Bullseye Burnt Brisket

[jbharvin]

Got my new Bullseye RT380-B. Chicken thighs and pork lion came out great although the temperature controls did not seem to be working properly. Decided to smoke a brisket for Christmas. Bought a 18.4 lb brisket. Trimmed it to just over 15 lbs and seasoned it. Set grill temperature control to 225 and preheated grill. Estimated smoking time was 10-12 hours low and slow to 175 degrees then wrap in butcher paper and put back on grill at 250 degrees until internal temperature reached 203 degrees, rest for 2 hours or so and eat with family.

Smoke did not go as planned. Preheated Bullseye, set at 225, put brisket on grill And inserted RT thermometer into brisket to begin cook. Due to prior temperature control issues put in a round thermometer inside grill to check inside temperature (although I do not like to open grill during smoking). Started cook at 7 pm Christmas Eve. Set temp 225; actual temp leveled out on RT controls to 165. Lifted lid and my inside thermometer read 200 degrees. About 2 hours later got ERROR reading on RT digital control. Reset RT controls at 225 and began smoking again. 12:30 am RT temperature control still set at 225, actual 165 meat temp 187. Lifted lid inside 200 degrees. Actual meat temp my reliable 147.6. 1:30 checked all. RT set 225. Inside thermometer 205 my meat thermometer 152. Went to bed. 3:34 am checked grill. Grill off. Brisket burnt to crisp. No Christmas brisket dinner. Note: weather -rain and winds gusting to 25. RT under covered open patio. Not happy with this grill. ANY HELP GREATLY APPRECIATED.

 

[C. Keeper]

Got my new Bullseye RT380-B. Chicken thighs and pork lion came out great although the temperature controls did not seem to be working properly. Decided to smoke a brisket for Christmas. Bought a 18.4 lb brisket. Trimmed it to just over 15 lbs and seasoned it. Set grill temperature control to 225 and preheated grill. Estimated smoking time was 10-12 hours low and slow to 175 degrees then wrap in butcher paper and put back on grill at 250 degrees until internal temperature reached 203 degrees, rest for 2 hours or so and eat with family.

Smoke did not go as planned. Preheated Bullseye, set at 225, put brisket on grill And inserted RT thermometer into brisket to begin cook. Due to prior temperature control issues put in a round thermometer inside grill to check inside temperature (although I do not like to open grill during smoking). Started cook at 7 pm Christmas Eve. Set temp 225; actual temp leveled out on RT controls to 165. Lifted lid and my inside thermometer read 200 degrees. About 2 hours later got ERROR reading on RT digital control. Reset RT controls at 225 and began smoking again. 12:30 am RT temperature control still set at 225, actual 165 meat temp 187. Lifted lid inside 200 degrees. Actual meat temp my reliable 147.6. 1:30 checked all. RT set 225. Inside thermometer 205 my meat thermometer 152. Went to bed. 3:34 am checked grill. Grill off. Brisket burnt to crisp. No Christmas brisket dinner. Note: weather -rain and winds gusting to 25. RT under covered open patio. Not happy with this grill. ANY HELP GREATLY APPRECIATED.

IMHO, the standard Bullseye shines as a fast grill, think Weber.
Slow cooking large pieces of meat is a challenge based on heat deflector.
Clean the grill, fill hopper and make sure you can maintain 200 degrees for several hours. Feed rate may be causing flame outs.

 

[BigDan]

Agreed. I’ve done low and slow no problemo on my B380x but take a peek at the attached photo. You can get away with covering some of the smoke holes with a drip pan I used, and still get a ton of smoke. Done 10 lb butts No problem.That large of a piece of meat would be a serious challenge and a mess. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve thought about it though.

When I got mine I had some of the same issues, called and got my feed rate adjusted and no issues ever since. Holds 225 in similar weather no problem.

I’d suggest clean everything up, set it at 225 and run for 3-4 hours and if it still occurs, give customer service a call. I’d venture a guess your feed rate is wonky.

 

[Jim6820]

…weather -rain and winds gusting to 25.

You don’t mention the outdoor temp, but if it was below 50F, I think @BigDan ‘s feed rate thought may have some merit. You may also have some control board issues and a call to RT customer support is definitely in order.

That said, I don’t think the 380X is the right tool for cooking a 15-pound brisket unattended. It is more of a hot-and-fast grill rather than a low-and-slow smoker. When cooking large slabs of meat on a “grill,” you need to keep an eye on things pretty much constantly to avoid problems like you experienced.

Good luck on your next brisket. Time to saddle up and get back on the horse that threw ya! You’ll get a handle on things soon.

 

[Mannydog]

This may help a bit, but YMMV. I wrapped a brick in aluminum foil and keep it on the heat deflector as a heat sink to help (somewhat) avoid the temp fluctuations in my Bullseye. That, and/or the water pan could help. Nothing will eliminate it, but I think it works a little better for me. I think the metal of the Bullseye is a lot thinner than the other models, so it will struggle more to keep steady temps. Just my two cents, but wishing you luck!

 

[jbharvin]

Got my new Bullseye RT380-B. Chicken thighs and pork lion came out great although the temperature controls did not seem to be working properly. Decided to smoke a brisket for Christmas. Bought a 18.4 lb brisket. Trimmed it to just over 15 lbs and seasoned it. Set grill temperature control to 225 and preheated grill. Estimated smoking time was 10-12 hours low and slow to 175 degrees then wrap in butcher paper and put back on grill at 250 degrees until internal temperature reached 203 degrees, rest for 2 hours or so and eat with family.

Smoke did not go as planned. Preheated Bullseye, set at 225, put brisket on grill And inserted RT thermometer into brisket to begin cook. Due to prior temperature control issues put in a round thermometer inside grill to check inside temperature (although I do not like to open grill during smoking). Started cook at 7 pm Christmas Eve. Set temp 225; actual temp leveled out on RT controls to 165. Lifted lid and my inside thermometer read 200 degrees. About 2 hours later got ERROR reading on RT digital control. Reset RT controls at 225 and began smoking again. 12:30 am RT temperature control still set at 225, actual 165 meat temp 187. Lifted lid inside 200 degrees. Actual meat temp my reliable 147.6. 1:30 checked all. RT set 225. Inside thermometer 205 my meat thermometer 152. Went to bed. 3:34 am checked grill. Grill off. Brisket burnt to crisp. No Christmas brisket dinner. Note: weather -rain and winds gusting to 25. RT under covered open patio. Not happy with this grill. ANY HELP GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Thanks for all of the replies and suggestions. You’ll might be right about trying to cook to big of a brisket but I tried hamburgers on Christmas Day and got the same result (should have never closed lid to get a bit of smoke flavor). As to the brisket, by 1:30 the wind had stopped and the temperature was above 50 degrees. On the day after Christmas Day I ran tests on the controls and temperature gauge. The actual grill temperature (as read by my own grill thermometers) averaged 100 degrees higher than the grill digital controls read. The temperature probe read higher than actual or not at all. I also got two ER-2 messages on control panel while testing. I should also probably add that during set up of this grill the top did not fit properly and a friend reset it for me finding that the hinge mechanism was bent. I contacted Recteq support about the hinge and received a reply 2 days later and waived the matter off as I though my grill issues was resolved. Little did I know. I have sent several emails and received just the computer generated responses but it is during the holidays. My wife thinks I should just trash the grill and move on to another brand. Buy the cheapest get defective. I’m pretty disgusted in a company that I had heard such goods things about.

 

[Jim6820]

Make a phone call! E-mails get the lowest priority and are easy to ignore. Call and talk to someone. If you don’t get a satisfactory response, ask to speak to a supervisor or manager. If you get ignored, DEMAND to speak to the owner and hold your ground. Suggest to the person you are dealing with that you have access to the owner’s cell phone number (we can help you with this) and that it probably won’t go well if you call him directly.

 

[Threadcutter]

Thanks for all of the replies and suggestions. You’ll might be right about trying to cook to big of a brisket but I tried hamburgers on Christmas Day and got the same result (should have never closed lid to get a bit of smoke flavor). As to the brisket, by 1:30 the wind had stopped and the temperature was above 50 degrees. On the day after Christmas Day I ran tests on the controls and temperature gauge. The actual grill temperature (as read by my own grill thermometers) averaged 100 degrees higher than the grill digital controls read. The temperature probe read higher than actual or not at all. I also got two ER-2 messages on control panel while testing. I should also probably add that during set up of this grill the top did not fit properly and a friend reset it for me finding that the hinge mechanism was bent. I contacted Recteq support about the hinge and received a reply 2 days later and waived the matter off as I though my grill issues was resolved. Little did I know. I have sent several emails and received just the computer generated responses but it is during the holidays. My wife thinks I should just trash the grill and move on to another brand. Buy the cheapest get defective. I’m pretty disgusted in a company that I had heard such goods things about.

Anymore, I always make big(ger) ticket purchases with my AMEX. They provide a 2 year warranty and are very good about chargeback requests from customers.

But........it does not absolve the consumer (you, me, anyone) of doing their diligence up front and giving the manufacturer the opportunity to make things right.

If, after giving the manufacturer the opportunity to make things right and you are still not satisfied, then just do a chargeback. Particularly when the manufacturer makes no effort to solve THEIR problem. This also assumes that you are not being unreasonable in your expectations/demands.

 

[Graying Mantis]

I had some fluctuations initially but adjusted the feed rate and have not had issues since. I have done several low and slow cooks (pork butts, Chuck Roasts and a small brisket) and had no issues. Recteq customer service has been great, but I have always called. At times they have followed up with an E-mail, and have responded quickly to any reply I have made.
I have had great success with both low and slow cooks and high temp cooks and have never understood the argument that it isn't good for low and slow.