Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Also, what side faced the fire? How often was it mopped?

 

I don't use a trager smoker but I may help...
So is this a full brisket with the flat and point(fatty) or is this just the flat(lean)? Did you take any pictures? I cook at 250-275 and never had a problem. I've trimmed my brisket pretty hardcore just for giggles and came out pretty good.

If you have multiple oven thermometers throw them in your smoker to see if temps are consistent and even across the grates. Or a cheap way is buy some pillsbury dough biscuits and lay them across the smoker and you'll see all your hot and cold spots.

 

My thoughts also were if its really cold outside the smoker is trying to keep the setting temp and its overheating the element, just to keep it to its set temperature. I know outside temp affects a regular charcoal smoker

 

Time and temperature is the name of the game. I'm pretty sure it's one of those 2 if not both. If you have a full brisket and the fatty end is super dry...then your temperature inside the smoker is all kinds of F'd up.

 

I was wondering if he got a flat or whole packer also...

 

This is important too

 

I have a Traeger but haven't used it the cold yet, my guess is the temp probe is on the left end next to an outside surface and may be reading colder than it was throughout and it was actually hotter than 275, I've only done brisket at 225 with it on warmer days.

It was 70F today her in Boulder, why don't I have a brisket on?

 

Thats what I was wondering also...

 

Sometimes, the meat you buy just sucks...

 

This too

 

I did burnt ends once with chuck. They were good, but not as good as brisket burnt ends.

 

Thanks for putting so much thought into this, guys. I’ll reply to you individually below, but so far my lessons learned are that I need to verify the temperature of my smoker with a good thermometer before trying this again. This may or may not have contributed - we don’t know until I check - but it’s worth making sure before ruining another piece of meat.

I used the built in thermometer for the smoker temp. It’s relatively accurate and has never steered me wrong before. For the meat, I measured at the thickest part of the meat. I used both a probe that connects to the Traeger and a dial-type meat thermometer.

There’s a tray that acts as a heat shield, but the side with the fat cap would have been up if I hadn’t cut it of. I didn’t use a mop.

This was a full packer brisket that I inexpertly trimmed, including most of the fat layer between the flat and the point. I did not take pictures, but the end of the flat ended up being about 3/4 of an inch. I really think I overtrimmed it; there was almost no fat layer on the outside.

I have filled the grill up completely with jalapeño poppers and wings on separate occasions and I know where the hot spots are: Around the edges where the outside of the smoker doesn’t meet the heat shield. There’s about a 1-inch gap all the way around. The rest tends to be pretty even.

It wasn’t overly cold, about 25-30F. I’ve used this smoker in much colder temperatures and I haven’t had a problem before. I also have an insulation blanket on the smoker, the Traeger brand. The temperatures stay pretty consistent, and I noticed that it seems to keep 275 a lot better than it’s ever kept 225. Usually there’s a +/- 15 or 20 degrees, but it stayed almost dead on within 5 degrees or so every time I looked at it.

I think it’s both, but I’m open to suggestions. 5 1/2 hours at 275 and I think it was ruined then, with an internal temperature of 183, and I wrapped it and put it back on for another hour until the internal temp was just over 200.

Yes, that’s where the temp probe is that controls the pellet feed. It’s possible that it was hotter than 275, but this is the first time I’ve used that temp. I’ll use a second thermometer inside next time I smoke to verify the temp readings are accurate.

 

3/4" on the end? thats quite thin I believe...May have been a badly cut brisket. I think the ones Ive seen are thicker than that on the flat. Another question was the brisket put straight from the fridge to the smoker or was it left out at room temp for a while?

 

At the risk of sounding a little pompous regarding brisket, I'll throw in my 2 pesos.

To be honest, weird as it sounds, the result and the cook time that you stated, it almost sounds like it was undercooked. The tell-tale sign of an undercooked brisket is usually dry and tough as opposed to dry and crumbly. Unless you are referring specifically to the bark being really hard and not the meat. You mention below that you temped it at the thickest part of the brisket - is it possible you were temping in the point meat as opposed to the flat? The point will finish quickly, but typically doesn't overcook in the time that it takes for the flat to finish.

If I had to guess, you maybe temped at a less-than-ideal spot, got a reading that it was done early (hence the much shorter than expected cook time), and pulled before the best part of the flat was ready.

As for the trim, I wouldn't sweat it. This is the trim I did for competition. I don't think it is necessary for a home cook, but it doesn't hurt anything other than your yield.




For reference, I cook on an Ugly Drum Smoker, so the heat comes from below.

Good point and great salvage idea! If @Kremtok is anything like me, he's his biggest critic. I bet the coworkers genuinely enjoyed it as it was still better than what most of them get for BBQ.

I was going to mention the biscuit test, too! Solid indicator.

Only thing I'd add is to make sure you are temping at the thickest part of the flat and not in the point at all. Sometimes, after I rub the brisket, I'll stick three toothpicks in the brisket right around that thick part of the flat, to sort of triangulate where it is located. This makes it easy to locate even after the bark has formed or after you've wrapped (just poke through the foil/paper).

Briskets are fickle sons of bitches. I've "ruined" - surely by the standards of you, me, and the other BBQ enthusiasts of this thread - a countless many of them while practicing.

 

It could have been a bad cut, or I could have cut too much fat off and made it too thin. It was just a regular packer from Walmart, no USDA markings at all. $2.96 / lb

Thanks for taking the time to put together a detailed reply. I'll certainly take your advice to heart when it comes time to do the next brisket.

When I say that it was tough, I mean that it was hard to the touch, not just difficult to chew. The meat wouldn't compress at all and it came apart along the grain when I was trying to cut it against the grain. Both the bark and the meat seemed exceptionally hard to me. There was a bit better meat where the point overlaps the flat, but it was still dry and not very flavorful, though it had the right texture. I'm also reasonably certain that I had my temp probe in the flat, but I'll certainly pay closer attention to that next time.

Now I have to go to the local butcher and see if they've come down from $6.99 a pound. It'll be quite some time before I can get to Walmart again, though I'll be able to hit the Costco next month when I head into Anchorage.

Thanks again to everyone who has tried to help out here. I'm not discouraged and I'm taking your advice for action on the next cook. Between now and then I might just do some nice, simple ribs to make myself feel better. That I know I can do without screwing up

 

Thats the same price here! WTH! Should be cheaper than Alaska! Not seeing the end product it sounds like it was a temp problem. Ive messed up a flat before, it was definitely overcooked which sounds similar to what yours was. I have however made some decent ones.

 

Finito! Smoked last night and then back in plastic wrap to age and cool. This morning unwrapped and cut open. Color is nice and the fat marbling was more than I was expecting so I was pleasantly surprised. The texture is good. Flavor might need a little adjusting to get it exactly where I want but I'll reserve judgment until I made and eaten a proper Pastrami on rye with Swiss and mustard. All in all for a the $10 investment and a few minutes here and there spent on curing and smoking I am pleased.

 

That's some good looking meat right there!

 

Steaks of birds ?!? I'm intrigued

But I say do em all

 

I still have 10lbs of cheese to do.