Dex
is one Smokin' Farker
I'm a half-fast kind of guy :-D
250 - 275, but if you cooker wants to settle at a different temp don't fight it.
I agree with this... I usually run 250-260
I'm a half-fast kind of guy :-D
250 - 275, but if you cooker wants to settle at a different temp don't fight it.
You should definitely not deprive yourself of the low and slow variety. It will give you great appreciation for the work that goes into great brisket. We all had to pay our dues.:biggrin1:
Then leave giving up a full day in the past and enjoy the hot and fast.
First where does your pit preform the best with the least amount of Stress on you? This should be the biggest factor in determining how you cook. Wresting with temps IME is one of the biggest attributing factors to a cook gone wrong, a stressed cook gets frustrate and a frustrated cook is an impatient cook and they tend to do erratic things. "My pit was Running to hot and I was afraid I might mess it up and dry it out so I pulled it it wasn't exactly probing tender" OR "We got tired & hungry so I called it it was tough & dry"
Thanks for the suggestion. Whatever method I chose, I plan to initially keep it simple with the fewest amount of variables. Once I done a few and get the hang of it, then I will attempt to improvise and try to improve my technique from there.My method is pretty much low and slow but with a twist. I start the cook at 250, allowing for good smoke penetration and bark formation for the first three to four hours. When the stall starts at about the 160 internal mark I'll go ahead and crank the pit up to between 275 and 300. If I'm in a hurry I'll go ahead and wrap the brisket in butcher paper at that point but normally I'll just let it go naked and the increased temperature helps get through the stall more quickly, (the butcher paper kicks it into overdrive and powers through the stall really fast). I've tried the high and fast temps over 300 and while I got a tender brisket and in record time, I didn't think that the flavor was quite there. I think that the first few hours of a cook are crucial for getting the smoke and seasonings into the meat and it seemed to me that starting at too high a temp almost seared the meat to the point of not allowing anything to penetrate! I have no scientific proof of this but just my own observation, from my own experience. :-D
Yeah, you're probably right. Higher heat does usually equate to cleaner smoke and that is probably the difference. I guess though, that the high and fast smoke is a little too clean for me. It's kinda' a regional thing I suppose but in Texas we like to "taste the smoke" and my pallet has been trained that way since I was weaned!:-DOldbill, it isn't that the meat sears, it is that the fire at around 300F starts burning clean enough, that the smoke profile is more subdued. A lower heat range results in a stronger smoke flavor.
So true...I need to start keeping a consistent log until it becomes more second nature. I always think I'll remember the specifics of a cook. Unfortunately, the next cook is sometimes a relearning experience.Remember to plan out what you do and keep notes of time / temp and what you do. Most of all remember to just have fun!
I've only done (2) packers on my UDS...but decided from the beginning to go HNF and never look back. The first was "pretty dang good" - the 2nd one I could have sold door-to-door ...but we ate it all. 12lbs @ 280-300 for 2 hours, foiled for(about) 4 hours. Pulled at "buttah" - and let rest in an empty cooler, swaddled in towels for 2hours.
Follow the rules they will never ever fail you.
BBQ RULES FOR SUCCESS
YOU CAN NOT COOK GREAT BBQ ON A CONSISTENT BASIS BY COOKING TO AN INTERNAL TEMPERATURE OR BY TIME ( XXX MIN PER LB) YOU MUST COOK BY FEEL! For Brisket it must pass the poke test(probe like soft butter in the thickest part of the Flat) Ribs pass the Bend Test, Pork Butts when the bone wiggles loose. These are the only reliable methods to ensure that your cook will be a success. There is one exception to these rules and that is Poultry which must achieve and internal temp of 170 deg in the thickest part of the thigh and 165 in the breast.