First Cook - How much wood?!?

[SweetMeat]

Hi All,

I'm about as green as they come! I've recently fell in love with texas style brisket and want to try the whole art form of cooking on a stick burner for myself. I tend to get carried away with hobbies/passions pretty easily, so I'm trying to do my first cook on the cheap and make sure its for me before i drop any serious cash on a stick burner.

My dad found an old Nextgrill POS that a neighbor was throwing out so we want to give it a go even though we know such a poor rig will obviously pose added challanges. The thing doesnt even really close properly and leaves a centameter gap when closed. I was reading that I may be able to line the cooker with added foil to help with the lose of heat and smoke, but I know this is going to add up to a longer cook time and more wood needed.

Biggest question...I want to do a whole brisket and honestly have no idea how much wood i may need for something like this! I live in southern california so the weather should be in about the mid to high 60's in the day and as low as the 40's in the early morning. I know its hard to say how much wood i'll need without knowing all the factors, but I dont even have a ballpark... one bag, one cord... no idea!?!? I don't mind getting plenty cauase hopfully there will be many more cooks to come.

I know I might be setting myself up for disaster, but worse case, hanging out all day with a few beers, eating some terrible brisket, and learning a thing or too sounds like a great time.

Thanks for any advise!

 

[SweetMeat]

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui...603416&th=1783858da1f66ed8&view=att&disp=safe

 

[halfcocked]

Hi and welcome. For wood (I don't know what kind) assuming you are doing a 12-15 lb brisket you should have twenty splits on hand. You will need some charcoal to start. You need to read up on the threads on this site before you get going though.

 

[SMOKE FREAK]

Well you just brought back lots of old memories.
When I bought my first smoker (a cheap chargriller) the first thing on it was brisket. Big mistake. I thought my wife would make me get rid of the smoker. It was that bad. And at the time I didn't have a place like this to set me straight...

I recommend starting with a more forgiving cut of meat. Maybe pork butt or chuck roast if you insist on beef. Learn to master your fire and even a cheap POS smoker can turn out some great Q.

I like your enthusiasm and in time I think you'll be giving advise to others.

And don't forget that we like pics...

 

[Pife]

I'd fire it up as a dry run and see how the fire burns and how it holds temps. Maybe throw something on if everything goes well.

Enjoy!

 

[Chester]

I’d start with something less challenging to cook than a brisket. Do a pork butt or ribs or even a plain fatty to begin with. Ge5 a little experience with the cooker, then go ahead and do the brisket.

 

[fwdiii]

Welcome to the wild and crazy world of BBQ!! I might suggest starting off with chicken as your first smoke. Inexpensive, easy and allows you to see how your smoker runs.

 

[sackedbysapp]

Expect frustrating results if you doing a brisket first time on a pos stickburner. Most likely wood won’t be seasoned, leaky smoker and temp gauge not accurate.

 

[Mikhail]

Like the others have said, brisket for a first smoke is not a wise choice. Work up to it. Pork chops or tenderloins, maybe a tri-tip or some chicken (although chicken can be tricky too).

But..if you decide to dive in headfirst and do brisket, allow yourself at least 16 hours before you expect to serve it, or better yet don't count on it for a dinner first time out. And be patient - when the thickest part of the flat probes tender - like a hot knife through butter - then you are pretty close to done.

 

[caltexchris]

Knock yourself out man. Start with whatever you want. Yes, brisket is not as forgiving as other cuts nor the ideal first cook for the reasons listed already. However, there is so much content and information out there that if you dive deep into it, you will fast track your learning. Best advice I can give if you start with a brisket, learn how to trim and learn how to manage your fire. Spend some time searching threads and videos on that, and you’ll be on the right tracks. Do not, and I repeat, do not plan on dinner with anyone other than you and a buddy that you drink with all day watching the fire. You’ll thank me later. Good luck!!!


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[Swine Spectator]

Expect frustrating results if you doing a brisket first time on a pos stickburner. Most likely wood won’t be seasoned, leaky smoker and temp gauge not accurate.

1998 - I salvaged a New Braunfel's El Dorado that someone was throwing out curbside. Up to that point all of my experience was on a Weber Kettle.

I cleaned up the El Dorado and set out for my first "real" smoke. I started a pork butt at 6 AM on a Saturday. I carefully tended a fire all day, doing everything I could to keep the temps between 220 - 230. I was having friends over to watch the Saturday night LSU game.

I pulled the butt from the pit around 7:00 PM. I went to cut into it and it was raw in the center. I was baffled. One of my friends suggested that I check the thermometer. I removed it and dipped it in boiling water - it read 350. So it appears that I cooked the butt at around 140 - 160 for 13 hours.

That was the best pizza I ever had.

All that to say - as other recommended - learn the pit first. Practice with some chicken thighs before you go drop $60+ on a brisket.

 

[chocolatea]

Everyone says that the best teacher is the your experience it is okay to fail that is when you will truly learn

 

[JWFokker]

Have a bag of lump charcoal on hand to augment your fire. The Nexgrill offset is a small smoker with a small firebox so you'll need to tend the fire every 30-40 minutes with small splits or large chunks of wood. You'll definitely want to do something about the door gap. A gasket made of wadded up foil can definitely work. For a brisket you'll want quite a bit of wood. That's a long cook.

 

[Mikhail]

So, whadja end up doing?