Big Green Egg!!!

[Channing]

My amazing wife and parents gave me a BGE for my bday/father's day/anniversary etc. I'm giving it a trial run tomorrow, but have about 10 people coming over for dinner Friday night and wanted to do a brisket. My issue is that I am going to have to put it on in the morning and leave it and not come back until around 630 pm. Can anyone share a brisket smoking recipe that I can just put it on and leave it for 12 hours? Thanks!

[fuse]

I've always wanted a Big Green Egg.
Please share your experience- I hear grilling / smoking with them is amazing.

[OldPhiKap]

I smoked two boston butts for Memorial Day with a BGE, big success. I love the BGE.

Enjoy it, and let us know how they came out!

[OldPhiKap]

Wrapped, raw butts:

image.jpg

(Fuse made me do it. Heh heh)

[duketaylor]

Smoking unattended is a tall task. Only thing I could think of is to use a large piece of wood (hickory, cherry) after having soaked it for a good while, maybe in apple juice or pineapple juice, so it will mostly smolder and not flare up too much. I'd layer it, from bottom-to-top heat source, water and juice mixture, then wood, and maybe that would keep enough moisture in the wood to just smoke. I'd recommend doing a test run before going with the brisket. Maybe something relatively inexpensive like a whole chicken. I'll contact my sous-chef and ask his opinion and post back tonight. Tough assignment

[bigdawgg]

If you'll go to the Big Green Egg website (www.biggreenegg.com), at the top there is a tab for forum. In the forum you can search for almost anything imaginable with regards to cooking, smoking, rubs, recipes, etc...
I have a large BGE and have had it for almost a year now. It does take some time to understand how to cook on it. I've relied on the BGE forums for my education on this grill. I get better with every cook. My ribs are now fall off the bone incredible. I cooked two 8lb pork shoulders this past weekend and everyone raved about them. Seared steaks with a coffee rub is tremendous. Like I said, you'll find tons of recipes and recommendations for techniques at the web site.

Good luck!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Smoking unattended is a tall task. Only thing I could think of is to use a large piece of wood (hickory, cherry) after having soaked it for a good while, maybe in apple juice or pineapple juice, so it will mostly smolder and not flare up too much. I'd layer it, from bottom-to-top heat source, water and juice mixture, then wood, and maybe that would keep enough moisture in the wood to just smoke. I'd recommend doing a test run before going with the brisket. Maybe something relatively inexpensive like a whole chicken. I'll contact my sous-chef and ask his opinion and post back tonight. Tough assignment

I agree with most of this, especially the unattended cooking being a tall task. Even on a BGE that holds temp well for a long time, it is tricky. They do make systems that will help control the temp with computerized ventilation, but that is cheating! (And not nearly as fun.)
I would not recommend soaking your wood. I've done that in the past, but I get much better results with using it dry. You will learn as you use it how much wood/charcoal will give you the temp you are looking for. Also, if you are going with OPK's butts, remove the wrap before smoking. Good luck!

[fuse]

Wrapped, raw butts:

image.jpg

(Fuse made me do it. Heh heh)

Can't spork you but I literally laughed out loud :-)

[Channing]

I got a packers brisket weighing in at around 12 pounds. My objective is to trim it (if necessary) and rub it tonight and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Tomorrow morning, around 4:30 am I am going to prep the BGE and try to bring it to ~250 deg. Set the brisket on the BGE around 5:30 and leave it. Fortunately wife works from home and can check the temperature every 2 hours or so and make sure there aren't any fluctuations.

Do the smokers out there wrap brisket? At what point? I don't have an injector, but was thinking of wrapping with a cup of coffee at an itnernal temp of about 160. Thoughts?

[duketaylor]

I watch BBQ Pitmasters almost every chance I get, when doing doing brisket most will smoke it for several hours (they're under a time limit), then wrap it to finish. They have a major concern with "stall," which is when smoking it the internal temp stops going up. That's when they usually wrap it to force the internal temp up, sometimes adding some juice inside the wrap. I believe they try to get the internal temp to 180 for brisket, but don't rely on me for that. I'm going by memory and played in a golf tourney today and have had a few libations

In consulting my chef, he said the 12-hours, if unattended, is a major concern, as heat needs to be as constant/consistent as possible.

I'll check a few internet resources to verify the internal temp I posted above. Will adjust this post as needed.

[duketaylor]

I've asked my friends at "The Fishin' Pig" for advice on your proposed question. They make awesome brisket and I'd really like to know what they think.

They are in Farmville, Va. Here's their website:

http://www.fishinpig.com/

We recently visited them and I was awed by their food.

Perhaps I'll invite them to our off-topic forum, they're great folks.

Here's a recipe from Wood Chick's BBQ from Chesapeake, she enters many, many BBQ contests:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/w...et-recipe.html

Then here's Bobby Flay's recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/m...ce-recipe.html

[Channing]

Well...update so far.

I woke up at 4:30 to get things started. Filled the coal box with lump coal and hickory, lit it, turned my back, and watched it promptly spike to about 900 degrees. I spent the next two hours trying to get the temperature down. Unfortunately, I think the massive heat shock busted the dome thermometer on the egg. I took it out, it wouldn't go below ~200 degrees, and when I tested it in boiling water, it was up at 415 degrees.

So, I am having to rely on the meat thermometer, which also has a setting telling me the "oven" temperature. I got the oven temperature to regulate around 240 degrees finally, and had to put the brisket on so I could go to work. My wife, who works at home, is checking the thing every hour to make sure the oven temp is regulating at ~240 degrees.

Any idea how fast the internal temp of the meat is supposed to rise?

I'll keep y'all posted of this potential disaster in the making...

[duketaylor]

Here's the response from The Fishin' Pig:

"I do not inject my brisket with anything, but marinate over night with our Fishin' Pig recipe.
185 is a great internal tempt, let sit one hour before slicing
White oak, hickory and any fruit wood works just fine.
Not sure how brisket is being cooked, smoker, grilll, green egg, etc..., bur either way don't let any flame hit the meat.
Apple juice, apple butter, additional seasonings along with some bourbon works great."

Hope it helps, CT.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Once the meat hits 150 internal, wrap it up. Why? Because once it hits 150, the smoke no longer will impart any more flavor to it. I usually wrap at 150 and raise the temp, and cook until I hit 190 and then let it rest. When you wrap it, cut off the flap and cube it up for your burnt ends. Let them soak in their own juices (I will add some of the fat I had earlier trimmed to the foil pan at this point). When they are done, they will be meat marshmallows.

[Channing]

pardon my naivety, but which part of the brisket is the flap?

[CameronBornAndBred]

pardon my naivety, but which part of the brisket is the flap?

I termed that wrong, I hadn't had my coffee. I was in walmart recently and was stunned to see them now selling a brisket flat for the same price as a whole brisket! Who pays $40 for a flap of meat?
The ends are made from "the point". Here are two links to help out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnt_ends
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brisketselect.html

[devildeac]

Can't spork you but I literally laughed out loud :-)

I couldn't spork him either but I wonder how his large, raw, wrapped butts made it by the board filters.

[OldPhiKap]

I couldn't spork him either but I wonder how his large, raw, wrapped butts made it by the board filters.

You can't stop them, you can only hope to contain them.


OPK BGE BBQ:

1. Get a nice butt, preferably bone-in. Not frozen.
2. About 24 hrs before cooking, rub generously with plain yellow mustard (it does not add taste, just helps with step 3)
3. Vigorous rub of spices (if you are using store bought, experiment. FWIW I did a blind test with ribs last year and Stubb's won)
4. Wrap tightly with cellophane and put back in fridge.
5. 24 hrs later, pull butt from fridge and put on counter.
6. Start fire -- use good hardwood charcoal (I like Ozark)
7. When flames end, close cover with top open until you get to around 275 or 300.
8. Add apple or cherry wood chips, put in instert for indirect cooking (flat end down). Put a pan of Apple juice on the insert, then grill grate on top.
9. Unwrap butt, put fat side down on to grill grate. Close top, and regulate temperature to 235.
10. It will take about an hour to an hour and a half per pound. Internal temperature is the key though. I usually do not foil unless the heat runs high, I typically just mist with Apple juice.
11. Pulled BBQ -- wait until internal temp. Is about 190-193. You will hit a plateau or two, but so not turn up the heat. That's nature happening in a yummy way. Or, some say that when you can easily pull the bone out, it's done.
12. Pull from BGE, wrap in foil, wrap in blanket, put into a cooler with other blankets. Let the butt rest for at leat an hour, have done as long as three. Some say you can do it longer.
13. Pull that bad boy out and watch it melt as you cut it.
14. Serve. Enjoy.

Oh yeah, 15 -- send some this way!

[Channing]

well, I got home around 6 and apparently my fire went out at some point. The egg was at 185 degrees and the brisket's internal temp was at 160. I took it off the egg, wrapped it in tin foil, poured a cup of coffee over the whole thing, and stuck it in the oven at 350, just to try and get it up to temp by the time it was to be served at 730 (was trying to get it to temp by 7 and let it rest for 30 minutes).

Amazingly, it got to 195 internal temp, and tasted great! the point was a little chewy, but the flat was tender and soft with a great flavor and smoke ring. I was so excited I forgot to get a photo! If this is what it tastes like screwed up, I can't wait to taste it when done right!

[OldPhiKap]

well, I got home around 6 and apparently my fire went out at some point. The egg was at 185 degrees and the brisket's internal temp was at 160. I took it off the egg, wrapped it in tin foil, poured a cup of coffee over the whole thing, and stuck it in the oven at 350, just to try and get it up to temp by the time it was to be served at 730 (was trying to get it to temp by 7 and let it rest for 30 minutes).

Amazingly, it got to 195 internal temp, and tasted great! the point was a little chewy, but the flat was tender and soft with a great flavor and smoke ring. I was so excited I forgot to get a photo! If this is what it tastes like screwed up, I can't wait to taste it when done right!

Once it gets to 160, the meat is not taking in any more external flavor. Doesn't matter whether you finish inside or out. IMO.