New pellet smoker

I haven’t heard a whole bunch about the cooler trick… caught the tail end of a conversation employing that trick…
First time I did a brisket, I ripped it in half and wrapped half in the foil… that was even better than a prime rib… tender…
But the crisp bark… that’s my fav.
Now Mark will be trying different methods every W/E until he heads south… (:
Sneezles61

Just put on 4 brined boneless, skinless chicken breasts this morning. It is what we have done the most on the smoker so far.

Thanks for all the info on briskets guys. I am C&Ping all of it into a file on smoking meats.

I believe we already have one of those meat syringes somewhere

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Yeah the ‘rest’ is as important as the cook.

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Here is my first brisket attempt. I followed @loopie_beer s instruction pretty closely and they are similar to others I read. A little more done than I would have liked. During the “crutch” while not paying attention it got up to 220° so that may have overdone it. It was still very tender and tasty. Got out the meat slicer and sliced some up thin to put on some fresh Keiser rolls. Yum!

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Yeah 220° is a little warm. Important thing is that you hit 200° to render the fat and collagen. Also, I’m sorry. I pull mine at 198°-200° so I don’t go over 205°. I’ll edit above.

No worries. It was still pretty good and a learning experience. I will try around 200° next time although it will be on a different smoker. Heading south soon where we have an electric cabinet like smoker and use chips. I do have a wireless temp probe with an app on my phone there to keep better track of the temp though.

Having a good thermometer that you can leave in and monitor real time temps is a MUST. Also, I must have been drinking when I wrote that post because I’ve got some of my pork butt/shoulder in there. I’ve edited it… again… to describe both. They’ve essentially treated the same, just some nuances.

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You were… what? :crazy_face:
Sneezles61

The smoker has 2 probes that plug into it so you can monitor the temp on the control panel. The down side is you have to actually go look at it. I went out to check on it and it was already 220° and too late. I think my wireless temp probe has an alarm setting so I might not make that mistake again.

BTW the brisket is all gone and none went in the trash so it couldn’t have been too bad.

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I use this ThermaQ. You can set it to alert you on highs and lows of each channel. One probe for the chamber temp, one for the meat temp. I love it! Just used it today!

Yikes! Mine was only $20 Not exactly your ThermoQ quality but seems to work.

I like my therma-pens… opening the lid to check let’s some heat out….
Sneezles61

Yeah a little pricey but has never failed me. And I like the programmable aspect as it alerts me if the smoker temp gets too high or too low as well as the meat.
@sneezles61 thats why I went with a probed model. Never have to open the chamber.

Aw sure… for those that may have a bit of a struggle to keep temps lo… then opening isn’t a bad thing…
None of my stuff is controlled other than by me… hands on… I enjoy that…
Sneezles61

I use an offset smoker so I’m all hands on. Just use that thermometer so I don’t have to open the smoking chamber. I never had luck with the cheaper products. Usually only lasted a year or so.

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I did have a dual probe (might have been 4) that ended up having vastly different temp readings even just on the kitchen counter so not trusting it I tossed it. It was not a wireless. So the cheapo models can be a crap shoot.

This is the current cheapo https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Bluetooth-BBQ-Grill-Thermometer/dp/B07658YHCS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=9ZPF5HUNQFFR&keywords=B07658YHCS&qid=1665060434&qu=eyJxc2MiOiItMC4wMCIsInFzYSI6IjAuMDAiLCJxc3AiOiIwLjAwIn0%3D&s=home-garden&sprefix=b07658yhcs%2Cgarden%2C149&sr=1-1

The replacement probes are $15. Kind of a joke for a $20 unit and can only use two at a time. I does feel kind of flimsy so I’m careful with it. Looks like an old fashion alarm clock for reasons unknown.

Next time we use itI will try to remember to report back how it worked.

My confidence goes to any unit for measuring that is traceable…. And is a reputable company… peace of mind that there IS a tolerance in manufacturing adhered too.
Sneezles61