Newbie Questions - Bradley Digital 4 Rack

[Mayweather]

Hi all,

So i dusted off the Bradley today for the first time in about 3 years and decided to try some smoking again. Tomorrow i will be smoking half a brisket and i was wondering what techniques people use to smoke over 2 days?

For example i want to smoke it for about 6 hours tomorrow, and then finish it off the next day in the oven. How would i best go about doing this? Should i let it cool down in a BBQ foil tray and once cool wrap in foil with a blob of butter and keep in fridge? Then next take take out of fridge, let it come up to room temp and place it in the over with a water tray? Also what's the best way to re-heat brisket, as i would love to take some to work for lunch, however only have access to a microwave there.

Also i have setup my PID for the first time as well and it's now ready to go. What's the best way to connect the PID cabin thermometer. Do i attach it to the bottom rack, and if so how do i attach it to the bottom rack?

Appreciate any advice.

[TedEbear]

Once you start slow smoking and cooking it, finish it then.  Do not half cook it one day and then try to finish cooking it another day.  It is OK to reheat.  I feel that it tastes better reheated after a few days anyway.

Also, many people feel that applying more than about 3-4 hours worth of smoke is wasting pucks.  As the meat cooks it stops absorbing smoke and I doubt that you'd be able to taste the difference between a brisket that had smoke applied to it for 4 hours versus 6+ hours.

[Habanero Smoker]

Reheating brisket you need to take a few precautions, or it will become very dry. If I'm planning to serve it to a large group in the future, I will vacuum seal it uncut. If it is smaller portions, I will slice first, then vacuum seal. I always add some of the juices from the brisket in the bag before sealing. When doing this, I partially freeze the contents of the bag prior to vacuum sealing to prevent the juices from being sucked out. To reheat I place the bag in a pot of water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and continue to heat to the desired temperature.

If you don't have a vacuum sealer, place in a pan with the brisket juices and/or low sodium beef broth, cover tightly, I it place in a preheated 325°F oven and heat until you reach your desired temperature. Some say don't reheat at a higher temperature than you cooked the brisket, and they recommend 225°F - 250°F.

Tip: if you are storing any smoked meats for more than several hours, don't let the aluminum foil be in contact with the food. The acids from the smoke  will begin to eat away the aluminum foil.

[Mayweather]

Thanks for the advice. Where should i place the cabin temperature probe? Should it be on the bottom rack of my 4 rack Bradley? My plan is to have the half brisket on the top rack. On the second rack i will have a drip tray to catch the drippings. And on the third rack a plan to have a second, larger water pan to add further moisture to the cabin. Is this a good setup for Brisket? Do i need to spray the brisket with apple juice every few hrs like ribs? Id love to leave the door closed initially for like 3-4 hrs as i do the smoking but worried about my water pans drying up.

Appreciate any advice.

[rexster]

As a stick burner, Bradley user, Masterbuilt user, and PK Grill user, I'd say lose the extra water pan. Too much moisture and for a brisket you're wanting one with a little bark on it. You won't get it with all that added moisture. Agree that you should finish it off in the oven if that's what you want to do the same day, don't let it cool off. I've found that after an hour or so, open the foil up to expose the meat and continue for another hour or so. That'll firm up the bark you've created, then steamed it off wrapping it up.
I've started using pink butcher paper instead of foil with great results after smoking for 4-5 hours, then placing in oven. It releases the steam created but contains the resulting juices very well

[Habanero Smoker]

I place my probe on the bottom rack, toward the front of the Bradley so that no drippings fall on it. Since you plan to place a pan to catch the drippings, when I tried doing it, the drippings would dry up and burn - smoke but not catch on fire. So hopefully those that use a drip pan can provide you with additional information. I never tried an extra water pan in the Bradley, or none of my other cookers; so I can't answer that question. I use foil to wrap my brisket, and though it will soften the bark, I've never had a problem with the bark falling off. I don't wrap until I see a good bark forming, or when the brisket hits around 160°F.