First Brisket

[Rainmaker]

I am doing my first brisket in an OBS and trying to follow Pachanga's recipe.  Having people over for dinner, so sure hope it turns out all right. 

I got a whole brisket from a friend of my son who runs a BBQ restaurant here.  Had some pictures but having difficulty getting them to load - obviously doing something wrong.

Put the brisket on at 10:30 at 215 deg.  Is that too low?  Plan to raise it to 225 in the morning.  I want it to finish around 3;00 OR 4:00 so I can FTC it until we eat around 7:00pm

Of course it is raining!  It's Victoria

[Rainmaker]

finally figured it out.

Here is brisket with rub



After mustard applied

[SL2010]

That looks very good

[Rainmaker]

At 5:30 IT is 162 deg with cabinet temp at 215 deg (after 7 hours).  Going up faster than I thought.

[Tenpoint5]

Looks good so far. Just an observation. If you started at 10:30 and took the pic at 5:30, and there is still smoke. You have been running smoke for 7 hours. The smoke flavor may be a bit intense for those that are not used to it. Most people only use about 4 hours of smoke on their long cooks like a butt and brisket.

[GusRobin]

You may find that it will stall in the 160's for a few hours, so not to worry. Also, if it gets done early just double wrap it in aluminum foil, wrap a towel around it and put it in a dry cooler (no ice). It should hold its temp fpor a few hours. If you don't have a cooler you can put it in the microwave (don't turn it on). When i put it in the cooler I sometimes stuff it with newspapers to provide added insulation.

[Rainmaker]

It hit the stall!  It's 8:00 a.m. and the IT is 168 deg (only up 6 deg in 2.5 hrs).  I used about 5.5 hrs of smoke (half alder half apple).  The smoke in the picture at 5:30 comes from last few bisquettes still smoldering because the water pan was almost empty and the bisquettes had piled up so they didn't hit the water.  I added more water and they were exstinquished.

I plan to FTC when it hits 185.  How long can I safely FTC?  And, if necessary, can I reheat by putting the foil wrapped brisket in the oven at 250 for an hour before dinner without drying it out?

[GusRobin]

folks hace FTCd for 4-6 hours. Make sure you double or triple foil (I also spritz a little with juice, beer, or broth). Wrap in towel. If you don't have a towel you can spare I have packed the bottom of the cooler with newspaper, added the foiled meat, and stuffed the top and sides with paper. The paper acts as additional insulation. I usually reheat in a slow cooker in lieu of an oven, but that may be a personal preference.

[Uncle Pigfat]

I've gone up to 7 hours FTC before and still had a hot product.  I'd only take the IT to 140ish if you're just reheating in the oven (if you even have to) rather than relying on time since it's not difficult to dry out a brisket.

[Rainmaker]

Well, its almost 10:00 and IT is 172#.  If it can stay below 185# until noon, I'll pull at 185 and FTC until 7:00 p.m.

[Pachanga]

JimV,

It looks like you have everything under control.  TenPoint makes a good point about the smoke length.  It also depends on the type of wood.  Using Alder and Apple, for my anyway, it would be hard to over smoke.  I use mostly apple, some oak and a little hickory on an 18 hour smoke and probably run the smoke generator 12 or more hours.  Part of that is I grew up with wood smokers where if wasn't smoking, it wasn't cooking.  It is a preference of taste and atmosphere that you will arrive upon with experience.  It is better to start with less and add more to taste in future smokes.

I suspect you are going to have some happy guests and lots of compliments.

Good luck and slow smoking,

Pachanga

[Pachanga]

Jim,

While you are FTCing, stick a probe in to make sure the temp stays up.  I have assisted the process by throwing a heating pad in the cooler if the temp started to get to low.

I smoke my briskets to fork tender at the thin flat end.  A lot of the board has been pulling at 185 without checking for fork tender and have reported excellent results.  I am just old school and like to let the brisket tell me when it is ready.  Fork tender is usually between 185 and 195 in the flat.  FTCing helps eliminate the need for fork tender because the internal temperature is going to continue to rise to 192 -195 without additional outside heat source.  It gives you a larger window for tender brisket.  Many times I serve straight out of the smoker after a twenty to thirty minute rest.  It is imperative to check for fork tender in this instance to prevent serving a brisket that is not in the prime spot.

Another method is the probe method.  When the probe slides into the flat without resistance, it is time to pull.

Pachanga

[Rainmaker]

Thanks for all the excellent advice.  Just had another idea.  When I pull it and triple wrap in foil, couldn't I put it back in the OBS with the cabinet temp set low (around 150#)?  I have a dual Auber probe so can keep the cabinet temp steady and continue to monitor the IT.

[Rainmaker]

Pulled the brisket when IT reached 185#.  Moved the temp probe to another area and it hit 190#.  Sprayed with a mixture of apple juice and Jack Daniels.  Wrapped in three layers of foil, a towell and into the cooler.  Long ways to dinner so hope it holds the temp.  Sampled a bit and it was relly moist!

[Uncle Pigfat]

Nice work. I always hate waiting around for FTC. I just want to cut into it and stuff my face.