Well the good news is that it ended up good! Based on what I've seen, everything matters to the cooker unless it's super insulated and not using much air flow -- like some low-n-slow Kamado cooks. So, I'd write it down and then change a variable for next cook and write that down, etc. ad infinitem until you learn the intricate relationship between all the variables. That's what keeps me playing with different stuff each cook.
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I am not one bit surprised that a 9lb brisket cooked in 6 hours on the KBQ. I have cooked a 21lb on mine (probably trimmed to 14 or so lbs) full packer in less than 8 hours. You're starting with a very small piece of meat and the convection of the KBQ cooks way faster than anything else I have ever used, except a drum smoker that cooks at 350. I think of it similar to cooking regular vs. convection in an oven- the convection adds 30-50 degrees if comparing in my opinion, so the KBQ at 225 may cook as fast as a WSM at 275.
However, keep altitude in mind if you ever travel somewhere. A 14lb brisket took almost 11 hours with a full firebox consistently @ about 260 but 9000ft altitude, that one was very stubborn to get from 190-probe temp (and it was wrapped in foil).
I have also found that hotter/faster cooks tend to not be quite as probe tender as fast- sometimes it takes them getting to the 207-210 range. Or, if you pull at 203 and they aren't quite probe tender, then they will need to rest for 2-3 hours minimum.
For the coal bed issues, I have found that as long as there's something hot left in the fire box that the lump fires right back up. Have had to do that after one to many cocktails or smoking too many fatties and hitting the snooze button too long in between recharges.Comment
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