My first Brisket

Tiny Tim · July 07, 2007, 07:53:12 AM

Yeah, I know I was supposed to do this overnight from the third to the fourth, but due to going to fireworks on the third and not getting home until 11:30, then not wanting to screw around for half an hour and preheat for an hour before loading and going to bed, I decided to back it off to today.

The brisket is now resting over the sink with a very very very simple rub on it (Lawry's, Fresh ground pepper, and brown sugar), coming up to room temp. Dad will be going home in a bit to get me some power as he unplugged the cord from an outlet I can't get to, and the one I tried didn't have current this morning and I was running late.

An hour after he plugs it in, I'll be going home to put the brisket in and get the 4 hours of Hickory going, and hopefully be able to see wisping smoke when I go home from work for the day at noon (9:55 now).

More to follow.

coyote · July 07, 2007, 08:05:30 AM

Good luck and enjoy TT ,

Coyote

Tiny Tim · July 07, 2007, 08:10:32 AM

I already have a question too...now that I think about it. I want to slice it rather than have it fall apart by looking at it...what temp should I take it to? I'm thinking about 170ish, but would like some input.

Thanks coyote.

Habanero Smoker · July 07, 2007, 08:18:36 AM

At 170°F, it may be a little tough. For slicing I take mine to 180°F-185°F. Either way, you will need to slice thin and across the grain, so that it is tender.

coyote · July 07, 2007, 08:20:09 AM

Tiny , you might want to give it a quik feel (don't go there) before 170 to check sliceability. Once it starts falling apart there's no lookin' back. But it will still taste good...That's just my opinion. I'm pretty limited
on this. Mabey a pro will jump in soon....................Habs to the rescue...while I was typing....This is a great place!!!

Coyote

Tiny Tim · July 07, 2007, 08:35:57 AM

Thanks guys. I guess the worst that will happen with falling apart is I get to eat some smoky and saucy brisket that's not on the bread. :D

Tiny Tim · July 07, 2007, 09:34:17 AM

Brisket is in and smoke should be rolling momentarily. Had a minor issue with the newly built PID controller. Some IDIOT put the 1A fuse where the 10A fuse should have been and the 10A where the 1A should have been. I ain't mentioning my name, but I know who did it. Puck burner got the cabinet to at least 125 by itself (by door thermo, PID said 90ish when I finally got it hooked up right after having everything unplugged for half an hour and the door open for up to 5 minutes), so I put the brisket in and started the pucks going. Also had my water bowl full before everything was supposed to get power the first time, so I had a heat sink in place to aid recovery.

falcon900 · July 07, 2007, 10:55:25 AM

I'm cooking my first brisket (6.5 lbs) also. I started at 12am and it's at 178 degrees, 1pm I'm going for 185 degrees. I gave it 5 hrs mesquite smoke. I'll let you know in a bit how it turns out. By the way what does FTC stand for?

falcon900 · July 07, 2007, 12:03:57 PM

I just reached 185 degrees, 13.5 hrs at 230 degrees here's a photo.

Arcs_n_Sparks · July 07, 2007, 01:21:15 PM

falcon900;

Very nice; love that reentry vehicle look....

Arcs_n_Sparks (FTC = Follow The Chicks) :D

Tiny Tim · July 07, 2007, 02:24:16 PM

I'm at 5 hours cook time right now, 220* smoker temp. IT is 159 and has been since I checked at the 3.5 hr mark. I also decided to start autotune of the PID when I was out checking on it just now, since I've only seen temp numbers on the TC that are lower than my target temp of 220...don't know if it's just my timing, or if it's not hitting it. I know I should be out babysitting it with a beer in hand, but it's too dang hot out there for me...I figure as long as the neighbors don't call telling me the house is on fire, I'm okay.

About 2 hours to race time, and I hope supper time is gonna be about 2 hours past that. Don't know if I mentioned earlier, but pre smoke weight of the meat was 3.64 pounds.

After the cooking, I'm still undecided whether to FTC (Foil, Towel, and Cooler) the brisket or just let it rest a bit on my cutting board before slicing a couple of sammiches out of it. As with any good smoked meat, it's gonna be served with some of Iceman's famous sauce.

falcon900 · July 07, 2007, 04:16:48 PM

where did you find the reciept for Icemans sauce?

Tiny Tim · July 09, 2007, 08:54:52 AM

There's no recipe available for Iceman's sauce, you have to e-mail him your info and buy it from him. Standard order is 4 - 16 ounce mugs (canning jars with handles on them), he throws some extras in with the sauce and charges I think $20 plus $10 shipping for the board members. Address is [email protected] (I think...typing from memory, check for more posts with his name in the title).

Tiny Tim · July 09, 2007, 08:57:53 AM

Oh yeah, almost forgot to update ya on the finished product. Pulled from smoker just before the race, was at 170ish degrees, slapped it on my cutting board and cut it in half, then took a few slices off. Was a little tough, so I hooked my thermometers to it and put it in a 225* oven until it hit 187 on the thinner half, and 181 on the thicker, then shut the oven off and left it alone for a few hours (didn't have any foil left to FTC, as I used the last on some baked potatoes and thought I had another roll).