Brisket Help…Nevermind

SmokingTrucker

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Easley, South Carolina
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  1. Stampede
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Help! I’m doing this 15lbs prime brisket. I was planning on a 20 hour cook at 225. I’m 5 hours in and the temp is already at 155. This brisket is for a birthday party tomorrow at 1500.
 
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Did you used an instant read thermometer in several places that you saw 155?
 
God damn I overlooked that one. Any advice?
Hard to say with the information provided but sounds like maybe your smoker is running hotter than your readings/settings. It will stall and slow down some so I wouldn't worry too much about it so long as you can confirm that your smoker is indeed cooking at 225deg. If it's done early you can always foil, wrap in a bath towel (don't use a good one) and throw it in a cooler to keep warm for hours before serving if need be.
 
Are you planning to wrap or just let it run unwrapped? If left unwrapped it will take longer to get through the stall. When it’s done wrap it in paper or foil, then in some towels and put it in a ice chest (no ice of course 🤣). If you have a third party probe keep that in the brisket while it rests. If the temp starts getting too low you can put it in the oven or warming drawer for awhile then back 8n the cooler. A good long rest is a good thing.
 
Are you planning to wrap or just let it run unwrapped? If left unwrapped it will take longer to get through the stall. When it’s done wrap it in paper or foil, then in some towels and put it in a ice chest (no ice of course 🤣). If you have a third party probe keep that in the brisket while it rests. If the temp starts getting too low you can put it in the oven or warming drawer for awhile then back 8n the cooler. A good long rest is a good thing.
I was planning a 3 hour rest. I don’t know what’s going on with this brisket. I’ve never had this problem before. I moved the probs around and found lower temps. I’m think because I had the water pan right next to the thermostat maybe it threw off the temp
 
Are you planning to wrap or just let it run unwrapped? If left unwrapped it will take longer to get through the stall. When it’s done wrap it in paper or foil, then in some towels and put it in a ice chest (no ice of course 🤣). If you have a third party probe keep that in the brisket while it rests. If the temp starts getting too low you can put it in the oven or warming drawer for awhile then back 8n the cooler. A good long rest is a good thing.
I’m planning a 3 hour rest. I moved the probes until I found a lower temp. This brisket has cause more problems then any I’ve done before
 

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I was planning a 3 hour rest. I don’t know what’s going on with this brisket. I’ve never had this problem before. I moved the probs around and found lower temps. I’m think because I had the water pan right next to the thermostat maybe it threw off the temp
Get rid of the water pan. They're pointless.
 
Not trying to start an argument here but this Do water pans improve BBQ? video gives the science behind a water pan. If your not interested in the science fast forward to the 12:50 mark to see the suggestion.
IMHO Everyone has their preferred method with varying results. Try it, if it works for you continue doing it.
 
Not trying to start an argument here but this Do water pans improve BBQ? video gives the science behind a water pan. If your not interested in the science fast forward to the 12:50 mark to see the suggestion.
That's a wonderful chemistry lesson but does nothing to prove the theory that somehow more moisture is present in the meat once the cook is done. After all, that's the only part that we care about ultimately.

I'm not going to make a YouTube video to go over chemistry lessons involving that aspect of this topic but in my (admittedly anecdotal) attempts to create several smokes with a water pan being the only variable in all scenarios, I was unable to achieve a notable difference in either direction in terms of moisture present in the meat.

If you've done similar tests and have achieved noticeable results then by all means, go right ahead. I'm not trying to tell you that you're crazy if you made better meat using that method. In my personal experience however, the water pan being introduced did not improve the quality of the meat at all. I arrived at the conclusion that, for me at least, the water pan was an unnecessary step and served only to take up real estate within the smoke chamber itself.
 
I had wondered about using water pan, then saw this someone posted from RT support: note the part about temperature control.

No, your REC TEC Grill uses wood pellets with enough moisture content to prevent your food from drying out. Additionally, water pans will create steam inside your cooking chamber and limit your grill's ability to measure temperature accurately.
 
What was your total cook time? You had figured 20 hrs, is that what you ended up with?
Did you remove the water pan during the cook?
Did you wrap, and if so, at what internal temp and for how long?
The brisket looks fantastic. I have yet to try a brisket but will try it sometime this summer.
Thanks.
 
What was your total cook time? You had figured 20 hrs, is that what you ended up with?
Did you remove the water pan during the cook?
Did you wrap, and if so, at what internal temp and for how long?
The brisket looks fantastic. I have yet to try a brisket but will try it sometime this summer.
Thanks.
Total cook time was 19.75 hours and resting for 4 hours in an oven set to 165. When I wrapped I removed the water pan. I wrapped when the point was at was 154 and the flat was 160. I wasn’t wrapping for the stall but when I got the bark I wanted. This brisket recipe was me trying something new and fun. I was trying to copy Mojo’s brisket at 200 degree cook. Check it out on YouTube. This cook was a lot of fun. I haven’t seriously messed up a brisket in 14 years but this one I was worried about. The point swelled up almost 3 times the size the flat at one point which made the flat cook faster then the point. Come to find out it was a giant layer of fat which is why my temps were so off. I hope you have a great first brisket. For me, briskets are the funnest to cook and hardest. Every brisket is different. Even shopping for them is fun. Every time I go to sams or Costco I’m looking for the perfect brisket.
 

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