First brisket cook - advice please!!

[tomahawk66]

So it was my good buddy's birthday on Tuesday and he's visiting me until Sunday before heading back to Sydney. He used to live in Singapore and so we are having a bit of a shin dig at mine on Sunday.

One of the things he misses about Singapore is my BBQ cooking on the KK so I've promised him something special. I'm gonna do my first ever brisket!

I've found a supplier of brisket from the US, Angus Beef and 200 days grain fed and they have from 10-15lbs packer cut. They look and feel pretty epic! But they are a significant investment between 130-165 Singapore Dollars (95-120 USD) So I really don't want to screw it up!!!

I've been thinking of keeping it simple: 250F low and slow, salt and pepper rub, Hickory for smoke and the Texas Crutch.

I was chatting to Alex the pit master at local smoke house "The Meat Smith" this evening about my plan and he kindly gave me a roll of butchers paper and a couple of logs of Hickory along with advice from his wealth of experience knocking out lbs of brisket day after day.

That's a seriously generous gift of smoking wood considering that I've been stuck with Kingsford chips as chunks are more rare than hen's teeth here in Singapore!

Now here is where I need some KK specific advice - those logs are pretty serious size and come with bark attached. I know that it's bad for the KK to use too much wood and will be running a deep basket of coco char for the cook. I'm assuming that I should hack a log into chunks and space around the char (I don't have a smoke pot and won't have time to put one together by Sunday- unless someone in Singapore happens to have one to lend me lol!) Do I need to remove the bark? Or could I lay the smaller log under the char for slow burn smoke generation while burning of the white smoke volatiles? So lots of questions on the smoke variables here!

My plan is to start the cook at 10pm the night before as I want to serve at midday. That should give plenty of time to cook, wrap, finish and rest before serving.

Let's assume a 10-12lbs brisket and a 250F low and slow with a butcher paper wrap either when I hit the stall or maybe even just when the bark is where I want it to be. I'll have my maverick measuring the grill temp and the internal temp and will look to finish at 205F internal as I want it to be super tender.

Thoughts anyone?!?

(Oh - and I might throw in a couple of racks of ribs in the morning as my buddy loves the ribs I cook!)

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[5698k]

Sounds like you have a good plan, I especially like butcher paper over foil. Don't be afraid to probe the flat as early as 190° internal, but typically 205° is good.

Your timing is good, but don't be surprised if you're finished by 8:00 am.

Just cut your chunks into smaller pieces, no need to remove the bark. I wouldn't spread them around, I would just pile them on top of your fire one lit and stable.


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[tony b]

47 minutes ago, 5698k said:

Sounds like you have a good plan, I especially like butcher paper over foil. Don't be afraid to probe the flat as early as 190° internal, but typically 205° is good.

Your timing is good, but don't be surprised if you're finished by 8:00 am.

Just cut your chunks into smaller pieces, no need to remove the bark. I wouldn't spread them around, I would just pile them on top of your fire one lit and stable.


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Nothing more that I can add to Robert's great advice (as usual!)

[tomahawk66]

Thanks for the advice 5698k!
May I ask why not spread them around? Don't I want smoke released ongoing throughout the cook? And also, don't I want the volatiles to burn off? And wouldn't one larger log work to slowly release the smoke better than several small chunks?

Another question I didn't ask earlier - if I use the double walled drip pan, do I need the stone deflector in there too?

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[tony b]

1 minute ago, tomahawk66 said:

Another question I didn't ask earlier - if I use the double walled drip pan, do I need the stone deflector in there too?

Nope. 

[tomahawk66]

Thanks Tony - so the drip pan is enough then? That's a relief! It's bloody awkward to remove the deflector stones once heat sunk to add smoking wood!!

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[tomahawk66]

I've got to admit - I'm kinda wishing that I had the cold smoker to add smoke throughout the cook... I wonder if Dennis could FedEx me one over night from Indonesia lol!!

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[tomahawk66]

Oh, and regarding temperature of the cook. Is 250F at the grate good or should I go lower to 225 if I've got 14/15 hours from 10pm to my planned cut/serve time time of 12/1pm? (Super moist and tender is the goal here).

Also: Burnt ends, worth doing? If so how?

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[5698k]

You're going to be surprised at how little coal you use. That said, you'll also notice the fire burning a particular direction. If you spread your wood chunks around, you'll likely not burn them.

I regularly just use the lower grate covered with foil as a deflector, so absolutely your drip pan will work.

If you start off at 225°, you can always crank the temp to finish if it's running too slow, particularly if you're wrapped, I would have no problem going to 325° if necessary.

Are burnt ends worth it? Let me think..YES!!!! Once the flat probes tender and you pull the brisket to rest, separate the point from the flat, wrap the flat and let it rest. Trim as much external fat from the point as you can, and cut into roughly 1" cubes. Season with whatever rub you used, and coat with just enough Bbq sauce of your choice to give a light coating. Put the pieces in a foil pan, or I like to use an iron skillet, put back on the grill. Sauté the pieces for as long as you care to, I like the sauce to carmelize a bit. You now have meat crack.


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[tomahawk66]

Thanks for the advice! So put the 1" cubes back on the KK at the same cooking temp or raise it/remove deflector to caramelise them?
I love my brisket fatty and always get slices from the point at my local BBQ joint. Having never had burnt ends it's hard to give up those super fatty slices! But I should certainly try it if it's meat crack!
Drip pan just sitting on the char basket is good right? No need for the lower grill?

With the wood - I was thinking of putting the log under a layer of char, lighting one piece of the char on top and letting it smoulder away underneath... I'm wondering why chunks would be better?

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[5698k]

You can raise the temp, I usually do. Removing the deflector isn't necessary, but I would. Once you have burnt ends, you'll forget about slices.

Personally, I would put the drip pan on the lower grate, but it's not necessary.

If you have room to put a wood log under a layer of coal, that's fine, it might actually work well!


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[tony b]

Seriously - Burnt Ends are meat candy in my book, so I can endorse the meat crack label as well!

I just use a disposable aluminum roasting pan, put the meat on in a single layer (if possible), uncovered, and let'er rip for about another 30 minutes (until the sauce becomes tacky to the touch). You can leave the heat deflector/drip pan in for indirect cooking, so you won't scorch them on the bottom.  

Don't forget to post pics of the cook!

[tomahawk66]

I've been reading the Franklin bbq book and he cooks much higher at 275...

What say you all? Lunch needs to be served at 1pm on Sunday. Brisket will be about 12lbs. How would you do it? Temp / time / wrap?

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[aiden]

Don't cook it too hot. "It's ready when it's ready" is a thing. No matter how much you plan, every cook is a little different and unique. People will wait for good bbq, but if you miss your time AND it's not any good, they'll take your tongs away and dress you in a silly apron.

Large hunks of non-tender meat like this need TIME to get the flavor and tenderness they deserve. 225 will take longer, but will produce a better hunk of $100 meat. It also gives you room to adjust your settings if things start creeping up on heat.

Also, do yourself a favor and read up on how to slice the two different sections of the brisket.

And don't eat the burnt ends first. That's like having sex before dinner.

Edited October 1, 2016 by aiden

[Pequod]

I've been smoking brisket at 275 for a few years -- pre-dating the Franklin book -- and it works great. A 12 lb brisket will take 6-8 hours at that temp. I wrap in butcher paper once the bark has set (about the same time as the stall), then probe it the first time about an hour later. And every 30 minutes after that until it probes like butter. Works great, and very repeatable. 

[tomahawk66]

So the KK decided to settle at 234F today. I have a whole Hickory log in there and using the drip pan as a deflector.







And we rubbed some ribs that'll go on in the morning:


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[tomahawk66]

14lbs brisket

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[MacKenzie]

Tomahawk, that is going to be a monster cook, can't wait to see the grand finale.:) 

[Steve M]

I have one on the kk right now about the same size. Sitting at 188 degrees internal after 12 hours at 225. It got to 160 in about 4.5-5 hours when I wrapped it in the middle of a flash monsoon. 

The ribs look great 

[tomahawk66]

So I got it on around 10pm and the KK decided to settle at 240F which I was fine with. Lots of nice quality smoke coming off of that Hickory log.

Then we had a couple of drinks and off to bed with the maverick remote on my night stand.

She crept up to 250 during the night and then sat there steady as a rock until morning.

IT got to 165 and then stalled for hours. Got up at 6am to put the ribs on and was greeted by this beautiful sight:



After the ribs were on I wrapped in butchers paper and she's humming away at 262F (fire got a little hot with the lid open putting ribs on)
IT currently 172. I plan to pull at 200 so still have a while to go I guess?

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