First of all, thank you to yall for really putting out info on smoking brisket. Virtually all of my big and small questions were answered (or hotly debated). I’m patting myself on the back for this one as it’s my first time on a smoker. Looking for some feedback on some changes I had in mind for the next one:
1.) I was told to use coarse black pepper and coarse salt for the bark (as to not “burn” it during the smoke, but I don’t think this is necessary, there were a number of bites that had too much seasoning.
2.) The grill I have (small KingChii) only has gaps in temperature increments: 180, 225, 250, 275, ect.
I started off @ 225F for 1.5 hours until I went to bed and lowered it down to 180F. 7 hours later I cranked it back up to 225F until the point hit 170F internal. Took a total of 14 hours just to hit that mark.
My question is, would it be more efficient to just let ride at 225F to cut the time until wrap? I’ve seen debates about how “low and slow” is just a waste of time if isnt hot enough to render the fat internal (160-170F range). Unfortunately there is no 200F setting on my grill.
3.) Due to timing on my end, after I wrapped it I cranked it up to 275F because I needed it to hit the magical 200F internal by a certain time. At this temp, it only took 1.5 hours to go from 170 to 200 F. My guess is the longer it smokes while wrapped is that much more time for the fat to render. Had I shaved off time in the beginning before it hits the wrap stage, I would’ve had more time for this stage. Is this the case?
4.) After it hit 200F internal, I pulled it out and let it rest outside for about 20 mins and drop down to 190F and I wrapped the whole thing in plastic wrap. I did this for 2 reasons: I was transporting the brisket during the rest time and felt this was a cleaner transport; and I also saw in a YT vid that this helps trap the moisture in. Then I put that whole thing in an insulation bag with towels, and let that sit in the sun for about 3 hours. Finally opened her up after a total of 5 hour rest. Sure maybe this made my bark a bit soggy, but the brisket was so juicy.
Is the plastic wrap a bad idea? Should I have vented it with a few holes?
by Ninja_smiles
1 Comment
1. Coarse black pepper and Mortons Kosher salt is what I use.
2. You can let it rip at 225 overnight. Make sure your smoker is functioning at the temperature you are setting it at as well. You’ll get better at timing when you start your brisket with experience. I do mine at 225 and won’t put it in until midnight. I wake up at 6am usually to check on it, but also have digital thermometers that I can look at on my phone and set alerts for.
3. There’s no shaving time off. The time it takes to get to 200 after the stall doesn’t change based off of how quickly it got to the stall. It does change for each brisket you do and based off of the temp you cook it at.
Idk if plastic wrap is bad, but I wouldn’t do it. When I start the rest, I’ll rewrap in fresh butcher paper, then wrap it in a few layers of towels and put it in a cooler. It stays hot for hours. I’ve had 8 hours of rest before an event with this method.