Mesquite Smoked Brisket. Hotter n hell around here.

[txbut]

Hey yall,

Hunerd degrees today.
Plugged into a digital box. Bypassed the thermostat from a hack on here.
Smoked by temp.
17 pound choice brisket light fillet on the flat. 6 pounds of trim.
56 hour fridge dry rub. No oil, no mustard, no kale.
45 minutes to burn tar out of mesquite smoke.
Water pan below brisket shelf.
7 hours smoking at 245, no peeking, no wood reload. Pulled when point was 198 and flat was 192. (200 and 195 is my normal)
7 hours resting. Wrapped in foil and two large towels. Sat on counter until temp got down to 130.

Sure does make firing up Farrah a problem.

 

[old sarge]

That certainly turned out well!  Nicely done!!

 

[txbut]

Thank you Sir!

 

[iamimdoc]

How did you get that smoke ring?  Never see one

Just salt and pepper ?

Mesquite wood, allowed to s one for 45 minutes, then meat added?

Thanks

 

[txbut]

Hi @iamimdoc

Not sure how the ring got there. Not sure why it reached temp so quick either. The only thing I can think that might have did it was the salt in the rub. I let it sit 56 hours covered in fridge. Didn't open the cabinet the entire smoke??? Not sure, will try to repeat probably for life.

Texas Butter Dawgs Bark

I mostly smoke ribs and brisket, both at 245. So once the dry chunks are loaded (usually 3) and Darleen turned on I have a 45 minute wait, then load up the brisket/meat. Zero to 245 for 45 and by that time the smoke is light enough I don't tar it. It can go over but not under. I have a special hard on for mesquite but pecan and oak give me one too. Shoot, doubt any smoking woods would make me pissy.

Target rub rest was 48 hours but the brisket trim and seasoning was finished at 10pm. The extra 8 hours was from 10pm the day before the smoking to the meat loading the next morning 6am.

 

[PulledPorkSandwich]

Great-looking brisket!

I'd like to try mesquite but I used used it a couple times to smoke turkeys for Thanksgiving and they always got black and had a bitter, "tarry", flavor, so I abandoned mesquite for other woods.

I'm curious about your approach to limiting tar by waiting 45 minutes before loading the meat.  I might have to try that sometime!

I also like that smoke ring you got.  I never get a smoke ring with my model 2.

 

[Lonzinomaker]

Looks really tender. Good job!

 

[txbut]

Hi @PulledPorkSandwich and @Lonzinomaker

Thanks buds! It was a fun one.

I've tarred almost everything with all the woods.  ;D ;D Forty five minutes dry wood seems to work every time. No tarring on electrics 10+ years. The smoke isn't piping hard at that time either.

Prefer a deep almost cold smoke but everyone around here is getting up in age and it'll sure shut down the cornhole tournament due to heartburn.

As soon as I catch another brisket deal and time I'm definitely going to duplicate it.

 

[PulledPorkSandwich]

@txbut, The stock advice around these parts is to load your meat into the smoker immediately; don't wait.  Your experience suggests that it's actually a good idea to wait; waiting will cut down on "tarriness" and bitterness.  I'm curious what others think about your approach.  In particular, why do the instructions that come with the Smokin-it tell you not to wait?

 

[txbut]

Hi @PulledPorkSandwich

Interesting, don't know what the instructions say or recall what others do. You also might be hard pressed to find others who let the brisket rest until it's at 120-130. I've put the meat on immediately once on my 1st or 6th electric smoke. Thirty-ish years later I never did that again. A few drunk screw ups 15 20 32 but eventually figured it out. Burn a piece of wood long enough in these parts there will be no smoke.

 

[Lonzinomaker]

i want smoke, which is why I use fruit woods on my beef and pork. Never use mesquite because for me it is too harsh. 
I might try burning some mesquite to see if the creasote bitterness flashes off with the initial burn.  Then I'll let the smoker cool down and put my meat in as usual.

The reason for putting meat in a cold smoker, is that meat stops absorbing the majority of smoke flavor after it gets to 140 degrees. So cold meat will get more smoke in it than room temperature meat.

 

[txbut]

Hi @Lonzinomaker

Interesting, I've always been under the impression you're only going absorb smoke about the first 2 hours dropping in at target temp (off sets). Mesquite may be the reason I've tarred them because it's probably used in 95% of all my stunts. Letting it burn off for 45 all these years kept me from embarrassing my forefathers. I mean, I've always got the pit to temp while the brisket was on the counter probed. On electric it was a 45 minute wait, my safe hole, and other types of smoking I'd wait for the thick 2nd hand type smoke burn off then temp. Any wood but mostly it was mesquite since inception. Most the teams I deal with mix oak pecan or oak hickory. I'm all alone with the electric.

Question: Can I drop everything in at the same time on electric with other woods and it doesn't make a tar brick? Apple, oak, pecan...

Anyways, the OP isn't that deep rich smoke. More along what's at the joints around here. Smoked flavor is there but not enough for heartburn. No bragging but I am, it wouldn't be here if I turned out a crappy. No matter what praise the friends say. The cook knows when it's not right.

I will try to duplicate at least once before I swear by it though. 1st time

Yall have a good one!

 

[kim0bbz]

I did mesquite this time instead of Oak and I really like it, thanks for the tip!