The brisket I cooked yesterday was perfection, and sliced beautifully with the help of the quite visible grain to work against. Six hours starting at 7 a.m. to 170 internal then an hour 50 minutes in the oven to 205 internal.

After six weeks using my WSM, through trial and error I have found materials and procedures that work for me. And what a huge help the forum has been.

I use a clay saucer that sits atop the Weber water pan; and inside the saucer a stainless dog-food bowl that fits just right -- I put a bit of water in it to help collect the grease, and foil the inside lightly. I use RO lump charcoal, and find that it reacts very responsively to vent adjustments, while putting out a mild, pleasant smoke that does not sting my eyes. Being able to re-use coals from the previous cook, every time, is so nice ... and considering that, the price is competitive with briquets. My favored smoke wood is apple.

It seemed easy the first day, and just keeps getting easier!

When you get a cook like that, you're supposed to send some to all of us so we can sample it!

Congratulations on the great cook - isn't it great when we hit one like that!

Pat

Yep, wish I could bring some next door to you.
But this one is very coldly refrigerated waiting to go to a big event Saturday where many bring food to share, and will be warmed up in a traveling crock pot I have on the spot, slowly, with a little broth maybe and for sure, some good Oklahoma butter.

i hope you gave the poor dog some brisket to make up for losing his water bowl!

why the oven ??

quote:

Originally posted by george curtis:
why the oven ??

Guess I got in the habit of an oven finish, from several basic recipes on the site and clock time factors. But almost foiled it this time and went for the outdoors finish when I learned the oven might not be available at the predicted hour. Now with daylight well before 7 a.m. and a 7 a.m. start, I expect I will tend toward all-WSM cooks. No intention to do much nighttime WSM cooking, except an overnight now and then.

ok, we'll let ya slide this time !

I did pretty much the same thing with my first brisket... the only recipe I saw called for an oven finish. What would be the process for an all WSM cook? Just open up the vents to bring 'er up to 300*, like in the oven? Keep the same temp and just chug along until the meat hits 205*?

Thanks...

quote:

Originally posted by Stevo (Steve Y):
I did pretty much the same thing with my first brisket... the only recipe I saw called for an oven finish. What would be the process for an all WSM cook? Just open up the vents to bring 'er up to 300*, like in the oven? Keep the same temp and just chug along until the meat hits 205*?

Thanks...

Yes, I printed several procedure sheets out even before I got the WSM, then soon found I wanted to do things otherwise too. Are you foiling your briskets for the high temp finish on the WSM? Thanks.

(Slowly but surely learning. Yesterday I dealt with a high winds day the first time, cooking a turkey, and that really affects things, I noticed.)

Oh, yeah... wind throws ya a curve ball.

I did the double foil and threw it into a 300* oven. Haven't even finished it on the WSM yet (only done this once).

I'm learning as I go... only had her a couple of weeks, and fired her up twice.