Brisket smoke ring

Black Run 350

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Joined
Aug 14, 2022
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Location
Southeastern FL
Grill
Smokefire EX4; Charcoal Summit; WSM 22" & 18", Genesis 425 Propane
It was an 8# brisket from BJ's Wholesale club. Not the best quality but... it did get a little dry. I'm not a brisket expert but the smokefire is shortening the learning curve for sure! Smoke ring looks great! I will inject it next time, anyone doing injections on cheaper cuts like this?
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Great post!
Definitely inject. I highly recommend a competition bbq injection. Several out there: Butchers bbq and Kosmos are my go to injections. They contain phosphates which are like magic. They basically grab onto the moisture and force it to stay within the protein. They are far superior to using just broth or other concoctions. I also am a big proponent of wrapping with anything les s than prime and I would probably wrap prime brisket too. I would recommend foil for anything that is questionable in grade or quality. It will soften the bark some but the trade off for moisture retention is a huge net win. Move to pink butcher paper when you gain a little experience or improvement in grade of product. I used wagyu tallow on some beef plate ribs with butcher paper recently.

Well, moral of the story is definitely inject and definitely wrap if you are in search of moist brisket.

Great job. The journey is a big part of the fun. Enjoy!
 
Highly recommend resting wrapped for at least 2 hours. I just take mine off and put it in a cooler. Foil wrapped and also towel wrapped.
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@bbqking I just did another brisket yesterday and injected KosmoQ injection and liquid retention and had worse results!! ugh.... This looks like a 4-5#, i just did a 4# one and i do have to confess that i didn't pay a lot of attention to it. I started at 250F and wrapped it in pink paper at 170F with beef broth. The temp dropped and went back up, i turned it up to 300F and it didn't get over 190F internal. It was so dry....and I was at least 8 hours in... not sure what i'm doing wrong at this point...any thoughts?
 
@bbqking I just did another brisket yesterday and injected KosmoQ injection and liquid retention and had worse results!! ugh.... This looks like a 4-5#, i just did a 4# one and i do have to confess that i didn't pay a lot of attention to it. I started at 250F and wrapped it in pink paper at 170F with beef broth. The temp dropped and went back up, i turned it up to 300F and it didn't get over 190F internal. It was so dry....and I was at least 8 hours in... not sure what i'm doing wrong at this point...any thoughts?
First off, it’s best to do a whole packer brisket if you are new to the experience. The overall mass allows a RE much wider margin of error.
Secondly, you must but the highest grade meat you can comfortably afford.
Thirdly, I’d wrap in foil in lieu of butcher paper if you are new to this. It also allows a wider margin of error because it retains all the moisture in the foil. Yes the bark will be softer, but who cares compared to dry meat?
Fourth, I would assume you are not getting good readings from your thermometers. If you are using a stick and stay thermo of any brand, it needs to be verified in several places with a top quality instant read. I recommend a ThermoWorks Thermapen.
Fifth, it is done when it probes like butter. That is usually @200-205 degrees IT. But not always.
Sixth, a east is critical. The larger the protein the longer the rest. I generally go minimum of an hour and prefer two hours. It is important to let it sit out unwrapped for 15 minutes to let it cool slightly or the carryover cook will no too much. Then wrap back up and throw in a cooler or oven on lowest setting.
Lastly, it is important to remember that brisket is not the most moist cut to begin with. Even a expertly cooked brisket is only so moist. You must not cut the whole thing up ahead of time or it will dry out in a hurry.

Good luck with the next one. I’m a firm believer in the commercial injections, that is definitely not the issue. 👍🏻👍🏻🤦‍♂️
 
Are you all doing your full packer briskets on the top or bottom rack? I watched a YouTube video that suggests to use top rack on pellet grills due to the heat of the deflector plate & drip tray and its close proximity to the bottom rack. The problem with using the top rack on the SmokeFire is the width is only 7.5". If smoking briskets on bottom rack, any burning? Are you putting fat cap down? Thanks for your insights!!
 
Are you all doing your full packer briskets on the top or bottom rack? I watched a YouTube video that suggests to use top rack on pellet grills due to the heat of the deflector plate & drip tray and its close proximity to the bottom rack. The problem with using the top rack on the SmokeFire is the width is only 7.5". If smoking briskets on bottom rack, any burning? Are you putting fat cap down? Thanks for your insights!!
I use the top rack whenever possible for all things lower and slower BBQ. If it hangs over a bit I don’t see a problem. You can slide the shelf forward a bit to center it and the protein if needed. I am a firm believer in fat towards the heat. The fat does not baste the meat anyway as the meat is water and the fat is oil. They don’t mix. If you are set on using the bottom rack, I’d put a drip pan under the cooking grate and resting in the flavorizer bars to aid in heat deflection.

Good luck and enjoy the ride!
 
I use the top rack whenever possible for all things lower and slower BBQ. If it hangs over a bit I don’t see a problem. You can slide the shelf forward a bit to center it and the protein if needed. I am a firm believer in fat towards the heat. The fat does not baste the meat anyway as the meat is water and the fat is oil. They don’t mix. If you are set on using the bottom rack, I’d put a drip pan under the cooking grate and resting in the flavorizer bars to aid in heat deflection.

Good luck and enjoy the ride!
As usual, this!!^^
 

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