Welcome! I am kinda new here too. I thought it was worth the price of admission to the pit when I decided to finally cook brisket. ecowper has super advice. You won't go wrong following it. All cookers strive for the same end results in different ways. It sounds like you are pretty comfortable with the PBC. Also, trust the cooker you choose and let it get the job done. No need to poke around much. Sounds like a fun cook!
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Miranda Smith in Seattle wants to cook a Brisket
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Club Member
- Sep 2015
- 8034
- Colorado
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> Weber Genesis EP-330
> Grilla Grills Original Grilla (OG) pellet smoker with Alpha/Connect
> Pit Barrel Cooker (gone to a new home)
> WeberQ 2000 (on "loan" to a relative (I'll never see it again))
> Old Smokey Electric (for chickens mostly - when it's too nasty out
to fiddle with a more capable cooker)
> Luhr Jensen Little Chief Electric - Top Loader circa 1990 (smoked fish & jerky)
> Thermoworks Smoke
> 3 Thermoworks Chef Alarms
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> Anova sous vide circulator
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> WÜSTHOF, Dalstrong, and Buck knives
> Paprika App on Mac and iOS
Welcome from Colorado ... your brisket will turn out fine ... so relax, don't overthink it, have fun with it, and then do what the rest of us do ... cook it, eat it, enjoy it, and declare total victory ...
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Club Member
- Dec 2019
- 2253
- Venice, FL
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Napoleon Prestige Pro 500
Yoder YS640S
Anova Sous Vide
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Instapot
2 Cuisinart Food Processors
Black Thermapen One
Gray Thermapen Mk4
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Thermoworks Smoke
Fireboard
Napoleon AccuProbe Thermometer
2 Thermoworks RT8100
Welcome from southwest Florida.
You've gotten some great advice above, especially the posts from ecowper and Mosca . Just remember to relax and enjoy the experience. Also, keep a journal of your cooks. I like to compare my successes and failures. Also, take pictures as you go so you can post them on the Show Us What You're Cooking thread.
I think someone else already said this, but in the wort case, everyone is going to lie and tell you they loved it. After all, they want to be invited when you hit the home run.
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Welcome from NJ. Im gonna go against the grain here and say dont cook a brisket, cook some chuck ribs or dino ribs. As people here like to call it, brisket on a stick. A good brisket cook is amazing, a bad brisket cook is god awful. A chuck rib cook is almost always bloody good.
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This is some solid advice. I have cooked a brisket before and it was disappointing. We still ate it of course, but it was so long ago I don't remember what went wrong. I do recall it wasn't tender. I saw a cook log sheet somewhere on here. . . Probably a good idea to take notes
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I will unabashedly say ive never cooked a truly fantastic brisket. Its obviously me because if you go to any of the great bbq places then you know its possible but ive never been able to recreate it. Considering the price ive pretty much given up. Not that chuck or dino ribs are cheap but IME they are much more of a guaranteed result. That said, if you have one in your fridge you will find plenty of advice here on how to do it.
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Club Member
- Jan 2020
- 1412
- Plano, Texas
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Cookshack Smokette 008 (2005)
Weber 18.5” Kettle (moved to Nebraska with Grandson)
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Pit Barrel Junior (PBJ)
Grilla OG pellet grill
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Thermapen (Red, of course)
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B & B Briquettes
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Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
Coors Banquet (why bother with light beer?)
Welcome from north Texas. You’ll get plenty of free advice on cooking your brisket as you’ve already seen. Let us know what cooker and how it goes.
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Charter Member
- Nov 2014
- 3071
- Chico, CA
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BBQ's
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Welcome from Chico, CA. You are in good hands. This is a fun place to be. We all learn from each other and enjoy showing what we have learned. Always ask questions.
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Club Member
- Nov 2017
- 7089
- Huntsville, Alabama
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Jim Morris
Cookers- Slow 'N Sear Deluxe Kamado (2021)
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MsTwiggy welcome to the pit from Alabama - so glad to have you on board!
I’ve been smoking for over 30 years, but for some reason stuck to ribs, butts and chicken, and was intimidated by brisket until I joined the Pitmaster club. My first few cooks I went through the guide by Meathead on the free side on smoking Texas style brisket, and was super happy with even my first attempt. If you’ve done a Boston butt, it’s really not all that different.
I wrap my brisket in foil once it hits 170F or so, and has a good bark. Also - insert your temperature probe in the thickest part of the flat - not the point - and avoid the deckle -the fat layer between point and flat. Don’t stress if the point gets higher that your target temp. Also, be sure not to skip the cambro hold for at least an hour or two. That really helps things with brisket.
If you have any questions, this is the place to find answers.
Oh - and if it were me, I would use the kettle+SNS mostly as that is how I do most of my briskets. Brisket can take a long time for that size, and it’s a lot easier to refuel the SNS than the PBC. That’s just me though…
Oh - and the most common reason for a brisket that is not tender is it didn’t get done… at least in my experience.Last edited by jfmorris; March 25, 2022, 11:03 PM.
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Founding Member & Pit Barrel Cooker Queen
- Jul 2014
- 7136
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My toys:
Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center (WSCGC) aka Mr. Fancypants
Pit Barrel Cooker (which rocks), named Pretty Baby
Weber Summit S650 Gas Grill, named Hot 'n Fast (used mostly for searing and griddling)
Weber Kettle Premium 22" named Kettle Kid, eager to horn in with more cooks in the future
Camp Chef Somerset IV 4-burner outdoor gas range named AfterBurner due to its 30kBTU burners
Adrenaline BBQ Company Gear:SnS Low Profile, DnG, and Large Charcoal Basket, for WSCGC
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Hi Miranda, welcome to The Pit. It's nice to have you here.
I smoke a lot of briskets on my PBC, even though I have a Weber Summit Charcoal cooker which can cook in either kamado mode or kettle mode, and a 22inch kettle, both of which have SnS inserts. The smoky flavor that the PBC brings to the brisket makes it my smoker of choice for briskets.
Usually I smoke briskets at 250° to 275° on the PBC. You can look at the "PBC Cook Times" topic to get an idea of how long it will take to cook your brisket given your average PBC cooking temp. I have never cooked a brisket overnight. On the PBC at the temps I choose, they are usually done in 10 to 12 hours.
For long cooks, I use B&B or Weber briquettes (they can go much longer than KBB), started by KBB in the chimney because B&B and Weber can take a while to get a good light. The KBB in the chimney gooses them along initially. That said, I've smoked many a brisket with Kingsford Original all the way.
I really overload the basket so I can get at least a 10 hour cook without reloading coals. I wrap a brisket once it has a really pretty bark at around 170° to 180° internal. If the fire starts dying after the wrap, I just move the brisket in to a 275° oven to finish it up. Once it's wrapped, the meat doesn't care where the heat comes from.
You've received a lot of great advice already. I can add one more tip: be sure to slice only what you are serving so the meat doesn't dry out. Oh, and be sure to double serial hook the brisket to give it some extra support as it softens during the cook.
Most of all, have fun with that cook!
KathrynLast edited by fzxdoc; March 26, 2022, 06:38 AM.
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I am nervous about needing to add charcoal but I'll work through that trauma when it happens. My air vent is at 1/4 cause I'm at sea level and my PBC seals very nicely. I will use a thermoworks Smoke to monitor the situation as it unfolds. Thanks again for your tips!! Going to trim and salt today!!Last edited by MsTwiggy; March 26, 2022, 09:22 AM.
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MsTwiggy
Adding charcoal is really no big deal. Just load up your chimney and start the coals going. I add hot coals (esp. for KBB) to burn off the oily-smelling fumes when the briquettes are first lit. That's why I do a 3 stage (15-10-10) light on the coals: the last 10 minutes is to let some of the smell and white smoke dissipate. Be sure to remove the meat and set it aside before you add the coals so the swirling ash doesn't deposit on it. After a couple of minutes, add the meat back.
K.
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Also, MsTwiggy , FWIW--it's great if you have the option for 2 ambient probes in the PBC, one on the vent side, and one opposite. For every cook, their temp measurements can differ from each other by as much as 40-60° for some parts of the cook. I use 2 ambients and take the average. Averaging the two readouts keeps me from fiddling with the PBC to make it sit at the temp I want.
Kathryn
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