First brisket on the Primo XL (w/pics)

[CobNole]

So after doing baby backs last week, I moved onto Brisket this weekend. Thought I'd share some pictures for anyone looking to do one. If you are in the market for a grill/smoker, I'd highly recommend the Primo XL Oval over the Green Egg because of the amount of food you can load with the oval shape.

Started out Friday by trimming off about 2.5 pounds of fat of the 11.3 pound whole angus brisket that I picked up at Sams:

After seasoning it with sea salt and butt rub, I let it sit overnight for 24 hours in the cooler:

Saturday morning at 12:20am, the brisket went on at 225 degrees smoking with Pecan wood chunks. I put a half pan of water under it to add moisture during the cook. It stayed at 225 degrees all night long using the CyberQ from BBQ Guru.

At 8:51, using The Pit Pal app on my phone, I checked on the brisket and learned it was almost ready but had a few more degrees to go for my target internal temp of 192 degrees.

At 11:19, it finished and the Primo had started to decrease the pit temperature automatically to go into "Cook and Hold" to prevent overcooking of the brisket.

When I opened the pit for the first time since putting it on, this is what I found:

I wrapped it in 4 layers of heavy duty foil and 2 towels and put into my cooler to rest for about 2 hours. When I went to cut into it, I was extremely pleased with how it turned out. Extremely moist and plenty of flavor from the butt rub.

While the picture below looks like the flat part of the brisket is dry, it isn't. I typically only eat the cap/point but I was pleasantly surprised how good the flat tasted.

 

[TexSkills]

I'm wiping up the puddle of drool in front of my keyboard.

 

[Fijimn]

That BBQ Guru kit looks intriguing. I"m going to have to check it out.

 

[FreeFlyNole]

Thanks Jerk. I just drooled all over my dress shirt.

 

[CobNole]

That BBQ Guru kit looks intriguing. I"m going to have to check it out.

I'm amazed how well it works. It has a pit temp probe as well as 3 food probes. It works with the wifi connection at your house and emails/texts you when certain events happen. It basically lets a $1200 cooker work just like a $20,000 commercial smoker like what I had before.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

So how do you guys reheat the brisket for later meals? (Assuming you don't eat 9lbs at one sitting).

 

[Fijimn]

So how do you guys reheat the brisket for later meals? (Assuming you don't eat 9lbs at one sitting).

The least amount of water loss is achieved through sous vide.

 

[CobNole]

So how do you guys reheat the brisket for later meals? (Assuming you don't eat 9lbs at one sitting).

Well first of all keep in mind you lose about 45% of a brisket from the time you open the package to the time you take it off the smoker between trimming and cooking. That 11+ pounds before probably was about 6lbs when I pulled it off. Between my family of 6 and the family of 4 that was in town for the weekend, we had about 2 pounds left over. The leftover cap will be cubed and I'll put back on the smoker in my glaze to make burnt ends. The leftover flat will be sliced thin and turned into cheese steaks for dinner tonight.

 

[seminoledq]

It is great to know we can start to post assets again. Thanks Cob.

 

[OrlandNole]

Well first of all keep in mind you lose about 45% of a brisket from the time you open the package to the time you take it off the smoker between trimming and cooking. That 11+ pounds before probably was about 6lbs when I pulled it off. Between my family of 6 and the family of 4 that was in town for the weekend, we had about 2 pounds left over. The leftover cap will be cubed and I'll put back on the smoker in my glaze to make burnt ends. The leftover flat will be sliced thin and turned into cheese steaks for dinner tonight.

Four pounds and 10 people equals a little over 6 ounces each. Lightweights. I could've eaten that whole thing myself.

 

[TexSkills]

Looks great but how does it compare to pastrami? You know, since they're comparable and all

 

[PoopandBoogers]

Pics not showing up for me! Am I the only one not seeing them!? I have the meat sweats just reading this.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

Pics not showing up for me! Am I the only one not seeing them!? I have the meat sweats just reading this.

Reposting for Poop. Cob, you're the man. Brisket and beer really draws the women. I love the bikinis.

 

[cmanole]

Pics not showing up for me! Am I the only one not seeing them!? I have the meat sweats just reading this.

Can't see them either. I was ready to get all hot and bothered...

 

[wbnolefan]

Pics not showing up for me! Am I the only one not seeing them!? I have the meat sweats just reading this.

me too and it's killing me

 

[PoopandBoogers]

All I see is "Image Not Found" on the repost.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

All I see is "Image Not Found" on the repost.

Sorry, must be on your end.

I have no idea what that one woman is doing in the background. Forget the brisket... wowza.

 

[PoopandBoogers]

Reposting for Poop. Cob, you're the man. Brisket and beer really draws the women. I love the bikinis.

 

[BelemNole]

Sorry, must be on your end.

I have no idea what that one woman is doing in the background. Forget the brisket... wowza.

She can tenderize my meat any day.

 

[CobNole]

Pics not showing up for me! Am I the only one not seeing them!? I have the meat sweats just reading this.

I re-added the pictures. Hopefully they are showing up for you now.

 

[PoopandBoogers]

I re-added the pictures. Hopefully they are showing up for you now.

Can you explain a little bit how the cyberq controls the grill's temp? Also, do you have to sync the app with the cyberq to get the readings on your phone?

 

[RTM58]

 

[Bud Fox]

Not cool Cob. I am starving here!!

 

[noleit]

Looks mighty good cob!

 

[F4Gary]

No pics for me either.

 

[RancheroNole]

my screen taste bad.

 

[CobNole]

Can you explain a little bit how the cyberq controls the grill's temp? Also, do you have to sync the app with the cyberq to get the readings on your phone?

The CyberQ comes with a fan that attaches to the bottom of the Primo or a Green Egg. The fan plugs into the CyberQ main module. The flow rate of the fan is controlled by the CyberQ based upon your desired grill temp . There is also a damper on the fan. If you want a lower temp like 250 and below, you close up the damper to like a third. For higher temps you open it up. Then when the fan goes on it pushes the air over the coals to create more heat. If the top damper is closed, the temps stay low. So basically this is all about air flow. Confine the air = control the temp.

The app is real time. That's the cool part. You can also access the CyberQ via a browser if you don't want to use the app.

 

[CobNole]

No pics for me either.

Not quite sure what it is going on. The pics are no longer there for me either just "IMG" but RTM posted them as well (Thanks!).

 

[ncnole1975]

Thanks Jerk. I just drooled all over my dress shirt.

Tailored I hope?

 

[crooked_rain]

Cob, the brisket looks great. It's been a little while since I've cooked one. I'm also jealous that your Sam's carries full briskets. Mine only carries flats. The BBQ guru device is cool too. I see they make them for Big Steel Kegs. Intrigued. I was looking at something similar from Auberins.

 

[jy2581]

Cob - do you find that you get better results if the brisket is allowed to rest for a while (say an hour or more)? I've only smoked one brisket, and allowed it to reach the ideal temp. I let it rest for about 30 mins, however, it just wasn't super moist, or fall apart tender like your pics show.

 

[crooked_rain]

Cob - do you find that you get better results if the brisket is allowed to rest for a while (say an hour or more)? I've only smoked one brisket, and allowed it to reach the ideal temp. I let it rest for about 30 mins, however, it just wasn't super moist, or fall apart tender like your pics show.

Not Cob, but, yes. I've always placed pork shoulders and briskets in a "faux cambro", wrap meat in foil, then in towels, placed in a cooler for several hours.

 

[CobNole]

Cob, the brisket looks great. It's been a little while since I've cooked one. I'm also jealous that your Sam's carries full briskets. Mine only carries flats. The BBQ guru device is cool too. I see they make them for Big Steel Kegs. Intrigued. I was looking at something similar from Auberins.

Ask the head of the meat department about a full brisket. Every Sam's I've ever been too has full briskets.

 

[CobNole]

Cob - do you find that you get better results if the brisket is allowed to rest for a while (say an hour or more)? I've only smoked one brisket, and allowed it to reach the ideal temp. I let it rest for about 30 mins, however, it just wasn't super moist, or fall apart tender like your pics show.

Even when I had the restaurant, every brisket served came off the smoker at least 3 hours beforehand. They would always be wrapped in multiple pieces of tin foil and put into a holding/warming cabinet at around 145 degrees. The brisket will continue to cook when you pull it off just a like a steak continues to cook when you pull it off the grill. Most guys that do any type of competition will pull off their briskets, wrap them, and cut them an hour or more afterwards. In terms of being moist, a lot of that has to do with your initial trim, moisture content in the cooking chamber and how aggressive you are smoking it. There is no in-between with brisket as it is either good or bad. And bad brisket is dry and good brisket is moist. There is no middle ground. For this particular cook, I put a pan of water underneath the brisket to add a little more moisture to the cooking chamber. The more moisture you have inside the chamber, the better you will be.

When you probe your brisket, if your probe doesn't insert like putting a hot knife in butter, it isn't done the right way. Also make sure to smoke your brisket fat side up.

 

[jy2581]

Even when I had the restaurant, every brisket served came off the smoker at least 3 hours beforehand. They would always be wrapped in multiple pieces of tin foil and put into a holding/warming cabinet at around 145 degrees. The brisket will continue to cook when you pull it off just a like a steak continues to cook when you pull it off the grill. Most guys that do any type of competition will pull off their briskets, wrap them, and cut them an hour or more afterwards. In terms of being moist, a lot of that has to do with your initial trim, moisture content in the cooking chamber and how aggressive you are smoking it. There is no in-between with brisket as it is either good or bad. And bad brisket is dry and good brisket is moist. There is no middle ground. For this particular cook, I put a pan of water underneath the brisket to add a little more moisture to the cooking chamber. The more moisture you have inside the chamber, the better you will be.

When you probe your brisket, if your probe doesn't insert like putting a hot knife in butter, it isn't done the right way. Also make sure to smoke your brisket fat side up.

Thanks! I feel sort of dumb. Looking bad, I don't think I trimmed hardly any of the fat. Oops!

 

[appynole]

That's the best hunk of dead cow I've ever had...I don't need the photos

 

[Fijimn]

If you watched the very end of Hard Knocks last night--after the credits--Wilfork, JJ Watt and Shane Lechter are eating at Killen's in Pearland. I am still trying to duplicate that beef rib.