Brisket

[slyguy]

Hi, new here.

I've had my CG King Kamado Kooker for about 2 months now. I like it a lot. Still experimenting with it and smoking. Experimenting with hickory, mesquite, oak, pecan, apple, and cherry woods. I've done boston butts and baby backs on it.

I bought a whole brisket at Sam's Club (@ 13.5 lbs). This is my first. I plan on cooking it tomorrow night (Friday). I've trimmed it. It is currently marinating in a wine/mustard/horseradish marinade since last night. Friday night @ 9pm; I am going to drain the marinade and dry up the brisket. I was going to apply a (homemade mostly salt and pepper) rub. For a diffuser, I have the weber rack wrapped in foil. I was also going to put a foil drip pan on top of the weber rack under the brisket filled with water, onion and garlic to keep it moist. I was going to add to the fire about 2 chunks of mesquite and about 4-5 chunks of oak. I am shooting to maintain temp @ 225F. I was going to start it fat side up for about 4 hrs and then flip it every 2 hrs. or so. I will be mopping it every hour after 6hrs. I'm shooting for a meat temp of 185-190 before I pull it. I'll double wrap it and put it in a cooler for 1.5-2hrs.

As I said this is my first brisket ever. I'm hoping not to screw it up. WDYT? Any steps you would add/skip?

Thanks!!!

[DeanCHS1980]

I have no expertise to add to this; however, I appreciate your thorough post and look forward to your update. Inquiring minds want to know!!! I hope to try a brisket soon!

[JMSetzler]

I have cooked quite a few briskets... I have never marinated or injected one though. Here are my comments on your comments:

Wrapping the weber rack in foil is ok as a diffuser but you need to make sure there is an inch or so around the diameter that is open. You don't want to put too much of a damper between the meat and the fire. I believe that the weber rack completely wrapped might be a little too large of a diffuser. I highly recommend the $4 pizza pan from walmart as a diffuser. It's cheap and it's a perfect size. Set an empty drip pan on top of the diffuser just to keep all that grease out of the firebox...

You don't need the water pan in the kamado. The kamado keeps your meat moist on its own. It's part of what makes a kamado a kamado

I typically trim off about 80-90% of the fat cap on my briskets. Fat cap up or down seems to make no difference in my finished briskets. I have tried them both ways.

I have never mopped a brisket during a cook.

185-190 is a little low. I never pull mine before 195 and they sometimes go to 200 or even 205 before they get probe tender. Each cut of meat is different.

I get the feeling from your listed technique that you are worried about the brisket drying out. Don't worry! It's not gonna happen unless you over cook it.

225 is also OK and you can expect that brisket to take 13-14 hours to cook at that temperature. If your pit temp gets up over that, don't worry about it... just let it cook. I cook anywhere between 250 and 300 and the results are always outstanding. I have also cooked at 225 but I just don't do it that much anymore unless I need to extend my cook for some reason.

Good luck with it!

Let us know how it turns out

[slyguy]

Thanks JMS! BTW, I love your videos! Awesome! I was considering a BGE, but your videos inspired me to get the CGKK instead.

I usually wrap the weber grate with the short foil. Leaving both sides of the grate open a bit and lining my drip pan with that and the meat. I was shooting for 225 because everything I've read seems to state that temp. I've had a hard time keeping temp at 225. Usually when I strive for that temp, it fluctuates too low (under 200) that I have to play with the vents too much. I've had better results at 250 or 275. Since your results are good @ 250-300, maybe I'll shoot for 250. I've never done an overnight cook.

I was going to start the fire @ 8pm, and get the brisket on soon after and getting temps stabilized before I go to bed. I'm usually in bed by 10pm and up @ 5am

[RMsmokes]

The Pizza pan is just the cheapest metal pan that Wal-Mart sells.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[slyguy]

I just relooked at video 3 or 4... I see it.

Do you think my amount of wood chunks are good/too much/too little for almost 14lb brisket? (2 mesquite, 5-6 oak)

[GotSmoke]

Hey slyguy! It must be the night for noobs to do their first brisket. I have mine trimmed and rubbed with mustard and competition brisket rub. Planning on putting mine on lil before midnite or when we get back for by brothers fight tonight.
How much charcoal are planning on loading? Thought for myself would shoot for 8 lbs plus 1 pound hickory chucks spread though the stubbs.
Definitely nervous bout the overnight cook. But, I'm hoping the new maverice wireless thermometer i just got from amazon will allow me some sleep . Ill keep ya posted on my progress later tonight.

[slyguy]

its about 3/4 full. I use royal oak lump (love it). Kamado's been going for about an 1.5hrs. I've done a 10hr cook b4. I think the charcoal will be good. Put the brisket on about 7:45. It barely fit. My guess is when I take the brisket off and shut it down, when all is said and done, I'll have left over charcoal.

Temp was hovering around 250 for @ an hr. She just dropped about 10 degrees over the last 20 min or so to 240. I'm not comfortable going to bed with the the temp dropping.

[slyguy]

Up at 2:30, pit temp 234, meat temp 174. Up at 4:30am. Pit temp up 294, meat temp 195. The thing is done. What gives. I wasn't expecting it to be ready for another 4 hours??? I was expecting brisket for lunch, not breakfast...

[JeffieBoy]

Funny, I am sitting on the patio, watching and smelling the smoke from my Akorn and wondering what meat there is leftover in the fridge that I could eat for brekkie! Sounds like you are going to have a great lunch. Let us know the result.

[slyguy]

Well the brisket is awesome, very juicy. The brisket has a nice bite.

[DeanCHS1980]

Hey slyguy, thx for keeping us updated. In summary, you put a 13.5 brisket on the Acorn around 10 pm or so last night and is was finished at 4:30 am this morning with an internal meat temperature of 195. Your grill temperature ranged from 235 to 295. Given your goal was 250 to 300, I think you hit your mark. I am making note of your post. Thx again.

[slyguy]

no, actually got the brisket on @ 8pm last night, it was done @ 4:30 this morning, so about 8,5hr cook. Note, I didn't really have a smoke ring and as I opened the kamado, most of my wood did not smoke down and a fire broke out. I cooked it fat side up. Did not mop it at all. I think the temp got hotter because grease was getting out of the drip pan and into the fire.

[Skipperron]

Planning to try brisket again this weekend (after monumental failure at first attempt).

I planned to place it on the main grate over a diffuser and a drip pan - but I read in several places a recommendation to cook the brisket in a pan:

" ... Place the brisket, fat side up, in an aluminum foil pan (or make a pan with a double sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil). Place the pan in the center of the hot grate, away from the heat. Cover the grill. "


Any thoughts on this?

[yo_quiero_fumar]

I applaud you guys doing brisket, I have yet to try one in my kamado. When I do, there will be pics! Everything sounds great, good work!