I get a LOT of bark formation on my briskets and butts after the first 3-5 hours. I never wrap butts, but I do wrap brisket around 170 or so - which usually around 8 hours or so I think.
From the couple of times I have finished a butt or brisket in the oven, I think I would go crazy from smelling it in the house if I did it all the time. I don't know if the wife would like me making a mess in the oven either!
jfmorris that is the wild card when smoking a brisket indoors is the freakin aroma.
I start mine at midnight by 5am the house smells amazing, when I take the brisket out at 14:00ish and let it rest 3-4 hours everyone in the house is delirious with hunger. By the time we serve at 5-6 in the afternoon its a feeding frenzy.
That bein said nice problem to have.
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan- near Clare. (dead center of lower peninsula)
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
There's no magic door that closes on smoke adherence at a certain time. Smoke will continue to build up on meat, albeit much slower once it dries out and becomes hot. Picture the meat in a smoker like a car going down the road on a hot summer night. Bugs hitting your windshield are like the smoke particles hitting the meat, it will continue to happen (smoke on meat) as long as it's in there in the smoke. You absolutely can cook a brisket for 3-6hrs then oven finish it (if you want your house smelling like a BBQ joint). I have done this on my 2nd-to-last brisket. Smoked it about 7hrs, moved it into my pellet cooker so I could help my wife out around the house and not tend the smoker. Tasted grand. Yesterday I did the same, except I moved it to the pellet cooker once I wrapped it. Once wrapped, it doesn't matter what it's in as long as it's hot.
One other thing to consider. You will get that heavenly smoked meat smell throughout the house when you move it indoors. I love that smell, but my wife doesn't. YMMV
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan- near Clare. (dead center of lower peninsula)
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
Smoker:
Landmann Smoke Master Series Heavy Duty Barrel Smoker (COS) - With mods including 2 level rack system with pull-out grates
Masterbuilt 40.2" 1200W Electric Smoker
Masterbuilt ThermoTemp XL 40" Vertical Propane Smoker
Gas Grill:
BBQPro (cheap big box store model) Stainless steel 4 burnerswith aftermarket rotisserie.
Charcoal Grill:
Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill 14"
Thermometer:​​​​​​
Fireboard 2 with Drive cable and 20 CFM fan and Competition Probe Package
Fireboard 1st Generation
ThermoWorks Mini Instant Read
Lavaworks Thermowand Instant Read
2 Maverick 733
ThermoWorks IR-GUN-S Industrial Infrared Thermometer
ThermoWorks ThermaPen Mk4 x 2
Govee Bluetooth Thermometer with 6 probes
Miscellaneous:
Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator - 1st generation
Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator - wifi/bluetooth connected
Favorite Beer:
Anything to the dark side and malty rather than hoppy. Currently liking Yuengling Porter and Newcastle Brown Ale. In a bar or pub I will often default to Guiness
Favorite Spirit:
Bourbon - Eagle Rare for "every day"; Angel's Envy for special occasions, Basil Hayden's, Larceny
Favorite Wine:
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Super Tuscan Sangiovese (Including Chianti Classico Riserva) Brunello di Montalcino
Favorite Meat(s):
Pork - especially the darker meat. I love spare ribs and anything made from shoulder/butt meat
Chicken - Mainly the dark meat and wings
Beef Ribeye steak
Favorite Cuisine to Cook:
Can't list just one: Indian, Chinese, Thai, West Indian/Carribean, Hispanic/Latin American, Ethiopian, Italian, BBQ
Favorite Cuisine to Eat:
Indian, followed closely by BBQ.
Ill concede that fact of the magic door for smoke, its a little too cut and dry. But there must be some kind of "saturation" point. I dont have a stick burner but i have eaten cooks off of plenty and i cant say ive noticed a massive difference in smoke flavor vs charcoal with a few chunks thrown on at the beginning.
now there are PLENTY of people here with more experience than me, but i still dont see a way to explain how something cooked long hours on charcoal with a few chunks can taste similar in terms of smoke to something cooked with splits if the meat took on smoke flavor continuously. Maybe its just my pallet, i dont know. In do wonder if there is an actual answer to this.
I did a chuckie like this. No wrap, convection on in the oven set to roast with the steam tray full. Very similar, but the big difference was the smoke profile.
So, regarding that ""There's no magic door that closes on smoke adherence at a certain time." quote from the link above... if that's so, then why do so many people add wood (in charcoal smokers) for the first couple of hours and then stop? Seems to me you'd want to keep wood going the entire cook or at least most of it *unless* wood on a charcoal smoker, well, smokier than a stick burner. Which brings me to another topic I need to start, the difference between those 2 and how we can get a charcoal smoker closer to the stick burner profile (assuming that profile is the goal, of course).
On a good stick burner with a ‘small hot fire’ the logs or mini splits added don’t smolder and smoke long before bursting into flames, compared to the wood chunks on my kettle, which I think smoke more and longer, due to the slow ignition across the charcoal bed in the SnS, snake, mionion, etc. The much lower air flow in the kettle or typical charcoal smoker versus a wood burner is also a contributing factor.
For butts or brisket on my kettle, I do not use an S&S. I put a piece of split hickory in the grill and use that to keep the charcoal to one side. It works great with plenty of smoke but not too much. A water pan on the other side keeps a moist environment. I'll add a pic to the thread if I have one.That being said, I still prefer to cook on my larger smoker, but that is just personal preference as the kettle does great for small cooks. Some people compete on them, so that tells you something.
Comment