First smoking experience - lessons learned and some questions

[inm101]

Had my first smoking experience this weekend with the Bradley.  We did a 6.5 pound brisket, ribs, and sausage with the vents open.  Here's what I learned:

• Don't smoke in the rain.  The pucks turn to mushy piles of sawdust when they get wet and gum up the auto-feed.
• Sausage doesn't take long to cook.  I had them in for 5 hours as 160->200 and they were dry and over cooked by the time I discovered their dire state.
• Brisket is tough.  We did the mustard + rub, let it sit overnight, smoked it for 5 hours and cooked it for a total of 13 hours.  It had good flavor but was dry.

My questions:

• What can I do to make my brisket more moist?  I cooked it to 189 IT with the fat down.  I did not wrap it with foil or baste it.  We did FTC it for 20 minutes
• What's the recommended pork sausage internal temp?  I can't find a clear answer on that.

Thanks for your help!  I've learned so much for your posts and appreciate all of the advice you have to offer.

Cheers!

[Saber 4]

Only thing I can add is I do my briskets fat side up instead of down so the fat oozes through the meat on it's way down. Other than that I'll leave the rest of the advice to the brisket experts.

[TedEbear]

• Don't smoke in the rain.  The pucks turn to mushy piles of sawdust when they get wet and gum up the auto-feed.

Don't let a little rain slow you down.   :D

Rain - outfitted bradley



As far as a more moist brisket, maybe try injecting it.  1st Brisket Advice and commentary desired....

[pz]

Love it - is that an official Bradley accessory?  ;D

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi inm101;

Welcome to the forum.

In the Bradley I smoke brisket fat side up. I rarely FTC brisket or any other meat unless it is done early and I've planned to serve it that day. Are you slicing your brisket against the grain? If not it will have a tendency to be tough.

Where you cooking sausage treated with sodium nitrite, or fresh sausage? If it was fresh sausage, to be safe it should be cooked at a temperature of 225°F or higher, to an internal temperature of 160°F.

Be careful about getting the generator wet, electricity and water are a bad combination. Provide some type of shelter like TedEbear, or if you have a popup canopy they setup fairly quickly.

[beefmann]

on the brisker  for being  dry, try  injecting  it  with  apple  juice or other  flavored  liquid, Or  smoke the brisket,,,  when the  brisket is done,,  wrap it  in  foil with some apple juice or your favorite  beer then  seal the  foil as tight as you   can and  into the  smoker till an  it of 195 - 200... usually the higher the temp on brisket the more tender it is...

as for  sausage  the IT temp is 152- 155 and it is done

[GusRobin]

The results of a brisket depends a lot on the grade of meat. I will never buy one that is "Select" because for me they never come out good.

[inm101]

Thank you for the tips!  My wife's comment about the umbrella was..."wouldn't that ruin the color of the umbrella?"  Ha ha.

• I'll most definitely run my next cook fat side up.
• We sliced against the grain for sure.  (Thanks for the tip thought).
• It was fresh sausage.  Thank you for the tip about the IT.
• We considered injecting it but didn't.  At which IT or frequency should we be injecting it?
• We only cooked it to 189.  You are saying a higher IT (200) will make for a more tender brisket?  I was afraid the additional cooking would dry it out more.
• What's my target temperature for the brisket?  I was anywhere from 200 - 260 for the 13 hours I cooked it.

Thanks for all of your help!  You guys are great.

[Ka Honu]

A few brisket notes:

- Not sure that fat up or down really matters - there are proponents for both ways.

- Slicing across the grain is important.

- Try to buy a flexible brisket and try to get USDA Choice.

- Brisket (especially the part of the flat that extends past the point) may tend to dry out.  Injection (I'd use low salt beef bullion) and FTC might help. 185 is usually a good IT to shoot for.

- MOST IMPORTANTLY, read the brisket posts on the recipe site (especially Pachanga's contributions).

[ssherman]

• Don't smoke in the rain.  The pucks turn to mushy piles of sawdust when they get wet and gum up the auto-feed.

I see you the umbrella and raise you this. 

Don't let a little rain slow you down.   :D

Rain - outfitted bradley



As far as a more moist brisket, maybe try injecting it.  1st Brisket Advice and commentary desired....