March 12th, 2016, 4:22 pm
#1
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Is it normal for the temp to drop 10-15 degrees and stall? The meat smells good and the cooker is holding temp well. I am not concerned, I just thought this was interesting. This is my first brisket so just wondering. I knew there'd be a stall, I just wasn't expecting a drop in temp first.

Check the shot from my igrill

image.jpeg

Wichita, KS!
New to pellet grilling/smoking

YS-640 ON ORANGE COMP CART
March 13th, 2016, 9:38 am
#2
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Yes, this is normal.

Yoder_Herb
March 13th, 2016, 11:26 am
#3
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Thanks Herb!

The brisket turned out good but was a little dry. i think part of that was that the butcher took nearly all the fat cap off so I'll be more specific next time!

Here's some questions/thoughts:
- my first post showed it drop and climb again, which herb said is OK. After it climbed again to 170* it dropped back to 155* and stalled. Is it normal to have two stalls?
- at the second stall the family was starving and so I bumped the temp from 240* to 300* and pushed the meat to 195*.
- there where very dry pieces in the thin parts of the meat but the think part was quite tasty, how do I achieve that moisture in the entire chunk of meat?
- I did not wrap the meat because I wanted the crust. Is wrapping the meat the only way to achieve that moisture? Should I try butcher paper?

Again, my first run on the Yoder with brisket and all and all it awesome. I took detailed notes and am going to try the same recipe again for Easter.

Any tips/feedback is appreciated!

Wichita, KS!
New to pellet grilling/smoking

YS-640 ON ORANGE COMP CART
March 13th, 2016, 1:26 pm
#4
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The stall is what it is, and each piece of meat can, and will, cook differently. You can cook 4 briskets, and they will all cook somewhat differently.

My personal opinion, the fat cap has nothing to do with the moistness of the meat. I trim it all off, everything, all gone. If you leave any fat cap on the meat, and put seasoning on it, the seasonings are totally lost, as most people will trim the fat off prior to slicing or when it is on the plate.

The only way to have the meat be uniform in moistness, is to have the meat be uniform before cooking. Comp cooks will trim much more drastically to achieve a desirable presentation and preferred tenderness. For backyard cooks, this means cutting off up to 50% of the meat to get a uniform thickness and shape. To me, this is ridiculous and wasteful for everyday cooking. Use the thinner and drier areas for beans, chili, chopped brisket sandwiches, etc. You can always buy prime or wagyu instead of choice or select grades. The more marbling in the meat, the more tender and moist the end result will be, but, the thinner areas will still be drier as you experienced.

The other option is to inject chemicals into the meat to help retain moisture. I personally do not like to eat anything that is not natural. If a rub, brine, or injection contains chemicals, i.e., phosphates, etc., I don't use it, nor do I recommend it.

Wrapping correctly will still give you a great bark. The bark must be hard set, i.e., very dry and you can't scratch it off with a fingernail. Then wrap completely and very tightly, with or without some type of liquid. The key is to make sure that you vent the meat after it is tender, to stop the cooking process, before you FTC.

You should attend the classes at ATBBQ. They are super cheap, and are more than worth the money, and you will learn how to do all the steps and go through the prep and cooking process.

Yoder_Herb
March 13th, 2016, 1:34 pm
#5
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As always, great info!

My first class is the Friday on Easter. I think it's called Master the Grill. It covers smoking, indirect cooking, direct cooking and baking. The next class I want to take is brisket or ribs - whichever is first up.

Wichita, KS!
New to pellet grilling/smoking

YS-640 ON ORANGE COMP CART

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