Smoking Meat -- Tips, Opinions, Recipes

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
Flat... I get the cook to tender... but overnight I won't be able to check it... (I do have a bluetooth probe that will sit bedside) whats a safe temp to set the KJ?
It’s small. Maybe 225? It’ll probably be dry. Why do it overnight? At 275 it would probably only take 4-5 hours. Throw it on tomorrow morning and it would be ready for early dinner.
 

TrailHunter

Hooked
So the cook went ok last night, but not great. I put the brisket on at 10pm and when I crashed at midnight the grill was settled at 190* on the dome thermometer. At about 4am I looked at the ThermaPro and the brisket was at 137*... but when I woke up again at 5:30am it was 133*... I think things were closed down a little too much and it started to go out. It seems like the 225-240* would have been more stable.

I opened things up a little, brought the KJ to *250, added another probe to monitor the grill temp and got back on track. At about 8:00am I hit the Stall at 160*. I just wrapped the brisket in foil, added a little Apple Cider Vinegar and its starting to pass that 160* mark. So now I will wait until it reaches 200*... then I'll wrap and rest it in a cooler until tonight.

My ultimate Goal with this "Experiment" is to cook Brisket during a work week.... start the cook late evening, wake up early, wrap it and rest it in a cooler, and open it up for dinner after work. To do this I want to bypass the Stall and foil wrap at *160. So next time I'm going to try putting the Brisket on at 400*, then settle it in at *250 for the night and see what happens. I read the initial high heat will bypass the Stall.
 

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
So the cook went ok last night, but not great. I put the brisket on at 10pm and when I crashed at midnight the grill was settled at 190* on the dome thermometer. At about 4am I looked at the ThermaPro and the brisket was at 137*... but when I woke up again at 5:30am it was 133*... I think things were closed down a little too much and it started to go out. It seems like the 225-240* would have been more stable.

I opened things up a little, brought the KJ to *250, added another probe to monitor the grill temp and got back on track. At about 8:00am I hit the Stall at 160*. I just wrapped the brisket in foil, added a little Apple Cider Vinegar and its starting to pass that 160* mark. So now I will wait until it reaches 200*... then I'll wrap and rest it in a cooler until tonight.

My ultimate Goal with this "Experiment" is to cook Brisket during a work week.... start the cook late evening, wake up early, wrap it and rest it in a cooler, and open it up for dinner after work. To do this I want to bypass the Stall and foil wrap at *160. So next time I'm going to try putting the Brisket on at 400*, then settle it in at *250 for the night and see what happens. I read the initial high heat will bypass the Stall.
I would not eat that let alone serve to anyone else. Look up a thing called the danger zone. The reason nobody smokes at 190. And the stall is what it is. It will always stall at low temps.
 

TrailHunter

Hooked
I would not eat that let alone serve to anyone else. Look up a thing called the danger zone. The reason nobody smokes at 190. And the stall is what it is. It will always stall at low temps.
It's still going to be cooked up into the 200*+ range. Nothing will survive that... And even a slow cook at 6-8 hrs will have the meat at low temps for a couple hours. I think you are being Paranoid.
 

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
24 Hour Brisket... set at 190*

There is usually more than one way to do things.

Also more than one way to get food poisoning. And I’ve seen enough people get sick from improperly cooked food over the years of working in kitchens to know I don’t want to. There may be more than one way to do things but if it worked that well wouldn’t everyone do it?

Again, more power to you.
 

TrailHunter

Hooked
Also more than one way to get food poisoning. And I’ve seen enough people get sick from improperly cooked food over the years of working in kitchens to know I don’t want to. There may be more than one way to do things but if it worked that well wouldn’t everyone do it?

Again, more power to you.
OK... and I appreciate your concern Adam. As you know Bacteria is for sure Dead at 160*... I'm currently at 205*.
 

WJCO

Meme King
I would not eat that let alone serve to anyone else. Look up a thing called the danger zone. The reason nobody smokes at 190. And the stall is what it is. It will always stall at low temps.
Why would slow smoking something at 190F be an issue once the meat reached proper internal temperature? I've done salmon and ribs at 170-190 for years. Not claiming to know it all, but I'm not understanding why a low smoke temperature would cause and issue as long as meat reaches a safe internal temperature?
 

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
Why would slow smoking something at 190F be an issue once the meat reached proper internal temperature? I've done salmon and ribs at 170-190 for years. Not claiming to know it all, but I'm not understanding why a low smoke temperature would cause and issue as long as meat reaches a safe internal temperature?
It’s not cooking it at 190 it’s that it sits in the uncooked zone too long. Salmon and ribs are small cuts. They get to temp quick. Also the quality is sub par in my opinion cooking that low since it’s all dirty smoke. Not a fan.
 

TrailHunter

Hooked
It’s not cooking it at 190 it’s that it sits in the uncooked zone too long. Salmon and ribs are small cuts. They get to temp quick. Also the quality is sub par in my opinion cooking that low since it’s all dirty smoke. Not a fan.
I would guess Setzlers 24 hr 10lb Brisket sat in that "Danger Zone" longer than my 5lb did. I think it's gonna happen in any slow cook. And I agree with you on the dirty smoke, but with this KJ setup, the smoke is in no way dirty... On my Pellet grill it was... I hated that.

All I know is at 205* this brisket smells and looks awesome.... and feels like butter when I probe it. Time to rest in the cooler. I'll let you know if I shit myself tonight. LOL

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