Greetings all,

New poster, new to group with some results and questions. Below
I describe my first venture into "real Q". A brisket, which I didn't
discover until after I had bought it is notoriously hit or miss.

Method: I cooked a 3 lb flat with a 1/8" fat cap on my weber. Beef
on one side (under the roof vents, open) and coals on the other.
Started with ~25 Kingsford briquetts, and added ~15 lit briquettes
each hour. I don't know what the temp was, but I am guessing it was
between 200 and 250. I used soaked hickory chunks for smoke. Time
was 6 hours, brisket was over a drip pan (fat cap up for 4 hours down
for last 2) filled with beer. Each time I opened the kettle to
reload, I brushed a garlic olive oil on the beef. The beef was
marinated in a vinegar based marinade overnight, and then
salted/peppered before Qing. Final 10 minutes on direct heat with a
cola based Q sauce (5 minutes per side). Let stand 30 minutes in
coverd foil pan before serving. Outdoor temp was ~ 70 F with almost
no wind.

Results: Brisket was 185 when removed (by thermometer). This same
meter pegs high at 230, and when stuck inside roof vents it pegged
high, but the readings had nearly stabilized at that point. Had a
nice 1/16 inch smoke ring on the lean side of the flat. No creosote
on the meat. texture was sliceable but tender. I have had more
tender (One eyed Jacks in Lockport NY or Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse) but
it was passable. You could cut it with a fork, but it didn't fall
apart like a pulled pork might. It was a tad dry, moist but not
juicy. It wouldn't dry out your mouth, but left no juices on the
plate.

Questions: 1) Did I cook this for too long? Is it possible that it
hit 185 after say 3 hours and then just sat there losing juice? I did
not check fork tender until about 5.75 hours into the affair.
2) There is some discussion about fat up or down. This seems to
depend on whether you are cooking direct or indirect, which is (I
think) more of a question of temperature. If you go with a higher but
still indirect temp (I have heard some folks here use up to 400 F)
would it still be fat down?
3) I went for 2 hours per lb, but if I were to ratchet up the
temp, how much would that (rule of thumb) reduce cooking time. In the
future I will use the fork test and not the clock as the final arbiter
of doneness, but it's nice to have some idea of when to anticipate
completion.
4) Where should I measure grill temp? Is measuring the air temp
just inside the vents a good indicator?
5) Any other brisket on weber kettle advice? Overall, I enjoyed
the whole affair, and I think I am nearly there. I just need a bit of
help to refine the method.

Thanks for any help!

Scott W
http://mysite.verizon.net/vzenwv1h/

Scotty 260/250/165 wrote:

> Questions: 1) Did I cook this for too long?

You want to shoot for 190 - 195. At that point it'll be fork tender.
However, brisket doesn't pull like a butt.

> would it still be fat down?

I cook fat up. I also cook the flat and point together.

> 3) I went for 2 hours per lb, but if I were to ratchet up the
> temp, how much would that (rule of thumb) reduce cooking time. In the
> future I will use the fork test and not the clock as the final arbiter
> of doneness, but it's nice to have some idea of when to anticipate
> completion.

It all depends. How often you need to fuel and open the lid can really
lengthen the cooking time. For me, a packer brisket averages 1.5 to 2 hrs
per pound.

> 4) Where should I measure grill temp? Is measuring the air temp
> just inside the vents a good indicator?

No. Measure at the grill surface. It almost sounds like you didn't have a
good temp measurement at the grill.

> 5) Any other brisket on weber kettle advice? Overall, I enjoyed
> the whole affair, and I think I am nearly there. I just need a bit of
> help to refine the method.

The principals for cooking brisket remain the same regardless of the pit, so
you're on the right track. It's been such a long time since I used a Weber
kettle to 'Q on, that I don't remember any tips specific to the kettle.

--
Dave
Dave's Pit-Smoked Bar-B-Que
http://davebbq.com/

Scotty 260/250/165 wrote:

> Questions: 1) Did I cook this for too long?

You want to shoot for 190 - 195. At that point it'll be fork tender.
However, brisket doesn't pull like a butt.

> would it still be fat down?

I cook fat up. I also cook the flat and point together.

> 3) I went for 2 hours per lb, but if I were to ratchet up the
> temp, how much would that (rule of thumb) reduce cooking time. In the
> future I will use the fork test and not the clock as the final arbiter
> of doneness, but it's nice to have some idea of when to anticipate
> completion.

It all depends. How often you need to fuel and open the lid can really
lengthen the cooking time. For me, a packer brisket averages 1.5 to 2 hrs
per pound.

> 4) Where should I measure grill temp? Is measuring the air temp
> just inside the vents a good indicator?

No. Measure at the grill surface. It almost sounds like you didn't have a
good temp measurement at the grill.

> 5) Any other brisket on weber kettle advice? Overall, I enjoyed
> the whole affair, and I think I am nearly there. I just need a bit of
> help to refine the method.

The principals for cooking brisket remain the same regardless of the pit, so
you're on the right track. It's been such a long time since I used a Weber
kettle to 'Q on, that I don't remember any tips specific to the kettle.

--
Dave
Dave's Pit-Smoked Bar-B-Que
http://davebbq.com/

"Dave Bugg" <deebuggatcharterdotnet> wrote in message >...
> Scotty 260/250/165 wrote:
>
> per pound.
>
> > 4) Where should I measure grill temp? Is measuring the air temp
> > just inside the vents a good indicator?
>
> No. Measure at the grill surface. It almost sounds like you didn't have a
> good temp measurement at the grill.
>

Dave,

Thanks for the tips. What temp at the grill surface would you
reccomend?
I am going to get myself a 5-6 lb flat, cut it in half and start
playing around with temps and times.

Scott

Scotty 260/250/165 wrote:

> Dave,
>
> Thanks for the tips. What temp at the grill surface would you
> reccomend?

I usually stay close to 225 -230F


--
Dave
Dave's Pit-Smoked Bar-B-Que
http://davebbq.com/

Scotty 260/250/165 wrote:

> Dave,
>
> Thanks for the tips. What temp at the grill surface would you
> reccomend?

I usually stay close to 225 -230F


--
Dave
Dave's Pit-Smoked Bar-B-Que
http://davebbq.com/