purchased of amazon


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## Spennysmoker (Mar 29, 2021)

smokeymose said:


> Hi Spenny and welcome to the forum!
> I don't know what a 130b is. Is it gas or electric? One of the first things you'll learn here is that you cook by temperature, not time. You take a cut to a desired temp (say 195 to 203F for a brisket or a shoulder butt) and every piece of meat is different. What temp did you run the smoker? Usually a brisket will be wrapped at some point also.
> YouTube can be informative but you need to be careful. I've had 12# brisket packers be done in 8hrs, but my off-set smoker likes to run at 260 to 280F.
> Do some research on the site here. Many folks have questions like yours.
> Can't help much with wood chips. In my old gasser I replaced them about every half hour.



its an electric smoker mate


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## bar-b-que blues (Mar 29, 2021)

Have been smoking pretty seriously for about 10 years... it took me forever to grasp the concept of  “It ain’t done until it’s done”... don’t get hung up on internal temperature... for brisket, it’s done when ya give it a slap, it’s like jello.... an inserted probe should slide in with no resistance... takes time, but the sooner you understand that... the mores time you can enjoy quality Q... I’ve had brisket go 8 hours and I’ve had them go 14... makes it a bitch to plan a dinner time! Hope this helps


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## 912smoker (Mar 29, 2021)

Check out Bear's thoughts here. He's a  master of info and knowledge






						Masterbuilt Smokers (Bear’s Thoughts & Findings)
					

Masterbuilt Smokers (Bear’s Thoughts & Findings)  Before I start, I want to say the following are my findings & my opinions. Not all Smokers are alike, and not all people look at things the same way. Some may have success where I haven’t & some may have had problems where I haven’t. However...




					www.smokingmeatforums.com


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## sawhorseray (Mar 29, 2021)

912smoker said:


> Check out Bear's thoughts here. He's a  master of info and knowledge
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I'll 2nd that, and welcome to SMF from Gilbert, AZ! RAY


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## olaf (Mar 29, 2021)

Here's another way to do a small brisket. You will want to check if the smoker temp is accurate and like everyone says it's done when it's done. Smoking Al's method https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/brisket-flat-my-way.277499/


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## JC in GB (Mar 30, 2021)

*Welcome from Wisconsin.*
*
I see the pitmasters have already got you well covered here.

Good luck on your next cook.  Brisket is a very bold first try kind of endevour.

Pork shoulder is easier and far more forgiving.
*
*JC  *


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## JLeonard (Mar 30, 2021)

Welcome to the forums from Mississippi! 
Jim


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