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Smoker Folks,,,,,A Question.
Horse Plains Drifter
Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 39,460 ***** Forums Admin
So on Sunday I'm going to smoke a 10 lb. brisket. I have a propane smoker I will be using. I have done four or five smaller briskets in the past and all were varying degrees of fine for the most part. None were done in this smoker. The web sites I look at say to cook uncovered for about six hours, then tightly wrap in foil and finish for about four to six more hours. My question is: How long do I actually run smoke on it, as opposed to just running the propane heat? Do I run smoke the whole six hours it is unwrapped?. Will be using apple wood for smoke I think.
Any other tips/thoughts welcome. TIA.
Comments
When I smoke a brisket I follow the method you described.
In my case I have a Pit Boss pellet smoker. The brisket is smoked both when unwrapped and when wrapped.
I am no professional.
I did just smoke #100 pork shoulder for my niece's grad party last weekend on 2 smaller propane smokers.
I found I like this guy's processes. It is a great place to start and tweak to your liking.
Just put this into your search engine and near the bottom of the page are links to various sections of the article.
How to Smoke Brisket With Barbeque Pitmaster Aaron Franklin
GTR
Low and slow is the key, I have had just as much success with as little as four hours unwrapped to get a good smoke ring and then wrapped in foil for at least another 4 hours, I use no gas/propane etc. just charcoal and pecan wood, apple is supposed to be good along with some other fruit trees.
but all I have on my place is pecan and mesquite and oak and cedar. I found the oak and mesquite is ok but the pecan gives the smoothest smoke for me. keep the temperature between 180-220F while smoking and then about 220 when wrapped.
I have even done the after wrapping cook time in the house in the electric oven and had the most consistent success, but staying outside in the smoker is an excuse for drinking more beer longer...
Good luck! The main thing is the meat has to be a good cut to begin with and your rub will effect the overall taste.
just be consistent with the temp, and once it is wrapped don't rush it, overall at least 8 hours total, longer won't hurt but over 10 hours is really not necessary. Other opinions will be different, I'm sure, you just have to decide what works for you and your tastes.
Aaron Franklin is over rated........he is the owner of a bbq joint in Austin. long lines for mediocre bbq.
Not an expert either, but a good meat thermometer will take out a lot of guesswork.
I have always used a smoker with a water pan under the grill, meat never dries out, most of the "smoke" flavor happens in the first 15-20 minutes (I rarely add more wood chips after that) then just leave it alone for about 10-12 hours. It's darn near impossible to over cook it with the water pan between the heat source and the meat.
I would use post oak for brisket. Apple, IMNSHO, is better for chicken and/or pork.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
I have a water-pan propane smoker, but I only smoke turkeys. For them, I put in five or six fist-sized chunks of well-soaked apple wood and get the temp to 225 or so. The chunks stop smoking after about an hour and then I just leave everything alone until the meat is done. I use the rough figure of 30 minutes to the pound, and that gets me close. A thermometer is the only true gauge, though. I try to not open the smoker until close to the end. I do not foil wrap at all. The smoker will steam away just over a gallon of water.
Vital steps: Soak the wood chunks overnight. Run at 225 degrees. Use a full pan of water. Don't peak. (If you're lookin' you ain't cookin')
We've done methods as already said, but will add this,
If you have/use a water pan for your smoker, instead of plain water use juice like apple juice,cranberry, cran-apple,,,wooo boy doggy some boy howdy chow there
Good luck
I have also found that if you have no fruit juice handy, you can cut up apples, oranges, pineapple, pears, grapes, or any sweet fruit and put the pieces in the water. As Joe said.....wooo boy doggy!
Also have the propane smoker with the water tray. Have had it for many years and can still remember what the owners manual stated about opening the door to inspect meat while it was cooking. Every time you open the door it will cost you 25 minutes of cooking time!!
Can I be the taste tester????????????
I don't know if you would want to be! That might be dangerous.😃
One more question.
If I start the brisket at 04:00 Sunday morning, is that too early to start sipping bourbon?
Nope! Just part of the smoking process....
Can't say you've been drinkin all day if you don't get started early...
Personally, I'd start with coffee, have a Bloody Mary or two starting about 8, and then transition to beer at about the time you might think about basting the meat with beer anyway. Bourbon and branch with brisket, however, is tradition.
Disagree! LoL