First brisket on my new Camp Chef Woodwind

[Gruffwolf]

Let me start by saying that I am a total newbie to smokers and smoking food. I got the bug last year when I had some amazing brisket chili at a party and I didn’t want to beg for more. So, this year I ordered the new smoker and dove right in. Salmon the first weekend was pretty good. Pork butt last week was also a success.

Flush with confidence after not burning the house down I decided to do a brisket overnight so we would have plenty of good food for the weekend (and for leftover chili). I picked up an 11 pound brisket at Costco on the way home from work last night. Dusted it with salt, pepper, and garlic and then injected it with a beef stock, Worcestershire, garlic, and cayenne solution.

On the grill at around 8pm @220 (high smoke on the woodwind). Wrapped in butcher paper at around 168 degrees and left to cook for another 7 hours. I went to bed after the wrap (0300) and when I woke up to check on it at 0700 the flame had gone out on the grill. Not sure what happened but I just restarted the grill and kept cooking. Internal temps were still over 170 so it couldn’t have been out for too long.

Anyway, cooked up to 203 and removed. Let sit for 30 minutes and then into the cooler for about 2 hours while i waited for the wife to get home.

Took it out, unwrapped it, and was floored by how good it turned out. I cooked it fat side up so the bark wasn’t too hard. I probably could have trimmed it a bit more before cooking but I was worried I’d cut too much of the fat off. I’ll get it next time.

All in all... zero complaints.

[klflowers]

That’s what I’m talking about. Nice!

[RonB]

That's a great lookin' brisket. I do have one suggestion though. Brisket starts to dry out as soon as it is sliced, so slice as people want more. I know it's more work for you, but that will help prevent the meat from drying out.

[Potkettleblack]

Very much this. As I've been getting takeout from Smoque by work lately, couple times a week, I see the variance, even in a commercial operation. They cut everything to order, but sometimes the line between the cut and the checkout moves slowly and sometimes fast, and that's time the brisket is sliced, and unwrapped. And then, the time between it being sliced and me eating it also has an effect on moisture retention.

It doesn't take long for it to dry.

[Gruffwolf]

That's a great lookin' brisket. I do have one suggestion though. Brisket starts to dry out as soon as it is sliced, so slice as people want more. I know it's more work for you, but that will help prevent the meat from drying out.

Thanks for that advice. I don’t mind the extra work if it helps make me look like I know what I’m doing.

[fuzzydaddy]

Picture perfect right there! Congrats on an awesome cook.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Flame outs usually happen when the firepot wasn't cleaned before a long cook. They can also happen for a bunch of other random reasons (high ash content pellets, excess dust in cheap pellets are the other high probability reasons). If none of those apply to you, just reach out to CC, they seem pretty quick to provide support from what I've read.

Also, you may find that you don't need to wrap meats like ribs or brisket when done on a pellet cooker, but that has nothing to do with a flame out, and actually the meat being wrapped may be what saved your cook by holding the temp after the flameout.

Glad it all worked out, and that brisket looks great!

[Gruffwolf]

I don’t think the smoker was to blame. I was using Traeger pellets.... lots of ash in the cooker. I’m going to try and find some other brands around here or order online if I have to. I completely cleaned the smoker (including vacuuming around the entire inside) before this cook and the inside is just covered again.

[Potkettleblack]

BBQer's Delight, B&B, Grilla, Lumberjack and a couple others are all recommended brands. Being up here in Michi-Cons-aSota land, Lumberjack is apparently the local brand, but I prefer the BBQer's Delight a wee bit.

[Greasy]

I've used Traeger pellets and not had any issues one way or the other. What I do is get the cheapest pellets I can from Walmart. It used to be B&B and they worked great. I now use Camp Chef and have no complaint either. Traeger pellets are over twice the price (here) and the benefit, if any, is miniscule.

[Mr. Bones]

Gorgeous brisky, amigo!

Looks like ya did a fine job of it, especial fer yer first on this cooker!

I think I need a cigarette, now!

[holehogg]

Hold your head up high. Thsts a great looking cook and certain it tasted just as good.
Nailed it.

[Troutman]

Nice work there brother, keep up the good work. That's a great start, heck I've done worse even after cooking dozens of those things !!

[Potkettleblack]

That a good cook.

If you're gonna run overnight, you're gonna want to clean the burn pot before the start of the cook. Highly advised to start a long unattended cook with a clean burn pot, and a load of fresh pellets. Had a problem yesterday, using pellets that were in my grill all winter. Nothing I couldn't handle and was more a problem after the cook, but I wouldn't want to go to bed with that going on.

[Spinaker]

Looks like a great cook for a "newbie"! Well done!

[treesmacker]

Congrats on that great looking brisket. I'll be doing my first one on my Rec Tec Trailblazer next Saturday. I picked up a 13 lb. prime packer at Costco yesterday. I hope I can do as well as you did.