Beef Pellet Grill Newbie - Steps for a Brisket

CaptHinkle

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20
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  1. Stampede
Hey guys,

Just pulled the trigger on the rt590 and I'm looking to christen the bad boy with a nice brisket. (After seasoning of course)

Im looking for some guidance on how to not screw it up lol. Got the butcher paper, probe all that good stuff.
But what temp should I start it at, when do I increase the temp (after wrapping when it hits 165?) etc. Ways to get it extra Smokey without the smoke tube method? Any settings I should know about?

I've watched about every YouTube video out there and just want to hear it from the experts. Some step by steps for a newbie would be great. Not looking for times but basic temp settings and what step to take when would definitely help. I will definitely post pics of the first one ! Thanks again!

oh and fat cap up or Down lol?
 
Congrats. Might want to start out with something simpler like some chicken or ribs until you get a feel for everything.

As far as the brisket goes here’s my 2 cents from my first few attempts.

Use a water pan. just stick it in the corner somewhere. To get more smoke without a tube try the low setting or extreme smoke for the first couple hours then crank up to 250. I’ve tried 225 but I think 250 helps render the fat and shorten the cooking time. Fat cap down mostly so you can see the bark if you take a peek. You can wrap when it hits the stall at 165 or so or you can wrap once you’re satisfied with the bark. (I usually wrap at 165 but I’ve wondered if it should go longer to get more bark). Start probing for tenderness once it hits 190-195. Don’t be in a rush to pull it. It’s done when the probe feels like it’s going into cake or warm pie. I usually spritz with ACV but I can’t decide if I’ll do it next time. Some say it adds to the stall time. Maybe I’ll only spritz just before I wrap next time.

Hope that helps. And welcome to the club.
 
Congrats. Might want to start out with something simpler like some chicken or ribs until you get a feel for everything.

As far as the brisket goes here’s my 2 cents from my first few attempts.

Use a water pan. just stick it in the corner somewhere. To get more smoke without a tube try the low setting or extreme smoke for the first couple hours then crank up to 250. I’ve tried 225 but I think 250 helps render the fat and shorten the cooking time. Fat cap down mostly so you can see the bark if you take a peek. You can wrap when it hits the stall at 165 or so or you can wrap once you’re satisfied with the bark. (I usually wrap at 165 but I’ve wondered if it should go longer to get more bark). Start probing for tenderness once it hits 190-195. Don’t be in a rush to pull it. It’s done when the probe feels like it’s going into cake or warm pie. I usually spritz with ACV but I can’t decide if I’ll do it next time. Some say it adds to the stall time. Maybe I’ll only spritz just before I wrap next time.

Hope that helps. And welcome to the club.

thank you sir! Ive been itching for a brisket. I grill every other night ( have a bull built in and also black stone 36" griddle) I have the gist but I know pellet smoking is a whole other animal lol.
I will def follow your notes. Is the tube worth the headache or does the water tub suffice?
Nope not a guide. We just moved up to Orlando from Miami and I used to fish Flamingo (saltwater Everglades), key biscayne and the keys all the time. Then got into the offshore game and ended up doing some Bahamas runs to great harbor and what not. Love fishing and can't wait to get back down to get some kingfish to smoke!
 
Nice. Mostly a bass fisherman myself but I go down to the Texas coast a few times a year to chase redfish.

The water pan will just help keep moisture in the cooking chamber. The smoke tubes help a little or you could add a few wood chunks to the top of your diffuser (haven’t tried that myself). Or you could upgrade your heat diffuser to the smoke daddy Heavy D diffuser that takes real wood logs and chunks. That’s a whole other learning curve though. Sorta defeats the whole consistency of the pellet grill for the first couple hours or so but dam is that thing sturdy otherwise.
 
No offense to ya @Dougfresh, but that water pan is doing noting but taking up space. I've done a many of brisket over the years and never have I used a water pan, nor have I ever had that suggested, as it's just simply not needed to get a tender & juicy brisket. Also, spritzing is just cooling down the pit and the meat. Just leave that bad boy closed and let it do what it does best. ?

That said, the method I've always used is setting the temp to 225 ( I prefer the low & slow to help with the smoke flavor), wrapping at 165, and pulling between 200-205. Don't unwrap it. Find an old towel and wrap that around it, and place it in a cooler for at least 2 hours. I guarantee that the results will be great EVERY TIME. And even though your bark will vary, I wouldn't get too caught up on that. Having it turning out tender & juicy is the most important thing to focus on. However, I do suggest putting the rub on heavy to help aid in giving you a better bark. Also, place your probe where the point and the flat lap over each other. That'll help to not over cook the flat. Basically, it's a good happy medium. Lastly, place the point end on the hotter side of the grill and go fat cap down on grills that have the heat source coming from the bottom, such as these pellet grills. This will help create a barrier to help protect the meat.

That's all I got! Looking forward to seeing your results.


Cheers brutha! ?

Darrell
 
I agree, I would not bother with the water pan in the RT. I try to keep is simple. I enjoy the point/burnt ends more than the flat so i try to always do a full brisket. I smoke on low for the first 2 hours or sometimes longer, then up to 225-250 for the duration. I usually do not wrap, I just let it go through the stall naked. I pull at 203 internal temp. test for tenderness. Let it rest, sometimes wrap in cooler, but usually covered on the counter for 30-60 minutes, while the point it cut in to cubes and seasoned and sauced and put back on the grill for burnt ends. Then pull the burnt ends and slice the flat.
 
No offense to ya @Dougfresh, but that water pan is doing noting but taking up space. I've done a many of brisket over the years and never have I used a water pan, nor have I ever had that suggested, as it's just simply not needed to get a tender & juicy brisket. Also, spritzing is just cooling down the pit and the meat. Just leave that bad boy closed and let it do what it does best. ?

That said, the method I've always used is setting the temp to 225 ( I prefer the low & slow to help with the smoke flavor), wrapping at 165, and pulling between 200-205. Don't unwrap it. Find an old towel and wrap that around it, and place it in a cooler for at least 2 hours. I guarantee that the results will be great EVERY TIME. And even though your bark will vary, I wouldn't get too caught up on that. Having it turning out tender & juicy is the most important thing to focus on. However, I do suggest putting the rub on heavy to help aid in giving you a better bark. Also, place your probe where the point and the flat lap over each other. That'll help to not over cook the flat. Basically, it's a good happy medium. Lastly, place the point end on the hotter side of the grill and go fat cap down on grills that have the heat source coming from the bottom, such as these pellet grills. This will help create a barrier to help protect the meat.

That's all I got! Looking forward to seeing your results.


Cheers brutha! ?

Darrell
Appreciate the advice! Less is more is always my go to.

Grill is currently in route to Orlando. Dispatcher with the shipping company is estimating Tuesday which means a Friday night over night cook for a Saturday early evening brisket dinner!
 
Appreciate the advice! Less is more is always my go to.

Grill is currently in route to Orlando. Dispatcher with the shipping company is estimating Tuesday which means a Friday night over night cook for a Saturday early evening brisket dinner!

"Less is more" is one of my favorite sayings. I've been trying to convince my wife of that for years now. Lol

I have an 11 pounder that'll be going on the 340 on this Saturday. This will be my first true long cook since I got it, so I'm pretty stoked about it. I've been waiting to do one of these so that I can finally post my impressions thread.

Hope you enjoy the smoke and I'll give ya a social distancing air toast with an ice cold one. :D


Cheers brutha! ?

Darrell
 
So the bad boy came in last night. Put it together last night and seasoning it now for this weekend. Ordered a full prime packer brisket and 2 cuts of prime Picanha. Then picked up some choice beef ribs bc prime wasn't available.
To prepare I grilled some picanha on the bull tonight ??
 

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So my family couldn't make it up so I still wanted to use it so decided to do some beef short ribs. Should be ready by dinner!
 

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That looks great please post some pictures when it's finished, something I never remember to do as I want to eat. LOL:giggle:
Lol will do. My buddy started this smoking Instagram and I promised him some content. So I'll def have some pics.
Here some pics of the picanha I did last night. Not on the rectec but man it was yummy.
 

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Second wrapped an hr ago. Finally broke the stall. Took longer than I thought and got somewhat worries the probes were acting up as it had a 10 degree drop of temp when I pull to wrap.
 

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Second wrapped an hr ago. Finally broke the stall. Took longer than I thought and got somewhat worries the probes were acting up as it had a 10 degree drop of temp when I pull to wrap.
The stall can be a PITA. The probes could have been placed in a slightly different place after the wrap even if in the same hole, I know that doesn't sound right. On cooks like this I only rely on the Rec Tec probes to get me in the ball park and to the bottom of the 9th inning and then use my Thermapen MK4 to get me to the final temperature I'm looking for, but also am looking for the Thermapen's probe feel going into the meat to pull it and have it rest.
 
The stall can be a PITA. The probes could have been placed in a slightly different place after the wrap even if in the same hole, I know that doesn't sound right. On cooks like this I only rely on the Rec Tec probes to get me in the ball park and to the bottom of the 9th inning and then use my Thermapen MK4 to get me to the final temperature I'm looking for, but also am looking for the Thermapen's probe feel going into the meat to pull it and have it rest.
Good advice. Yea I'm hoping to have it up to 200 in the next hr. We're at 178 right now.
We shall see!
 
Just hit 200 on one and 197 on the other. Had to pull them both. Had a tornado warning Alert and it got crazy out there.
I will definitely say, I did. It expect a 10 hr smoke for these beef short ribs. I cheated at the end and cranked to 275. Next time I'm starting these bright and early!

resting in the cooler right now For 45 mins.

I'm still having to convince my wife on the resting period philosophy lmao
 

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