Brisket Cook tonight!

[Stevo]

Hello Pit Masters!

Couldn't resist $2.69/lb primer packer at Costco...



I was struggling on when to cook it but decided today to cook it tonight! So no long dry brine, but I got it all trimmed and salted/peppered by 2pm today. The trimming is more like a masacre! The 16lb packer ended up 10lbs after the trim...



I used 2T kosher salt and 2T coarse ground black pepper. Wrapped it and stowed it in the fridge until cook time...


Now:

I'm using my Camp Chef pellet smoker for this cook. I want to cook it tonight, overnight, and sleep through the night! So I'm not sure when to start it. Ideally I'd like to have it wrapped in butcher paper, after the stall or near the end of it, before going to bed. So that probably means put it on 4-5 hours before bed time? Or maybe I shouldn't worry about wrapping and just let 'er cruise all night low and slow?

What do ya'll think?

Also: where's the best place to put a probe in this slab-o-cow?

I promise more pics as the cook progresses tonight!

Stevo

[HawkerXP]

So jealous. Our Costco, no whole briskets, no prime briskets and no $2.69 per lb briskets!

I talked to our Costco manager and he said there isn't enough demand here.

[RonB]

HawkerXP - ask the manager if he can get you a whole case. If he can, maybe you can get some other pit members to share it with you. If my son doesn't bring one from Austin next visit, that's what I'm going to do.

[HawkerXP]

RonB that's an idea.

[DWCowles]

Beautiful Stevo looking forward to the cook.

[Jerod Broussard]

Unwrapped until you get ample bark running 250, at least 12 hours....maybe

Put the probe in the thickest part of the flat.

[Steve B]

You're trimming looks pretty good to me. If possible you should not wrap that bad boy until you have a good bark like Jerod Broussard said. Good luck with your cook.

[Stevo]

Thanks guys.

Ok the brisket went on at 8pm. Here it is after dry brine since 2pm:



I added a water pan to the pellet smoker and I'm running it on "high smoke" setting for 3 hours. That's ~230 degrees and produces more smoke. Then at 11pm, I'll bump it to 250 degrees.



I'm gonna let 'er roll at 250 degrees until morning, around 7am. I have a probe in the meat and cook chamber, in addition to the pellet smoker chamber probe. But I'm not setting any temp alarms overnight. The promise of the pellet smoker is 'set it n forget it' so that is what I'm gonna do!

More pics to come...

[Jerod Broussard]

I'd set temp alarms.

[GadjetGriller]

Yep Set temp alarms!! I have (had) a pellet smoker and things can go wrong. Just to be safe!! Set the alarm! Guess you already know if it went ok or not lol Good luck to ya!!

[Mr. Bones]

Looks full o' promise, excited to hear if SIFI works as advertised.
Best of luck, Stevo !!!

[Huskee]

NICE!!! I like how you trimmed it!

In my experience they hit the stall around 4-5hrs, then the stall could be 1 or 3 hrs. I wrap around the 180ish mark, give or take. But if you wrap when you wake up before cambroing (with foil) you could still save some au jus to drizzle back on the meat. I think you're in great shape for plenty of stellar meat tomorrow!

[Stevo]

Thanks! Once I get on a roll cutting away fat, I kinda go crazy. I almost separated the point from the flat! But that hard fat between the two muscles was really thick! Anyway, there was PLENTY of marbling in that brisket. Man, compared to the HEB briskets, this thing was a beauty!

Hey: maybe i should let it ride on the "high smoke" setting all night? IE at around 220 all night vs 250? that might avoid the possibility of overcooking it during the night. Thoughts? I have no set time it needs to be done. This is really a test run...

[Jerod Broussard]

Either way set the temp alarms.

[Stevo]

what temp alarm? for "its done!"? Like 190 or so?

[Huskee]

What you did is pretty much exactly how I trim! I agree, high smoke all night. Also, yeah 190 is a good place to start checking. You wont really need 200, but 200-205 shouldn't hurt either. 193, 195, 198, anywhere in there is a good place to hold the temp a while and then begin cambroing.

[Stevo]

Thanks Huskee and Jerod Broussard - I'm gonna leave the temp on high smoke, and i have set an IT alarm for >= 186. I'm hoping it doesn't hit that until after 7am!

[Jerod Broussard]

Good deal. I skipped mine one time, woke up to a darn near disaster.

[Huskee]

Vacuum pack and air-mail me some samples tomorrow when you start slicing!

[Stevo]

I knew I shouldn't have set that IT probe Jerod Broussard. At around 3:30am, I was rudely awakened by it! The IT read 187. And only after ~7:30 hours in the smoker at high smoke.

Not much bark, and the fat cap didn't render much. A quick read probe showed similar readings to my main probe. The meat didn't seem relaxed, so I don't think its ready. The exterior was still moist, so I bumped the temp to 275 to try and get a little more bark. I plan to wrap in paper sometime around 195 or it gets a little bark on it. When it probes tender/relaxes, I'll wrap in paper and FC...

So much for sleeping through the night

[Huskee]

The life of a pitmaster! That's why I don't cook at night (unless I'm awake).

[DWCowles]

I love staying up all night smoking meat (Summer time only)

[Stevo]

5:30, IT 197. Wrapped it in paper and put it back on... maybe its FC time?

[lschweig]

That looks great!

[Stevo]

Pulled the brisket at ~6:15am. It seemed soft/relaxed in the butcher paper wrap so I think it was ready. Now its resting in a 170 oven, further wrapped in foil. I'll post pics when I try it for breakfast

[Stevo]

Breakfast of champions!