Pellet Smoker Brisket; here’s the complete step by step: post 2023
Why do pellet smokers get a bad rap?
“Easy baked ovens” have become a derogatory term these days with the growing popularity of pellet smokers. Now, from the guy with nine(9) smokers ranging from kettles, drums, offsets and pellet smokers, I’m not gonna say I’m in love with pellet smokers. However, they do hold a place in our robust BBQ culture. It seems as though grill size, price and types have turned the BBQ community into one glorified passing contest. Yes, pellet smokers are generally easier to operate, but why is that a bad thing? I can completely understand knocking it for the lack of flavor but that’s part for the course. The less work you put into your BBQ, the less of a bang you’ll get from a bite.
I recently smoked my first brisket on my campchef woodwind 24.” I brought it with me to a party and served it to the guests. They loved it, and dare I say, It was a hit. I kinda enjoyed it too. Here’s a full step by step of that recipe with a conclusion.
Step 1: Trim & Dry Brine
16.6/lb brisket minimally trimmed and coated with kosher salt, rested open in the refrigerator for 14 hrs. Placed on oven rack to allow complete air circulation.
Step 2: Pellet Smoker Prep
Clean out your Pellet smoker before every long cook and ensure hopper is full. I used mesquite pellets from B&B.
Step 3: Get that smoke
Remove brisket from the refrigerator and prepare seasoning. I used coarse pepper and Granulated Garlic to complete the rub(2:1). NO BINDER. Season the brisket liberally and start to smoke. No I did not let the meat come up to room temp. I can explain in later post if needed. Smoked low and slow for first 6-7 hrs at 200°, fat cap down. I start my beiskets fat cap towards the heat, up or down is not a hard and fast for me. After the first 7 hrs, I flip the brisket fat side up and bump the temp to 225°. When the bark looks good, I wrap the brisket in butcher paper. At this time the brisket was about 175° internal. Placed back on the smoker, time to let that fat render and that meat to get tender. At 185° I Placed the brisket on the bottom rack and kept the temp the same. At 195° I started probing the meat for tenderness. Once the probe goes in with no resistance, I removed the brisket and place it in a cooler to rest. This had a three hour rest period. I then separated the flat from the point before slicing and it was super tender. The SPG blend was amazing.Smoke ring(if you care) and bark was great.
Step 4: Conclusion
I did it, I smoked a brisket on a Pellet smoker. If I NEED to, I would do it again, but only if I NEED to. The tenderness and bark was satisfactory for sure. The smoke flavor was severely lacking. I tried smoking lower for longer and used max smoke feature. I think I did a great job, but the pellets will always come up lacking. I think the smoker itself isn’t the issue, it’s just that with the advanced technology you do sacrifice some flavor. Don’t let this desuade you from Pellet smoker briskets. For me, it won’t be a normal occurrence. #FacebookReelsContest #cookinwidkunchi #bbqpresident #operationcommunitybbq #FacebookReelsContest
