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mtrejo1

First KK cook -4th of July Brisket

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Got my KK about 2 weeks ago. I decided to do a brisket for my first cook. I'd seen the high temp brisket videos that someone posted on YouTube and was debating whether to go low and slow or hot and fast. After some heeing and hawing I decided to take a risk and go hot and fast. I was shocked when it took a little less than 4 hours to get my brisket done. I was expecting 5-6 hours The reason that's important is because I was shooting to serve dinner @ 6PM so I started the brisket at 10AM so I could rest it for 2 hours. Well I ended up pulling it at 2 PM. Fast forward four hours and I was really nervous given how fast it cooked although I knew the long rest would hep with tenderness. So what was the result? A damn good brisket. I couldn't believe it but the results speak for themselves. Needless to say, the KK has changed how I'll do briskets moving forward. Why would I ever do low and slow when 4-5 hours gives equal or better results. I forgot to take pics pre cook but I do have a pic after I sliced the meat.

post-494-0-03355300-1436123422_thumb.jpg

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Ambitious first cook. Nice work! What temp did you cook it and what was in your rub?

I cooked it at 350 degrees +/- 15 degrees until the point was 195 degrees. I use salt and pepper on my briskets. I made St. Louis spare ribs too. I forgot to get a pic of those but I use a mix of Obie Q's Sweet Rub and Rudy's rub when making pork. I'm from Texas so I prefer Oak or Mesquite and I like to add spiciness to pork...hence the Rudy's rub. I don't make my own rubs. I figure why reinvent the wheel

The hot and fast method reminds me of how they make briaket at Coopers BBQ in Llano, Tx.

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Very good looking brisket.

Hot and fast you say...have to try it. The point was cooked to 195f what do you think the temperature of the flat was.

 

I think the flat was probably about 10 degrees hotter.  I probably should have separated the point & flat towards the end of the cook

 

 

Congrats on a good "Hard" cook.  A brisket is easy to get wrong and i am always surprised on how quick things cook on the KK.

 

Glad it worked well and looked great.

 

I was surprised at how fast the brisket got done and my spare ribs got to temp pretty quick as well.    My theory is that the refractory material in the KK emits infrared radiation that helps speed the cook since the meat is being warmed via hot air & infrared heat.    I think this is also why horizontal pits made of thick steel (1/4' or 3/16")  make great BBQ.  I met the guy who owns West of Memphis BBQ..an AZ BBQ pit maker.  He makes a grill/smoker called the Ironman made of thick steel, see link below, and he claimed he could do a brisket in ~5 hours.  I never believed him but now I do.  I'm guessing both the KK and his thick steel pit emit lots of infrared heat that keep meat moist.  

 

http://westofmemphisbbq.com/portfolio/ironman-3/

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My theory is that the refractory material in the KK emits infrared radiation that helps speed the cook since the meat is being warmed via hot air & infrared heat.    

 

 

Your theory is spot on. That's why it's important to heat soak the KK, especially for cooks on the upper grate, like pizza. 

 

Heat Transfer 101:  Conduction is the most efficient means of heat transfer. Occurs when an object (food in our case) is placed in physical contact with a hot solid object (grates) (or a water bath in Sous Vide). Next comes convection, the heat transfer to the food from the flowing hot gases (or steam). Finally, is radiative heat transfer. Least efficient of the three. Requires a very large temperature differential between heat source and object (food). Think the broiler in your oven. Believe it or not, color/reflectivitiy is important here, too. Shiny and/or light colored surfaces reflect heat, conversely, dark/dull surfaces absorb heat. No suprises there, we wear light colored clothes in the summer, and darker colors in the winter. Works exactly the same for cooking. That's why aluminum foil has a shiny side and a dull side. 

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Nice brisket cook.

A hot and fast pork butt works equally well. (300* - 350*) I think some of the time savings is that a hotter cook won't go through a long stall which can drastically shave time off a cook.

The only time I do an overnight is if I want to eat around noon (almost never). If everything is ready to go the night before I can just wake up at 6:00 am and easily have Q ready for dinner at 6:00 pm.

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Yeah, ckreef, but you have a smaller grill to heat soak. A bit harder for me with a 23" to get a large brisket or butt done by suppertime cooking at 225F - 250F if I start the grill around 5:30 am. That's why I generally go with starting just before bedtime and shoot for the middle of the next afternoon and hold in the cooler until suppertime. Nice to have that extra cushion. YMMV

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