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New guy with a small Traeger

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    New guy with a small Traeger

    Hello all
    I am about as newby as a person can be.Was given a small Traeger for fathers day and to date have done baby back ribs and two briskets. The ribs turned out good but the briskets not so much.
    I found this web-site and tried cooking a 4 lb flat brisket after buying a digital thermometer. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying close enough attention and the internal temp rose to 211 degrees.The brisket was terrible and tough.
    I next replaced the Traeger non-digital controller with a digital controller.
    The next time I tried cooking a brisket the smoker temp was set at 225 and I cooked the meat to an internal temp of 202. The brisket was USDA choice and about 4 and one half pounds.I wrapped it in foil at 160 degrees. It took about 7 hours to cook.
    The results were much better but still not great.
    I am now wondering whether I should lower the cooking temp to 195 so that it would likely take much longer (12 hours?) to cook.
    What say the experts?

    #2
    Howdy jhirschauer from an old guy with a large Traeger! I went through the same evolution with my cooks until I started using the Thermoworks Smoke digital thermometer. It really dials it in for me and gives greater control. I also use the Traeger insulating blanket for cold weather with equally good results. Low and slow is the way to go. I'm sitting on a 10lb pork butt that's been on for 11hrs now. It hit the stall at 180° and I am wondering when we'll eat! You've come to the right place for great advice and conversation. Welcome!
    Last edited by CaptainMike; November 13, 2016, 07:56 PM.

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      #3
      Welcome to the Pit! I wouldn't lower the cooking temperature below 225. You might try cooking to prob tender - a prob going into soft butter. The flat is lean and will be dry. Don't slide it until you are ready to serve. Also, let it rest in a faux cambro for at least an hour before serving. The point will be more moist, and I like the flavor better. Practice may not make perfect, but it will make you a better cook. Keep cooking.

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        #4
        Welcome to The Pit jhirschauer! Thanks for joining up with us, we appreciate your support.

        Great job experimenting and figuring it all out. It may just be the fact that you're smoking brisket flats- even high grade flats are inherently dry and sometimes they're just slightly underwhelming even if you did everything right. Make sure to leave a fat cap on one side, averaging anywhere from 1/8" to 1/4" thick is common. Then when you slice it it'll have that thin layer of fat on the edge of each slice. I too would suggest that you let it hold in a faux cambro for 1-3hrs after it gets to the 200ish range. This will allow the meat to cease cooking (rising in temp) but instead slowly wane the temp over hours and keep softening the fat & collagen, making it more tender and seemingly more juicy. If you ever get a chance to cook a whole packer brisket, or even just a brisket point, you'll likely see what we mean saying the flat is just a drier hunk of meat.

        Since this is your first post, please check out our homework assignment post for new members, it contains a few how-tos and please-dos. This will help you learn your way around so you can get the best experience from our forum.

        Also, it's very important that you:
        1. Give us an email address you actually use. You can set or change your email on file with us by clicking your name in the upper-right, then User Settings, then the Notifications tab.
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        Hope to hear & see more from you!

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          #5
          Time in the smoker isn't the most important factor. Its more about getting the meat to those "melting temps" 190's to 200 F, Uniformly through out the meat. How ever, this usually it takes time to get there but making it lower and slower is not your solution here. If fact, it can make your food sooty and bitter.

          Your best option is buying a Whole Prime Brisket. (Whole Packer) The difference in quality, flavor and moisture between Choice and Prime is significant. Costco and Sams are great places to find these. If you have a membership.

          As others mentioned, let it rest for at least 2 hours in the cooler. Wrap it in foil, then a towel, then throw it in a iceless cooler. (Faux Cambro)

          This makes me wanna go out and get one going!

          Comment


            #6
            Welcome to the Pit! I wouldn't cook at a temp lower than 225. Instead, focus on great bark followed by probe tenderness regardless of final IT.

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              #7
              Welcome jhirschauer

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                #8
                Welcome aboard jhirschauer!

                Comment


                  #9
                  You say that the smoker temp was set at 225F with the new digital. Was this verified by your digital probe as well? I do own a Traeger, and the digital can be off as much as 2F to 50F, depending on the cleanliness of your smoker and outside ambient temps. I wouldn't even worry about the setting on the smoker, rely on your probe.

                  Welcome to the group, Jhirschauer!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Thanks for the responses.
                    ​​​​​​To answer Shane, yes I replaced the Traeger analogue controller with the first generation digital controller and that controller was set to 225.The temps do fluctuate in the smoker at first but then tend to stabilize.
                    I also had a digital probe in the meat for the entire cooking time.
                    I guess I had the idea from reading this website that using this technique (precise control of the smoker temp together with precise digital monitoring of the brisket core) that the brisket should be perfectly cooked.
                    It seems though that there is,in addition to the temperature, a time element involved.
                    For example, should I cook to 160 degrees?or, say, 190 degrees and then try to hold that temp for several (2,3,4?) hours or, like others suggest "stick a fork in it" to test for "doneness"?

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                      #11
                      The probe I am referring to, is your separate digital probe inside the smoker, not the meat probe. The actual digital controller you added on to replace the analog controller may be off. Depending on conditions, I can have my digital controller set to 225F on my Traeger, and the digital display will say it is 225F, but it will still be running an actual smoker temp of 200F or lower.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        jhirschauer, Welcome to "The Pit"! You are Now Enrolled in the BBQ Univ.! Attendance and Participation are Mandatory! Enjoy "The Pit"
                        Eat Well and Prosper! From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Welcome to the pit J !! Like others said, use a probe for both the meat as well as grate temp. The Maverick 732 is an example, it has 2 probes, one for meat the other for grate temp (run it a few inches from meat right on the grate. Dial in your temp (225) according to the independent probe instead of the digital temp controller on the unit. Have fun !!

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