My First Brisket on my PBC

[kamileon]

I got my PBC a couple of weeks ago. I’ve never smoked anything before so I figure I would kill two birds with one stone. First cook on the PBC and first time smoking a brisket. I mean I am from Texas, smoking brisket is in my blood. What could possibly go wrong? Also sorry for the long post wanted to get my thoughts out.

I followed the 15/10/10 lighting method and used apple wood. It peaked at a temperature of about 370 and settled down to around 315. I left it there for about an hour thinking it would settle down to the desired range. I know from reading fzxdoc that it should be at a temp range of 270-290. PBC says 270-310. I used the foil in the rebar holes trick and was able to bring the temp down to 270 and it held there for the majority of the cook. It would go as low as 240 but I would pull the foil and it would jump up to 320 and the foil would go back in and the temp dropped back to 270 and hold for a while. This was a continuance pricess throught the cook.

Now on to the brisket. I trimmed it, bringing it down to around 14 pounds, and dry brined it for 12 hours. Rubbed it with a light coat of olive oil and used Meatheads BBBR. It went in the PBC at 9 am. What had me worried was it cooked to a temp of 140 within the first hour. Not sure if that is normal or if it was the higher temps I was seeing. After I got the temp down it took till 3 pm to get the brisket to a temp of 160. During this cook time I also sprayed the brisket with a water and Worcestershire mix, I did that three times.

Once it hit the 160 mark I pulled it for the good ol crutch. Wrapped it in foil with about a 1/2 cup of beef broth. And put it back in the PBC on the grate. It got to a temp of 205 at about 5pm. Pulled from the PBC and into the cambro to rest.

I let it rest for two hours. The think the bark looked decent. When I sliced into the flat the inly thing missing was the smoke ring. It was simply wasnt there or very minimal in places. The beisket was super moist and tender and evryone loved the flavor. I was just bummed I didn’t get that prized smoke ring.

I think with some adjustments and practice I’ll get there. But very satisfied with my first attempt at a brisket, and the family loved it. More importantly the in-laws loved it.

Again sorry for the long post. Just wanted to get my thoughts and techniques out there. I know someone is going to be in shoes and I hope my experience helps them as others posts have helped me.

[ecowper]

That was ballsy .... first cook on a PBC and first brisket all at the same time. But I gotta tell you, that looks darn good. And sounds like it came out excellent. Especially for a double first!

[EdF]

You done well kamileon !

[kamileon]

Go big or fail miserably I say.

[Mr. Bones]

Looks like a Fine Job, leastways from here, brother!
Smoke rings are purty, an all, but they don't really mean doodly-squat, as far as food taste/quality...
Sometimes, they jus happen, an we take pics.
Nicely Done, Good Sir!

[smn1285]

15/10/10 does not work for me at all. Coals get too hot and the cooker runs hot/high and it’s tough to get it back down. I’m at sea level FYI. I let the coals go for 8-10 mins max in the chimney, dump them leave the lid off, go retrieve the meat I’m cooking and begin the cook. I notice this method for me allows the coals to come UP to temp as opposed to coming DOWN to temp.

[kamileon]

While I’m not at sea level I’m fairly close, 1300 ft. I going to try your methid next and see what happens.

[RichRybak]

After experimenting different methods, what s&m1285 says works for me! I stay at 280 290 for hours!!!!

[PappyBBQ]

Yep

[fzxdoc]

kamileon Congrats on nailing the cook and the cooker performance on the first try. Having a moist and tender brisket at the end of the day is a winner or a cook for sure. You did good!

About the lighting method: Often folks at sea level report that they have to back down the timing of the lighting sequence with the PBC. I'm at 3500 ft elevation, and 15-10-10 works well for me with Kingsford Original. If I use Weber charcoal, it's more like 25-10-10. It's all about finding what works for your PBC and charcoal. And, just as importantly, it's all about getting a good light on those coals so that they carry the cook smoothly. I'm sure within a couple of cooks, you'll find the lighting timing that works best for you.

Almost always when a new PBC owner reports high temperatures, especially over several hours, it comes down to a lid that is not tightly secured or a lid leak even if the lid is on good and tight. After some gunk builds up in the rim area of the lid, the seal will get tighter. It only takes a very small leak to keep the PBC temps abnormally high, especially in the beginning of the cook. So pound on the lid with your fist or a rubber mallet when you want to secure it. Check for little leaks. If you find a leak, even if the lid is on tight, take a 2-3 inch wide strip of aluminum foil and crimp it over the area of the lid seam that is leaking. That usually brings the temps down.

Keep us posted on your upcoming cooks and how they turn out. It's always fun to experience a cook vicariously.

Enjoy that new PBC!

Kathryn

[kamileon]

fzxdoc. The lid leaking is something I did notice. I readjusted the lid and it stopped most of it and a couple of bricks on top stopped the rest. I did call PBC to ask about it and they said if the lid does leak its not an issue and shouldnt effect temperature. I find that odd that they say this and that so many people on this forum say differently.

[fzxdoc]

If you did have a lid leak, then you may not want to change your lighting procedure until you have that solved. If you change too many things at once, kamileon, it's harder to find the culprit that roadblocks consistency between cooks. Just a thought.

K.