My first brisket ... completed ...

[Texana]

Ok...All went pretty good. I am going to have to practice some on regulating my fire. A couple of times during the day it went up to almost 300 for 30 - 45 minutes, and a couple of times it went to low 150 for about 30 - 45 minutes.

I cooked the brisket for 13 hours, and wrapped it the last 5 hours. It tasted pretty good. It pretty much fell apart while cutting it. I could see a decent smoke ring, but it did not have the firmness, texture that I see in other peoplse cooking.

I cooked the spare ribs (2 racks) for 5 hours. I wrapped them the last 2 hours. The were terrific. Except for presentation. I like a rib that you can hold and eat directly off the bone. Most of the meat bell of the bone when cutting.

The chickens were placed in the smoker wrapped for the 2 hours and again was great except for the meat falling off bone, but this was ok because have done chicken for years, this is the way we prefer it.

TexasBBQRub was excellent, I will continue to use it as I try to perfect my smoking techniques. I am sure the changes in heat contributed to my problem and a few of the pieces of Hickory had a high white smoke content. I am going to switch to Mesquite because I like the taste better, and will work on making sure the wood is properly seasoned.

If anyone has any other suggestions or comments please reply. I need all the help I can get.

As stated earlier the pit is backyard constructed and it is just a little different than most pits I see. On mine I have the firebox located underneath the cooking area instead of on the end. There is a baffle in the bottom of the barrel that diverts the smoke and heat to either end.. The baffle stops about 4 inches from either end. This brings smoke and heat back across the meat and out through a stack that is in the center of the cooking area. While this smoker might not be the ideal cooking pit I am determined to learn how to use it so that I can turn out great backyard cuisine.

Again hope to read everyone's advise.

Texana (Craig)

[texasbill]

Texana:
Sounds like your first brisket went pretty well. You are on the right path here and it will just get better as you learn your pit. I have a couple of suggestions that might help you out.

Brisket:
You are on the right road here and as you learn your pit (the hot spots and cold spots and how to regulate your heat to a consistent temp) it will get better. It takes a little time to learn about your pit so just keeping working and playing with it till you learn all about it. Hell I have had pits for years and it seems you always can learn something new about them everytime you are out there and use them. On your brisket you said you want it to be more firm. One way to help firm it up after the wrapping process is to let it sit for about 1 hour, with the foil pulled back, before you begin slicing. This will help firm the meat up. You may want to play around a bit with the actual time you wrap the brisket. You said you wrapped it 5 hours so you may want to wrap it for only 3 hours and see how that goes. Cooled down brisket will cut much better than hot brisket so let it sit awhile before you slice. I know this is hard to do as you always want to cut into that beauty immediately.

Ribs:
I am like you here, I like a rib that I can hold on to and eat and the meat is not falling off the bone. Might I suggest not wrapping the ribs at all. Try this out and cook for the 5 hours and they should be done but not falling off the bone. The wrapping of the ribs will actually cause them to get real tender and fall off the bone if that is your objective. I personally never wrap my ribs.

Chicken:
Sounds like you have what you want here so now just refine the technique and perfect it.

Keep up the good work. And we do appreciate your comments about Texas BBQ Rub. Thank You!!!

Bill Cannon
Texas BBQ Rub

[Texana]

Bill,

Thanks for the tips and suggestions. I hope to try again in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for the tip on letting the brisket stand for hour or so. I only let this stand about 20 minutes and dove on in. The few people we had over for the taste test all gave it a thumbs up, but you can appreciate my goal of getting it right.

i will try leaving the ribs unwrapped.

You did not comment on the flucation in my temperatures during the process. Do you think this contributed to the lack of success I had?

Texana

[texasbill]

Texana:
Yeah I forgot to comment on those variations in temperature you experienced while cooking.

I personally do not think the variations in cooking temp had much affect on the outcome of your brisket or ribs or even the chicken. You maintained the basic temp of 200-225 for the largest amount of cooking time so the small spikes up and down are actually pretty normal as you are playing with the fire and should not have had any influence on the outcome of the brisket, ribs, or chicken.

I have thought about the smaller smoke ring you saw and nothing there to worry about. Smoke rings are a chemical reaction between the meat and the smoke and heat. Don't get to excited about that one. It does not mean you are getting a good smoke to the meat itself.

Sounds to me like you are doing very well indeed for your first brisket and first time to use your pit. Just keep up the good work. The reward of doing it really good is what your friends eating the BBQ say to you. Hell, this is alot of work so we like hearing all of those nice things said to us when we feed them.

Bill-Texas BBQ Rub

[Swilly]

Hey Craig, have you figured it out yet????? :) :)

[Texana]

Hey Craig, have you figured it out yet????? :) :)

Oh yea ... that one in West was pretty close .... gonna try again this weekend going to see if I can tender it up just a bit .... wish me luck

[txpgapro]

Sounds like your chair time will be drasticly reduced thhis weekend. :lol:

[TAR RIVER RAT]

Ha, that lawn chair is the problem!. He is falling asleep it it and letting the
temp go up and down. You need to get an alarm clock or rig up a bbqguru
to send a shock, say 110volts, through the chair when the temp goes down or up too much. At least you remembered, the yard bird goes from the cooler to the pit. :lol:
Tarchair

[Zeeman]

Best of luck on your brisket this weekend :wink:
z

[txpgapro]

I'm worried about the yardbird. Hopefully Ritch or Bill will be doing this one. :wink:

[Paul Taylor]

Hey Craig, Please tell us that you are just cutting up :shock: . 1st brisket? & you have known Bill HOW LONG?! :? & YOU HAVE BEEN BBQING FOR HOW LONG?! :oops: :roll: Man I am just blown away. :? Please tell us that you are just kidding around.

Paul Taylor

[Buckeye]

I'm worried bout that next lawn chair! :shock: :P :lol:

[jshively]

Holy crap dead thread from the past. Woody was not even the one who was trying to increase his post count so who is pulling a Woody?

[Paul Taylor]

Buckeye, if ya believe for a MOMENT that that was Craig's first brisket, I have 1000 acres of high desert land in Thibodaux, La that I will sell ya for $.10 an acre. :P :roll:

Paul Taylor

[Buckeye]

Hey Paul.....I noe better. :wink:
Thanx fer that offer tho......come ta think bout it.... :roll: ....I got a ring on my finger u kin sell me. :shock: :lol:

[Zeeman]

Paul, where at in Thibodaux is your land? Would you consider selling me 25 acres? I'll go as high as 75.cent per acre.
z

[Buckeye]

Paul.....I hope u weren't offended cuz I refused yer offer....thing iz.....I alreddy got 40 akers an a mule comin ta me. :lol: :lol:

[Texana]

Ha, that lawn chair is the problem!. He is falling asleep it it and letting the
temp go up and down. You need to get an alarm clock or rig up a bbqguru
to send a shock, say 110volts, through the chair when the temp goes down or up too much. At least you remembered, the yard bird goes from the cooler to the pit. :lol:
Tarchair

Look at the date of that post .... 2003 .... them was pre lawn chair days!

[Texana]

Best of luck on your brisket this weekend :wink:
z

You will be there to see it !!!!

[Texana]

I'm worried about the yardbird. Hopefully Ritch or Bill will be doing this one. :wink:

Ritch ... ya gotta be kiddin .... not no cookin Ritch .....

Bill has the low down on the yard bard ..... all is good.

[Texana]

Hey Craig, Please tell us that you are just cutting up :shock: . 1st brisket? & you have known Bill HOW LONG?! :? & YOU HAVE BEEN BBQING FOR HOW LONG?! :oops: :roll: Man I am just blown away. :? Please tell us that you are just kidding around.

Paul Taylor

Yea ... thats it ... just kidding ....

[Texana]

Hey Paul.....I noe better. :wink:
Thanx fer that offer tho......come ta think bout it.... :roll: ....I got a ring on my finger u kin sell me. :shock: :lol:

I thought the only ring you had was the one thru your nose that she leads you around with :shock: :shock:

[Texana]

Paul.....I hope u weren't offended cuz I refused yer offer....thing iz.....I alreddy got 40 akers an a mule comin ta me. :lol: :lol:

yea yea .... and a chicken in every pot .....

you keep waitin on that mule ya hear !!!!

[Buckeye]

Glad u cood come out an play...finally! :wink: Sheez! Whut took ya so long? I thaut I wuz gunna run out lawn chair material. :twisted: ....NOT Hardlee! BUB!

[Buckeye]

Hey Paul.....I noe better. :wink:
Thanx fer that offer tho......come ta think bout it.... :roll: ....I got a ring on my finger u kin sell me. :shock: :lol:

I thought the only ring you had was the one thru your nose that she leads you around with :shock: :shock:

:P :P Don't act like u ain't got one in yers!

[jshively]

Paul.....I hope u weren't offended cuz I refused yer offer....thing iz.....I alreddy got 40 akers an a mule comin ta me. :lol: :lol:

yea yea .... and a chicken in every pot .....

you keep waitin on that mule ya hear !!!!

If he doesn't Tex is looking to get himself a younger piece of *** and Bucky he maybe stealing your mule.

[Buckeye]

Paul.....I hope u weren't offended cuz I refused yer offer....thing iz.....I alreddy got 40 akers an a mule comin ta me. :lol: :lol:

yea yea .... and a chicken in every pot .....

you keep waitin on that mule ya hear !!!!

If he doesn't Tex is looking to get himself a younger piece of *** and Bucky he maybe stealing your mule.

:shock: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Swilly]

Just couldn't help dredging up some old memories for my buddy Texana!
:P :P

[Woodman]

Holy crap dead thread from the past. Woody was not even the one who was trying to increase his post count so who is pulling a Woody?

Swilly is the one "pulling a woody." :oops: :roll: Hey, I've become part of the BBQ lexicon, kinda like "swillying out your pit!" Or "The Minion Method." Or "JShivelying a sheep in the........." :wink:

[jshively]

Holy crap dead thread from the past. Woody was not even the one who was trying to increase his post count so who is pulling a Woody?

Swilly is the one "pulling a woody." :oops: :roll: Hey, I've become part of the BBQ lexicon, kinda like "swillying out your pit!" Or "The Minion Method." Or "JShivelying a sheep in the........." :wink:

Yeah when gnats are buzzing around my head I call them woody before swatting them.