I just purchased a new Lonestar Grillz insulated smoker out of TX. I'm using Kingsford blue bag charcoal and post oak with a BBQ Guru to maintain temp. The temp has been perfectly maintained at 225 but my Brisket has been stuck at around 115 to 125. I filled the water pan, it holds about 7 gallons, and produces a good amount of steam. I put the Brisket on at about 6:30pm last night and I'm now almost at the 12 hour mark but the temp remains the same.
Cookers:
Weber Kettle (used/fair condition; a gift).
Grilla OG.
Pit Boss 3-Burner Ultimate Lift-Off Griddle.
SnS Kettle.
Everything Else:
Sous Vide equipment.
Instant read and leave-in thermometers.
Grill Grates.
Kingsford Blue Bag, Royal Oak Lump Charcoal, Weber lighter cubes, Weber charcoal chimneys.
BBQr's Delight Hickory & Apple flavor pellets, propane torch, 6" smoke tube.
Grilla apple & hickory pellets, Royal Oak charcoal pellets.
Rubs with salt: Meat Church, Meathead.
Rubs without salt: SnS Grills Rocky's Rub and Not Just for Beef.
Rubs home-mixed: None at this time.
Spices: Lots of 'em.
I would reinsert it in a different area if it's a leave-in probe. If you have a quick read unit I would check a couple of areas too. Make sure your probe tip is in the center of the meat. It's possible that your meat probe has failed. You'll figure this out. The brisket should be way above 125 after 12 hours.
I will go check the temp with another therm. in a few different places and I will let you know about the bark. Based on that yeah I could wrap it. But again, I have never seen this happen with other smokers I've had.
Well, you were correct. Brand new BBQ Guru and the probe was bad. After temping it with my trusty Thermopen it was 203 and 210 (flat, point). You guys saved me..... I was going to keep letting it go. Here is a pic of the meteorite.
Cookers:
Weber Kettle (used/fair condition; a gift).
Grilla OG.
Pit Boss 3-Burner Ultimate Lift-Off Griddle.
SnS Kettle.
Everything Else:
Sous Vide equipment.
Instant read and leave-in thermometers.
Grill Grates.
Kingsford Blue Bag, Royal Oak Lump Charcoal, Weber lighter cubes, Weber charcoal chimneys.
BBQr's Delight Hickory & Apple flavor pellets, propane torch, 6" smoke tube.
Grilla apple & hickory pellets, Royal Oak charcoal pellets.
Rubs with salt: Meat Church, Meathead.
Rubs without salt: SnS Grills Rocky's Rub and Not Just for Beef.
Rubs home-mixed: None at this time.
Spices: Lots of 'em.
Helping each other is one of the great things about The Pit. Experience is also a great teacher! You're timing was pretty good in that you caught this when you did. Let us know how it tastes, and may some photos?
Glad to hear it worked out! If the probe had not been bad, and the meat was really at 125 F, I was about to tell you to throw it out. 12 hours would have been way too long in the "un-safe zone" of 40 F to 140 F where pathogens grow.
Sous Vide is different because it quickly takes the meat up to the hold temperature, and that hold temperature is sufficiently high to kill the pathogens.
LangInGibsonia, Water conducts heat much better than air so the food gets to the temp of the water very quickly, so it's not in the danger zone very long.
Gotta make sure guru plugs are pushed all the way in. I thought mine were broke once but they were not pushed in. That girl on bbq pittmasters season one I think had that problem in one episode.
Glad to hear it worked out! If the probe had not been bad, and the meat was really at 125 F, I was about to tell you to throw it out. 12 hours would have been way too long in the "un-safe zone" of 40 F to 140 F where pathogens grow.
I'm gonna disagree with David Parrish on this one. I doubt the quickness of heating with sous vide would be that different or different enough to render the meat unsafe. For a hunk, usually it's just the surface where we worry about pathogens and in the smoker the surface would be much hotter than in a sous vide bath. So it would likely be safer than in a sous vide bath. Pathogens really don't grow at the higher range, they just don't die as quickly.
Now if the meat was at 70 or even 90, then we'd potentially have a problem.
I'm gonna disagree with David Parrish on this one. I doubt the quickness of heating with sous vide would be that different or different enough to render the meat unsafe. For a hunk, usually it's just the surface where we worry about pathogens and in the smoker the surface would be much hotter than in a sous vide bath. So it would likely be safer than in a sous vide bath. Pathogens really don't grow at the higher range, they just don't die as quickly.
Now if the meat was at 70 or even 90, then we'd potentially have a problem.
The quickness in which the meat heats up is critical. While the meat is in the danger zone toxic bad guys are growing and multiplying. The longer food spends in the danger zone the much more likely it is enough of the toxic bad guys won't be killed in the cooking process to make your food safe. And then there's botulism. It release spores during while the meat warms up which don't die until 250 F! Sous Vide water baths heat meat much more quickly than typical smokers, which is one of the reasons it's safer to use lower temps when cooking Sous Vide style. Another reason is very precise temperature control of the meat. You can hold the meat at your desire temp for hours. When using a smoker the meat comes off the moment it hits your desired temp.
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