I finally found my own method that made my best brisket ever. 200 low and slow, fat cap up, directly in the middle of the pit boss on the top shelf, with a cookie sheet on bottom shelf for heat deflector. Foil boat at internal 165-170 and increased to 225 pit temp. Pulled at 200 degrees internal and put in oven at 170 degrees to rest for 2 hours. Best brisket I ever had! Wife agreed and forced me to smoke another one the following weekend. LOL
Put a water pan under the brisket. It helps tremendously in a pellet grill. Keeps the bottom from getting shreddy. Also, I’ve found pellet blends that contain mesquite help a lot on a pellet grill because you need that extra rich smoke.
Tried it with and without. Never seen a difference if you put it on the top rack furthest from firepot like here. There's enough humidity already, unless you have a gasket seal on it. Which...why?
Would love to see a series of you dialing it in. Kinda like a Weber Kettle series only on your pellet cooker. Pellet grills will never have the smoke flavor of an off set, but is sure fun trying to get it there.
Plus, I'm too lazy to stay up all night tending my offset. I can throw it in the pellet smoker at midnight, wake up early and wrap it, and have it rested for dinner.
I get wonderful results with my RecTeq for many years now. Knotty Wood or Lumberjack pellets, 230, overnight cook, unwrapped all the way, then wrap in foil with tallow and rest 8 hrs at 150 (Goldees method). Superb.
Thanks for giving the woodwind pro some love in the video. Now I feel a little better about my purchase. Eventually I will get an offset down the road but pellet grill will have to do for now.
A few thoughts on this: Pellet smokers are similar to wood burners, but your cooking process is going to be a little different. Malcom Reed has a great video from maybe 5 years ago. Basically he sets it to 180 and lets it roll for like 8 hours and then bumps the temp up. I follow his process and then add beef tallow to my paper when I wrap it, or sometimes I’ll just foil boat it, and I get great results. I started out on a stick burner about 13 years ago or so. I live in New England, and at that point it was damn near impossible to find a smoker or wood or anything. I ended up finding a brinkmann smoker and using a mix of lump charcoal and wood chunks. Once winter hit, I basically gave up on it because the smoker was paper thin and it was impossible to maintain heat. Then I got a master built electric smokehouse and I used that for a couple years and it was good but having to add chips every 45 minutes wasn’t sustainable once I had a kid, so I pretty much gave up smoking. Covid hit, and I was starting to get bored AF in the house, so I looked into the scene again, picked up a Recteq, and now I sleep through the majority of my cooks. I totally understand people who enjoy the art of stickburning, but pellet grills are more conducive to where I’m at in life, and it’s great to see you start to pick it up because the pellet grill market is growing, and I’d venture to guess that a good portion of your viewers are looking for guidance on theirs. Anyway, great stuff, as per usual!
Matt Pittman also has a video for what he calls "weekday brisket" basically where it runs very low overnight, paper wrap in the morning with a temp bump until noon and rest until ready to eat in the evening
I'm impressed that you rolled straight from talking about the brisket into a fresh ad read, instead of recycling a clip from any previous video sponsored by Porter Road. Your professionalism is appreciated!
I have a ReqTec 680, the original, with an updated digital control panel. You can set the smoke amount with a setting in the controller. I have only ever had a problem smoking in it in cold weather as the unit pumps lots of extra pellets to keep temp up and it tends to over smoke. Better off doing a hot and fast cook in colder weather. I'm going to make a blanket drape for it out of some old U-Haul quilted blankets for cold weather cooking. I like the more delicate smoke from a pellet grill as I think it allows the natural taste of the meats to shine as well as the smoke,
I have the same smoker and one of the tricks I use to get the wood chunks going is to put a handful of pellets in the smoke box... especially at lower temps. If I'm cooking at around 240 it catches a lot easier.
Just curious if you ever have uncontrolled temp swings when the real wood catches? I have a mod for my pellet grill that allows for real wood burning but I don’t use it because the temp swings are ridiculous.
@@rbraun5369 I do get some swings when cooking at 225 and lower, but it only lasts 5-10 minutes and never gets above 250 so I usually just ignore it. 240 has been the sweet spot for me with minimal temp change
The last thing I would want to foil boat is a brisket on a pellet grill thats not getting any smoke already. The beauty of a pellet grill is they easily fit in the back of a pickup truck and you can take it to a landfill where it belongs.
@@SOLDOZER Always a hater in the crowd. I get enough smoke on my brisket with the overnight cook and since discovering the foil boat, better bark as well. I would show you the results, but there are rarely leftovers
@@scottd143Yes you always have the usual stupid comments where it’s an offset or nothing,let them give their day up every cook.I have the LSG pellet and you wouldn’t want to bet your house on the difference,they have nothing but praise off people with decades of offset use.I have 5 of the best offsets from the USA so I can make an informed opinion,that I use when I choose. Also do these same people that slate pellet grills consider,mad scientist, Chud,Guga foods and the rest a sell out for now promoting pellet grills,mmm I wonder.
I made my brisket using the foil boat method, 225 all the way til reached 201 internal. Rested for 6 hours in the oven at 170F. Quite possibly the best I've ever had. Kept it simple with salt and pepper rub only. I called it my Brisket Redemption because the last one I made was way too dry (trimmed too much fat). Thanks Bradley.
Love this content! It's nice to see cooks with a lot of experience on an offset try to master and elevate some of these other more common pieces of cookware. I'd love to see you do a series on the Masterbuilt Gravity Series smokers as well. I think that's a smoker that would hit that middle point between what you love about an offset and what you love about a pellet grill.
What I found on my pellet grill is cooking fat side down so the radiant heat renders the fat, and doesn't dry out the bottom like it does when fat side is up.
@@txbirdman01 Yes. When it is time to wrap after the stall I foil boat adding tallow with fat side up at this stage of so the fat can continue to render and get that yellow sticky texture. I also put an aluminum tray of water over the burn pot to reduce radiant heat on bottom at the same time. With the boat, tallow, and water pan the bottom is protected. I cook until tender in the 190-195 range then wrap in paper with tallow for a long 12 hour rest at 150 degrees. I also cook on the second level of my pellet grill as far away from burn pot. Thats the best I’ve been able to do on the pellet grill.
As a fellow Texan via Oklahoman with a German mom I was raised on Czech/German food, Texas style BBQ is the only way to go! With that said, I love, Love , LOVE my Pit Boss Austin XL pellet smoker! I've turned out amazing briskets on it. I use a 60/40 mix of post oak and charcoal pellets (more post oak than charcoal) The key to brisket on a pellet smoker is smoking it with the fat cap down on the P-4 smoke setting for 2 hours then kick it up to 225 degrees. Pellet smokers heat from the bottom and the fat cap helps protect the meat from the heat while rendering. BUT, once you hit 165 degrees internal you will need to wrap it in pink butcher paper until you hit 205 degrees internal or when it feels ready to pull. Then pull the brisket off wrap it up in a couple bath towels (I use a movers blanket) and place it in a Yeti box or a cooler to rest until you are ready to serve (I find that a minimum of two hours renders a great brisket). Either way Bradley, I love your channel! I have learned so much from watching you, thanks for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us! Now get outside and cook something!!!
I make fantastic brisket on my Camp Chef pellet smoker every damned time. First and foremost, get a quality pellet. I use Knotty Wood almond and plum pellets in a 50/50 mix. Second, I trim and season at least 2 days prior to the cook and let the brisket rest in the fridge. Finally, start your smoke on the lowest smoke setting and put the brisket in when you turn on the smoker to get that dirty smoke at start up. My "low smoke" setting is 160 and I leave it on that setting for about 3 hours. Then I kick it up to the 220 "high smoke" setting. I ALWAYS get fantastic results.
I have a vertical pit master pellet smoker. Every brisket I cooked turned out amazing, even the last one where I didn't do anything fancy. Light layer of salt, pepper and garlic powder, cook at 175 for6 hours. Bump temp to 200 til internal temp reaches 170 then remove and wrap with butcher paper. Put back in at 250 til internal reaches 205 to 210. Pull out, rest 30 minutes and serve. Still turned out amazing.
Love my Yoder pellet grill. Place my pellet tube in for that added smoke, and never have any complaints on taste. Thanks for trying a pellet grill again for those of us who don't have room in the old back yard for an offset.
I have a pellet cooker and we love the output. we are not big fans of super smoky meats that taste like a house fire. Pellet gives a subtle smoke flavor, and is super convenient and easy to manage the fuel and you get super stable temps the entire cook no variability as wood or coal fires dwindle/restoked. I do want to try an offset, and I have smoked with charcoal and lump in my webber, but if I have a brisket that has to go 16 hours and I want some sleep I wouldn't do it any other way than pellet.
I just bought the camp chef vertical xxl pro because it was 600$ cheaper though i wanted the woodwind pro, i have done 3 briskets (first ones ever)so far with very consistent results, i did 225 until lean internal temp reached 160-170 depending on bark build and fat render. Then did foil boat at 250 until around 203-205 and probing like butter. I used bear mountain hickory pellets, I’m about to try cookin pellets hickory.I couldn’t be happier with the vertical xxl pro.
I have two Recteqs, and love them. But I don't consider this smokers as much as grills. When I make poppers, burgers, a little chicken or grill some steaks, it's nice to toss things on the pellet smoker. I use one for low temp smoking and the other when I really need to bring the temp up. It gives a little smokiness, sometimes too little. I like it better than a gas grill and find it more flexible and precise. The temp probes and app are great too. When I really want to get serious, it's on the reverse flow. I don't know if I'll ever try a brisket on the pellet smoker. Since I have the stick burner, why?
Good episode Bradley! If I had my choice, I'd do every brisket on my home built reverse flow. But half the year here, it's too friggin' cold, and getting real quality hardwood is tough, and expensive. So, 90% of my cooks are on my MAK 2 Star General pellet pooper, and I love the Q it puts out. The 2 Star, fueled with Knotty Wood pellets it's pretty hard to beat. For folks in shitty climates, pellet grills are really handy. Cook on mine all winter.
The best brisket that I've ever had in my life is one that I cooked in my Louisiana vertical pellet smoker for 18 hours over Plum pellets. I didn't wrap, but I did put all of the fat trimmings on the rack directly above the brisket so it would drip down and keep it moist, which worked better than expected.
Water pan is how I do it in my camp chef woodwind pro like yours. I only use smoke setting 6-7 with a good blend at 225, but use the hell out of the wood chunk box with mesquite or hickory for the first few hours. Everything else (boat, tallow, etc) is per your instructions. PS, you need to start your smoke box by turning that handle 90 degrees until the fire catches. Then turn it back or you'll burn through it too quick. Make sure it is turned back before trying to open it again.
Best brisket I ever made was on a pellet grill. Took 21 hours start to finish. Set it up @ 180-200f, fat side down and stuck a small chunk of wood under the middle to "tent" the top surface. That makes it so juices that rise to the top run off, so no pooling that blocks smoke and bark formation. That ran that way from around 11pm till sometime the next day, did the usual paper wrap around 150-160(poured a generous amount of rendered beef fat from the trimmings when wrapping), put on fat side up, raise temp to 275f, wait until 203-208 internal, rest still wrapped on counter 20 minutes or so, then wrapped tight over the paper with foil, put in small cooler with towels under and on top, let it rest hours... serve. It just takes so long to get it done with pellets but there's no denying the convenience.
I just can’t do a pellet after learning how my Weber kettle operates. Thanks to Bradley, I’ve made the best BBQ my family has ever had, so I feel confident to try my hand at a standard offset. I do appreciate that new pellet smokers are starting to have that wood tray. That’s important, and innovations like that could sway someone like me to pick one up someday. I am so jealous of the ease of pellets…
Same. I bought a traeger in the last year for just ease of use while I do other things around the house but I’ve had enough of the light smoke flavor. I’m still keeping the traeger for busier days but going back to the kettle for primary use. Much better end product.
@@blackcurtainzmedia yeah, that seems to be the consensus from what I’ve read. I imagine it’s because the fuel source and the smoke source is the same. You get one level of smoke, but it’s spread out for the entire cook... Seems to make sense in my head, but I’m far from an expert. I’m still amazed by how versatile the kettle is…
Hi Bradley, I have to say that I'm addicted to your videos, love the way you present everything that you smoke, grill, cook, etc. my only question is which brand of pellet did you use?
Brad, like you ive always been a stick burner type,and always had a weber kettle for quicker cooks like wings,burgers,ect. About a year ago i decided to buy a rec teq 1250 for days i didnt have time to feed the fire for long cooks, honestly since ive got the pellet cooker, i use it much more than my offset. The flavor is more mild,ya, but always comes out super juicy and tender and i can put a small brisket or shoulder on at 4 am and have my wife pull it off when its done, and still has time to rest by the time i get home from work, no wrapping or spraying the whole cook and its delicious
I use a Cookshack FEC100. In my experience, these vertical style pellet smokers retain more smoke. I also use a Pitts & Spitts smoke cage. I use high quality pellets in the hopper and throw white oak or hickory chunks into the smoke cage every 45-60 minutes. I smoke a brisket for 6 hours at 180 degrees and then crank it up to 250 degrees until it is probe tender throughout. Then I do a long hold. The amount of smoke flavor is basically equal to an offset smoker, in my opinion, but I am not sure if the quality of the smoke flavor is different (as Brad mentions in this video).
Best comment is you use your stove for storage! I do as well haven’t used it in like 4 years have a not sure how to send a picture have a pit boss 850, lg egg, 36” griddle and napoleon bbq. Keep up the good work learning lots
Hey Bradley, I like to do the same on a pellet grill of putting a second deflector plate to divert the heat. But in addition to the plate, I add a rock (or whatever) to the left side (away from the protein) under the plate to force the heat up and away before heading towards to protein.
There is a learning curve with a pellet grill. Most of the people that have tried them and don't like them try to use them like a stick burner and don't give them a chance. They are great. I have been using one for years. I am never messing with a stick burner again. I make a better more consistent product and get more sleep than I ever got out of a stick burner once I figured pellet grills out.
Thanks for doing this pellet grill brisket video. I do love all the other videos you do as well. I recently purchased one of those woodwind pros. It is a major step up from my old Traeger. I smoked some beef back ribs on it recently using oak chunks. The smoke flavor was great and far superior to the Traeger. Brisket is in my near future. Someday when I have more time I will Get a stick burner. Keep up the great work. 14:17
On my woodwind pro I find the wood chunks struggle to catch fire at lower heat. Might be better to start at 225 until wood chunks catch fire and then reduce to desired temp. After that you can add chunks and you won't have any issue
I cooked a couple on my trigger grill. It's the Homestead one. And I just recently cooked a couple on my upright pitbush. I use mesquite palace. I leave mine on smoke setting until it hits 160 Internal temperature Then I wrap it until it hits 205.
Hey man, you gotta open the valve/handle under the slide out to light the wood chunks. Unless you assembled it differently than the directions- down is shut and to the right 90 degrees is open/light. I typically load that box up with chips and then open it to only like 30 degrees open. Refill with chips roughly every hour and a half.
If I had a half-acre of land to set an offset and the wood, I'd love to run a stick burner. But since I have a city lot, it's the pellet cooker along with a drum or kettle when I *must* play with fire. The drum has met the Firestarter urge well, honestly. But I enjoy cooking on the pellet grill.
cool! I actually learned a lot about brisket cooking even though this was a pellet cooker vid. “Lean’s tend to do that”… you have no idea how encouraging that is!
I have tried all pellet smokers and the king is the weber smokefire EX. Use Lumber Jack pellets of mesquite or hickory. Always use water pan and the big difference is gonna be when you use smoke tube. Ive got 5 weber EX6 and i make about 30 briskets per week.
I have a full-sized smoker, but also have the small, much-maligned Asmoke portable pellet smoker. It has its limitations, mostly because of size, but I have had great results with ribs, with plenty of smoke and bark.
I have a cheap walmart pellet smoker and to my surprise it does really well. I miss living in Texas and just being able to run to HEB or Higginbotham hardware to grab post oak for the stick burner.
My new process is 180 for a few hours then crank the heat up to 275 to finish. Really helps with fat render. I do the Goldee’s method…perfect every time. Pitts and Spitts 1250
My go-to method for brisket has been 4-6hrs on the 125gal offset, then over night on the Camp Chef pellet at 210deg with a probe in the lean to alarm at 205deg. Rest it till at least noon. Typically great results with minimal effort. Done this way I can get off work Friday and have great brisket Saturday afternoon/evening, and it gives you a lot of wiggle room for a Saturday evening gathering vs trying to get up in the middle of the night and get it done by evening.
I'm glad to see another pellet video from you. I'm one of those that doesn't have the space or time to really rock an off set smoker, so I like the idea of being able to get good results from a pellet grill. Between you and Mad Scientist, I've got a good idea of what I'm getting myself into and what kind of results to expect.
Outside of the weight factor, i highly recommend a green egg style cooker. Space-wise works on small patios, can maintain heat for hours, and no reliance on electricity or special fuels. Also really flexible cooking styles from low and slow to high head for steaks/pizzas. Once you learn how to use it, it’s absolutely comparable to pellet grill for ease of use
Yeah, pretty much been my experience too. A pellet grill smoker on a good day produces meat that is maybe 80-90% as good as in a classic proper smoker if you pull out all the stops. The benefit is that it does this very reliably and pellet grills tend to be very forgiving, you get that 80% to 90% brisket even if you have to spend the whole day cleaning out your garage and can only tend to it a few minutes at a time. You get that 80%-90% even if you can only afford to put in 50% of the time and effort you normally want to sink into smoking brisket. I wouldn't try to impress anyone with a pellet smoker brisket, but if you just want some brisket after a hard day's work...
👍👍 Nice post Sir! I was taught not to trim. I love the fire maintenance aspect when I'm using my weber smoker. I'm not too convinced re: pellet style, since I've tried my friends.👍👍
I do agree on your opinions regarding what leads to a successful run😁 I always use an oven thermometer to get the right temp, and not stray from what I was taught. You got a subscriber😁👍👍
I start my briskets early in the morning and finish in the afternoon/evening. I take it up to 190, pull it off, wrap in butcher paper and hold in my CVap at 150 degrees until lunchtime the next day. I’ve been smoking with pellets for years but I don’t use a grill, I use a Cookshack FEC-100 and only use 100% flavor-wood pellets. My customers, family or friends cannot tell the difference between and offset or pellets and so much easier!
I'm a pretty big fan of Brisket on my GMG pellet grill. It's got a REALLY large barrell of space, so mine takes a bit longer to reach temp than some of the smaller or more efficient ones. I start around 11 at 180, wake up around 7 to 175 temp (but always have my Bluetooth thermometers in there) boat it at that point and crank up to heat to about 220, by 8:30-9 ish because it's not about 200-210. Then I just reduce to 150 and leave the barrell open to cool off. By the time I'm done throwing some fat and a top of foil over the boat (covering the brisket) it's usually 160 or less in there, so in there it goes until I'm ready (usually dinnertime around 5:30 -6:30). I can't compare it to Texas BBQ (I'm in Cali) but I've never had better brisket than my own. The "best" I've ever had outside of my own has all been from friends. Even the best restaurants out here don't seem to care about the quality of their low and slow meats. I could always have just been unlucky though.
hi im new to smoking and i have a masterbuilt gravity smoker ,its easy to use i would like your comments on how it compares to reg offset and the pellet grills
Another good experiment might be to start on the offset and go to the pellet grill after the bark is set. For me babysitting the offset is fun for about six hours then it's tolerable for another few hours then it's work. This results in a lot of excellent ribs and pork butts for me, but by the time I'm done with a brisket it is harder to enjoy.
The reason you didn't get the fat render you wanted,why it took so long to get to the bark you were looking for and why the flat was a little dry was because you started out too low on temperature. I never go lower than 220 because I used to do it the way you did and got the same results. Once I started them at 220 the results were far superior because at 180-190 the meat is just losing moisture and drying out for 5+ hours. The other thing is I put my meat on VERY cold so as it starts to come up to temp it is very receptive to absorbing smoke flavor. Finding a snake in my boots always seems to help as well 😂😂
I tend to agree. I was thinking lower temps 180-190 range to ‘absorb’ more smoke. Just made the meat tougher. Raised my temps back up to 225-250… much better results. Also, I cook fat down.
Great video. I always learn from your content Bradley. I'm just getting started on offset smoking (played around with an OKJoe's for a while; however broke down and now have an LSG on order), but have spent many years cooking on a pellet grill. One thing I've learned is the quality of pellet grill and pellet selection makes such a difference. I'm currently cooking on a Yoder 640 pellet grill with high-quality (knottywood) pellets. The Yoder is far and above any pellet grill I've ever used (and trust me, I've tried them all). I also appreciate your comment about 'loving the process' of managing a fire - something I'm really looking forward to. Seems like both methods (offset and pellet) have their respective places, however you can get great bbq either route. My future state is this - if I want a good quality bbq but don't have time to sit all day and babysit, I'll cook on my Yoder. But if I have a day to spend at home, tinker with the fire, and work on honing the 'real deal' skills of a pitmaster, I'll be cooking on the offset. Either way, this is a great hobby and it's folks like you posting fantastic content that keeps guys like me excited to try new stuff all the time. Keep up the great work!
I have a BGE, a Weber and a Traeger. Sometimes it is just easier to use the Traeger. It hold temps well and doesn't need babysitting. I can work and grill or sleep and grill. It may not have the same flavor as an offset but it sure is convenient.
I have a vertical smoker, a pit boss specifically. What I learned is if I want good smoke, I start low at 150. Also, smoker gets about 10 minutes, then meat goes on. Water pan, for some reason this makes a difference on briskets, but not anything else. It gets the bottom different, texture wise. I did without, almost pot roast on bottom, with it on, I got more softness. Also, using some hickory or mesquite really helps with the flavor. It goes like this: smoker at 150, 10 minutes on, toss brisket in. Then let it rip for 6 hours, then I keep an eye on color, then crank heat to 225-250 and let it go till 165 or so and tight foil wrap. Once hits 202 I take off and then I temp hold it in oven at 160 (if your oven can do it, otherwise it stays in smoker) for a few hours or half a day or more. Too much, dries out. Not enough? Too tough. I hate smoking briskets, they make me angry.
so, I mused my vertical pellet smoker to make pulled pork - put it on Sunday @3pm @225. My alarm didn;t go off, and when I woke up I panicked, went out... it was gorgeous. granted, internal temp was 211, but it was amazing looking. I wrapped in foil and left in toaster oven @150F for about 5 hours before shredding, and it was amazing. so, pellet smokers can work, even for idiots like me ... Makes me want to try a brisket again, so I'm watching this with interest!
Thank you! I have this exact smoker and love it. But only recently tried a brisket (over night). While it’s clear urs came out better, I had similar issue with lean being a touch over cooked and some areas the fat had not rendered enough. I’m looking forward to trying again w/foil boat (I had butcher wrapped, and maybe longer rest (I cooler rested 5 hours).
The hot side is on the right - even though the firepot is on the left. Face the point away from firepot and ur flat will be moist. I have numerous videos on this smoker including a biscuit test. Hope this helps. 🤘
I put the fat trimmings from the brisket in an aluminum pan and set it on the bottom gate above the heat source and put the brushes on the top rack. Gets a much more even cook and get smoked beef tallow.
I've found that I can get the smoke box up and running faster by placing some wood chips in the bottom and then place the chunks on top. You get smoke immediately from the chips and they in turn, help ignite the chunks for long lasting smoke. LOVE the Woodwind Pro!! It's a total bark monster.
Looks like my briskets. Ever since I've used your foil boat method, my briskets come out perfect, with perfectly rendered fat. Along with that, a long low temp oven hold is So Very Important. When your wife eats a piece of the flat, with perfectly rendered fat, end her eyes roll back...that's a very good sign.
My pellet smoker has warmer function so I put it in there for 10 hours to rest and you still get more smoke on it while it’s resting. Also if you start fat side down the fat cap renders more and then finish fat up when you wrap to crisp it up more.
Did the foil boat! Best brisket I’ve ever cooked! I knew when the burnt end off the lean when I cut it was juicy! Did your trimmed to. A lot a sliceable brisket! Central Texas bbq in. South western Ontario Canada!
Very timely. I just did my best brisket ever in a pellet pooper. Costco prime 14 lb packer seasoned as you do. Put in my GMG with post oak high quality pellets - then I also use a pellet tube to give additional smoke. I start at 220 fat side DOWN with a water pan in the smoker - and underneath I have a foil pan of the fat so I can create tallow. When it hits stall I use the foil boat method bump it to 270 and cook it to 190 target because I plan to HOLD it until dinner following night. I let it cool then stick in my oven at 155 for 19 hours! When I pulled it out and sliced it my guests were salivating - they all got some burnt ends as a sample. I cubed up some of the point so I can make full on burnt ends tonight. Almost the entire rest of the brisket disappeared! My best ever. Not sure I like your pellet grill you weren't getting as much smoke as my GMG does. Also Bradley good pellets will make all the difference. I think I have brisket dialed in good enough to beat my offset now.
One thing I have found cooking on my pellet smoker for tha last few years is that external fat doesn't ever seem to render down the same way I see it in videos with guys using an offset. I'm not exactly sure why this seems to happen, my best guess is that offsets cook better at a higher temp and have a faster convective flow than pellet smokers.
I run my Treager at 225 until ready to wrap and then bump it up to 250 the rest of the way. But I throw it on at 11 the night before and go to sleep lol. About 7 am it’s ready to wrap
Do you keep all the trim for sausage or is some of the beef fat etc discarded? I wasn't sure whether to toss some of the discolored fat on the outside.
I know you have every kinda cooker there is but A propane fueled unit like Gugas that stands in an upright might be something you like. I have one thats 15 years old now got it from cabelas before pellet grills existed and I love it. Makes for a good outside oven or warmer if need be as well. Maybey look at one... Camp chef makes em (Gugas version) mines a Smoke Vault. Just think upright vertical propane smoker. Good for smoking sausage videos Bradley I can tell you that much for sure. Anyway give them a look.
ok the facial hair at 0:01, vs 13:57 what'd you do, what changed, where'd that grey come from, btw mine did the same thing, same spot in grey but i'm blondie. I suspect we're similar ages. And did you get a professional trim or diy? I've done both. ehh mixed results - guess I haven't found the barber I trust to do it all going forward.
Expecting to taste like burnt furniture now that's funny as hell. Now I smoke on a vertical pellet smoker but I've never heard that analogy that's funny, never had that complaint though either. I also have a small offset to and the only difference I can tell is the bark it's darker and a little smokier on the offset, but it's nice to be able to almost set it and forget it. Like I'm doing a prime rib right now and I started it last night about 10 o clock and woke up to being almost done it's just resting in the vertical at 150 degrees right now, it will be ready for lunch. Great video though I haven't laughed that hard for a bit.
Try using Mesquite pellets in you pellet smoker. I finally tried it and it was a lot better than regular pellets. Mesquite is strong and good for pellet grills, IMO...
To everyone having success with a brisket on a pellet grill. How long are you cook times? It seems to take forever and then some to reach a temp to wrap or boat for me.
What is up brother, I have to say, because of me being a disabled veteran and everything taking twice as long I use a pellet grill to enable multi-tasking. I have found the addition of another smoking device, a bit of sugar in the rub, and top shelf cooking over a water pan have given great results with respectable bark. Not that you will, but I would be honored if you tried that method.
I finally found my own method that made my best brisket ever. 200 low and slow, fat cap up, directly in the middle of the pit boss on the top shelf, with a cookie sheet on bottom shelf for heat deflector. Foil boat at internal 165-170 and increased to 225 pit temp. Pulled at 200 degrees internal and put in oven at 170 degrees to rest for 2 hours. Best brisket I ever had! Wife agreed and forced me to smoke another one the following weekend. LOL
Right on! Going to test this out dude!
Your wife “forced” you? Yeah, okay, lol. I’m sure she really had to twist your arm.
I do it in a very similar way for my Traeger.
That's how I do it for my Camp Chef as well. Comes out great!
Pellet quality really does matter. Don't skimp on that to get the best smoke.
"forced" :)
My buddy gave me his old pellet grill and that was a life changer for me. It was the hobby I didn't know I wanted right when I needed it the most.
sounds like a good friend
Put a water pan under the brisket. It helps tremendously in a pellet grill. Keeps the bottom from getting shreddy. Also, I’ve found pellet blends that contain mesquite help a lot on a pellet grill because you need that extra rich smoke.
I do this, I have an elevated grate with a pan beneath it and I either put fat to render in the pan or water. Creates a barrier to the direct heat
Tried it with and without. Never seen a difference if you put it on the top rack furthest from firepot like here. There's enough humidity already, unless you have a gasket seal on it. Which...why?
second shelf with water pan best way
I also do this but I throw beef broth and greens in my water pan. Makes amazing smoked greens to go with whatever I’m smoking.
yea I always put a water pan on the bottom grate and put the brisket on the higher rack as well
Great video. I guess it all boils down to having multiple options in the backyard.
Would love to see a series of you dialing it in. Kinda like a Weber Kettle series only on your pellet cooker. Pellet grills will never have the smoke flavor of an off set, but is sure fun trying to get it there.
seconded!
Idk I have seen one guy get VERY close.
Ive tried to pull off some ribs on my friends but, it was 25 degrees too hot. I rely on a oven thermometer while I'm smoking.👍👍
@@47buckeddy Thirded!
Plus, I'm too lazy to stay up all night tending my offset. I can throw it in the pellet smoker at midnight, wake up early and wrap it, and have it rested for dinner.
I get wonderful results with my RecTeq for many years now. Knotty Wood or Lumberjack pellets, 230, overnight cook, unwrapped all the way, then wrap in foil with tallow and rest 8 hrs at 150 (Goldees method). Superb.
Thanks for giving the woodwind pro some love in the video. Now I feel a little better about my purchase. Eventually I will get an offset down the road but pellet grill will have to do for now.
My wife said I watch so many of your videos that you’re my new best friend. Love what you’re cooking!
A few thoughts on this:
Pellet smokers are similar to wood burners, but your cooking process is going to be a little different. Malcom Reed has a great video from maybe 5 years ago. Basically he sets it to 180 and lets it roll for like 8 hours and then bumps the temp up. I follow his process and then add beef tallow to my paper when I wrap it, or sometimes I’ll just foil boat it, and I get great results.
I started out on a stick burner about 13 years ago or so. I live in New England, and at that point it was damn near impossible to find a smoker or wood or anything. I ended up finding a brinkmann smoker and using a mix of lump charcoal and wood chunks. Once winter hit, I basically gave up on it because the smoker was paper thin and it was impossible to maintain heat. Then I got a master built electric smokehouse and I used that for a couple years and it was good but having to add chips every 45 minutes wasn’t sustainable once I had a kid, so I pretty much gave up smoking.
Covid hit, and I was starting to get bored AF in the house, so I looked into the scene again, picked up a Recteq, and now I sleep through the majority of my cooks. I totally understand people who enjoy the art of stickburning, but pellet grills are more conducive to where I’m at in life, and it’s great to see you start to pick it up because the pellet grill market is growing, and I’d venture to guess that a good portion of your viewers are looking for guidance on theirs.
Anyway, great stuff, as per usual!
180 is white smoke. Nasty.
@@SOLDOZER It’s not, really. I do it all the time. Chud did it here. Malcom Reed does it.
Matt Pittman also has a video for what he calls "weekday brisket" basically where it runs very low overnight, paper wrap in the morning with a temp bump until noon and rest until ready to eat in the evening
@@bretkoesser Matt Pittman is a salesman.
@@SOLDOZER not on a pellet.
I'm impressed that you rolled straight from talking about the brisket into a fresh ad read, instead of recycling a clip from any previous video sponsored by Porter Road. Your professionalism is appreciated!
I have a ReqTec 680, the original, with an updated digital control panel. You can set the smoke amount with a setting in the controller. I have only ever had a problem smoking in it in cold weather as the unit pumps lots of extra pellets to keep temp up and it tends to over smoke. Better off doing a hot and fast cook in colder weather. I'm going to make a blanket drape for it out of some old U-Haul quilted blankets for cold weather cooking. I like the more delicate smoke from a pellet grill as I think it allows the natural taste of the meats to shine as well as the smoke,
I have the same smoker and one of the tricks I use to get the wood chunks going is to put a handful of pellets in the smoke box... especially at lower temps. If I'm cooking at around 240 it catches a lot easier.
Just curious if you ever have uncontrolled temp swings when the real wood catches? I have a mod for my pellet grill that allows for real wood burning but I don’t use it because the temp swings are ridiculous.
@@rbraun5369 I do get some swings when cooking at 225 and lower, but it only lasts 5-10 minutes and never gets above 250 so I usually just ignore it. 240 has been the sweet spot for me with minimal temp change
I also start with the smallest wood pieces and once you have a coal bed you’re set to go.
I use a decent sized piece of lump charcoal at the bottom for a starter. Seems to work pretty well.
The beauty of the pellet grill brisket is that you can cook it overnight low and slow, foil boat it in the morning and rest it until dinner.
The last thing I would want to foil boat is a brisket on a pellet grill thats not getting any smoke already. The beauty of a pellet grill is they easily fit in the back of a pickup truck and you can take it to a landfill where it belongs.
@@SOLDOZER Always a hater in the crowd. I get enough smoke on my brisket with the overnight cook and since discovering the foil boat, better bark as well. I would show you the results, but there are rarely leftovers
@@SOLDOZER They make great target practice for buckshot as well. Real wood burner or die!
@@scottd143Yes you always have the usual stupid comments where it’s an offset or nothing,let them give their day up every cook.I have the LSG pellet and you wouldn’t want to bet your house on the difference,they have nothing but praise off people with decades of offset use.I have 5 of the best offsets from the USA so I can make an informed opinion,that I use when I choose.
Also do these same people that slate pellet grills consider,mad scientist, Chud,Guga foods and the rest a sell out for now promoting pellet grills,mmm I wonder.
@@scottd143 they are just haters because the pellet grill guys get a full nights sleep and make a consistent product.
I made my brisket using the foil boat method, 225 all the way til reached 201 internal. Rested for 6 hours in the oven at 170F. Quite possibly the best I've ever had. Kept it simple with salt and pepper rub only. I called it my Brisket Redemption because the last one I made was way too dry (trimmed too much fat). Thanks Bradley.
When you're holding in the toaster oven do you leave the boat open, or do you seal up the brisket completely?
All I've got is a pellet smoker, and all 3 briskets I've made so far have turned out amazing.
Love this content! It's nice to see cooks with a lot of experience on an offset try to master and elevate some of these other more common pieces of cookware.
I'd love to see you do a series on the Masterbuilt Gravity Series smokers as well. I think that's a smoker that would hit that middle point between what you love about an offset and what you love about a pellet grill.
How do you master something that does 90% of the work for you? 🤡
@@RedPede you definitely sound more like a clown than I do with this reply.
What I found on my pellet grill is cooking fat side down so the radiant heat renders the fat, and doesn't dry out the bottom like it does when fat side is up.
Do you wrap in foil or do the foil boat, at any point?
@@txbirdman01 Yes. When it is time to wrap after the stall I foil boat adding tallow with fat side up at this stage of so the fat can continue to render and get that yellow sticky texture. I also put an aluminum tray of water over the burn pot to reduce radiant heat on bottom at the same time. With the boat, tallow, and water pan the bottom is protected. I cook until tender in the 190-195 range then wrap in paper with tallow for a long 12 hour rest at 150 degrees. I also cook on the second level of my pellet grill as far away from burn pot. Thats the best I’ve been able to do on the pellet grill.
As a fellow Texan via Oklahoman with a German mom I was raised on Czech/German food, Texas style BBQ is the only way to go! With that said, I love, Love , LOVE my Pit Boss Austin XL pellet smoker! I've turned out amazing briskets on it. I use a 60/40 mix of post oak and charcoal pellets (more post oak than charcoal) The key to brisket on a pellet smoker is smoking it with the fat cap down on the P-4 smoke setting for 2 hours then kick it up to 225 degrees. Pellet smokers heat from the bottom and the fat cap helps protect the meat from the heat while rendering. BUT, once you hit 165 degrees internal you will need to wrap it in pink butcher paper until you hit 205 degrees internal or when it feels ready to pull. Then pull the brisket off wrap it up in a couple bath towels (I use a movers blanket) and place it in a Yeti box or a cooler to rest until you are ready to serve (I find that a minimum of two hours renders a great brisket). Either way Bradley, I love your channel! I have learned so much from watching you, thanks for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us! Now get outside and cook something!!!
I make fantastic brisket on my Camp Chef pellet smoker every damned time. First and foremost, get a quality pellet. I use Knotty Wood almond and plum pellets in a 50/50 mix. Second, I trim and season at least 2 days prior to the cook and let the brisket rest in the fridge. Finally, start your smoke on the lowest smoke setting and put the brisket in when you turn on the smoker to get that dirty smoke at start up. My "low smoke" setting is 160 and I leave it on that setting for about 3 hours. Then I kick it up to the 220 "high smoke" setting. I ALWAYS get fantastic results.
I have a vertical pit master pellet smoker. Every brisket I cooked turned out amazing, even the last one where I didn't do anything fancy. Light layer of salt, pepper and garlic powder, cook at 175 for6 hours. Bump temp to 200 til internal temp reaches 170 then remove and wrap with butcher paper. Put back in at 250 til internal reaches 205 to 210. Pull out, rest 30 minutes and serve. Still turned out amazing.
Love my Yoder pellet grill. Place my pellet tube in for that added smoke, and never have any complaints on taste. Thanks for trying a pellet grill again for those of us who don't have room in the old back yard for an offset.
Nobody is going to complain about free food.
I have a pellet cooker and we love the output. we are not big fans of super smoky meats that taste like a house fire. Pellet gives a subtle smoke flavor, and is super convenient and easy to manage the fuel and you get super stable temps the entire cook no variability as wood or coal fires dwindle/restoked. I do want to try an offset, and I have smoked with charcoal and lump in my webber, but if I have a brisket that has to go 16 hours and I want some sleep I wouldn't do it any other way than pellet.
I just bought the camp chef vertical xxl pro because it was 600$ cheaper though i wanted the woodwind pro, i have done 3 briskets (first ones ever)so far with very consistent results, i did 225 until lean internal temp reached 160-170 depending on bark build and fat render. Then did foil boat at 250 until around 203-205 and probing like butter. I used bear mountain hickory pellets, I’m about to try cookin pellets hickory.I couldn’t be happier with the vertical xxl pro.
I have two Recteqs, and love them. But I don't consider this smokers as much as grills. When I make poppers, burgers, a little chicken or grill some steaks, it's nice to toss things on the pellet smoker. I use one for low temp smoking and the other when I really need to bring the temp up. It gives a little smokiness, sometimes too little. I like it better than a gas grill and find it more flexible and precise. The temp probes and app are great too.
When I really want to get serious, it's on the reverse flow. I don't know if I'll ever try a brisket on the pellet smoker. Since I have the stick burner, why?
Good episode Bradley! If I had my choice, I'd do every brisket on my home built reverse flow. But half the year here, it's too friggin' cold, and getting real quality hardwood is tough, and expensive. So, 90% of my cooks are on my MAK 2 Star General pellet pooper, and I love the Q it puts out. The 2 Star, fueled with Knotty Wood pellets it's pretty hard to beat. For folks in shitty climates, pellet grills are really handy. Cook on mine all winter.
You’re not in Alaska by chance are you?
I am!
@@907jl me too!
The best brisket that I've ever had in my life is one that I cooked in my Louisiana vertical pellet smoker for 18 hours over Plum pellets. I didn't wrap, but I did put all of the fat trimmings on the rack directly above the brisket so it would drip down and keep it moist, which worked better than expected.
Water pan is how I do it in my camp chef woodwind pro like yours. I only use smoke setting 6-7 with a good blend at 225, but use the hell out of the wood chunk box with mesquite or hickory for the first few hours. Everything else (boat, tallow, etc) is per your instructions. PS, you need to start your smoke box by turning that handle 90 degrees until the fire catches. Then turn it back or you'll burn through it too quick. Make sure it is turned back before trying to open it again.
As someone who doesn't have an offset, a pellet grill can get you great results and are very easy convenient.
Best brisket I ever made was on a pellet grill. Took 21 hours start to finish. Set it up @ 180-200f, fat side down and stuck a small chunk of wood under the middle to "tent" the top surface. That makes it so juices that rise to the top run off, so no pooling that blocks smoke and bark formation. That ran that way from around 11pm till sometime the next day, did the usual paper wrap around 150-160(poured a generous amount of rendered beef fat from the trimmings when wrapping), put on fat side up, raise temp to 275f, wait until 203-208 internal, rest still wrapped on counter 20 minutes or so, then wrapped tight over the paper with foil, put in small cooler with towels under and on top, let it rest hours... serve.
It just takes so long to get it done with pellets but there's no denying the convenience.
I just can’t do a pellet after learning how my Weber kettle operates.
Thanks to Bradley, I’ve made the best BBQ my family has ever had, so I feel confident to try my hand at a standard offset.
I do appreciate that new pellet smokers are starting to have that wood tray.
That’s important, and innovations like that could sway someone like me to pick one up someday. I am so jealous of the ease of pellets…
Same. I bought a traeger in the last year for just ease of use while I do other things around the house but I’ve had enough of the light smoke flavor. I’m still keeping the traeger for busier days but going back to the kettle for primary use. Much better end product.
@@blackcurtainzmedia yeah, that seems to be the consensus from what I’ve read.
I imagine it’s because the fuel source and the smoke source is the same. You get one level of smoke, but it’s spread out for the entire cook...
Seems to make sense in my head, but I’m far from an expert. I’m still amazed by how versatile the kettle is…
It took me several brisket cooks on my pellet grill and after adding a smoke tube my last brisket turned out very well with a great bark.
Hi Bradley, I have to say that I'm addicted to your videos, love the way you present everything that you smoke, grill, cook, etc. my only question is which brand of pellet did you use?
Brad, like you ive always been a stick burner type,and always had a weber kettle for quicker cooks like wings,burgers,ect. About a year ago i decided to buy a rec teq 1250 for days i didnt have time to feed the fire for long cooks, honestly since ive got the pellet cooker, i use it much more than my offset. The flavor is more mild,ya, but always comes out super juicy and tender and i can put a small brisket or shoulder on at 4 am and have my wife pull it off when its done, and still has time to rest by the time i get home from work, no wrapping or spraying the whole cook and its delicious
Sounds like some Miller Lights were consumed when you were filming when it was dark 🍺🍻
I was thinking the same!!! Lol @8:50
@@kingkingcobra40oz I’m drinking Miller Light right now
Was thinking the same!!!
I have done this twice now, and It is my go to method. Thanks! I can confidently cook a brisket now.
I use a Cookshack FEC100. In my experience, these vertical style pellet smokers retain more smoke. I also use a Pitts & Spitts smoke cage. I use high quality pellets in the hopper and throw white oak or hickory chunks into the smoke cage every 45-60 minutes. I smoke a brisket for 6 hours at 180 degrees and then crank it up to 250 degrees until it is probe tender throughout. Then I do a long hold. The amount of smoke flavor is basically equal to an offset smoker, in my opinion, but I am not sure if the quality of the smoke flavor is different (as Brad mentions in this video).
Best comment is you use your stove for storage! I do as well haven’t used it in like 4 years have a not sure how to send a picture have a pit boss 850, lg egg, 36” griddle and napoleon bbq. Keep up the good work learning lots
Hey Bradley, I like to do the same on a pellet grill of putting a second deflector plate to divert the heat. But in addition to the plate, I add a rock (or whatever) to the left side (away from the protein) under the plate to force the heat up and away before heading towards to protein.
There is a learning curve with a pellet grill. Most of the people that have tried them and don't like them try to use them like a stick burner and don't give them a chance. They are great. I have been using one for years. I am never messing with a stick burner again. I make a better more consistent product and get more sleep than I ever got out of a stick burner once I figured pellet grills out.
Thanks for doing this pellet grill brisket video. I do love all the other videos you do as well. I recently purchased one of those woodwind pros. It is a major step up from my old Traeger. I smoked some beef back ribs on it recently using oak chunks. The smoke flavor was great and far superior to the Traeger. Brisket is in my near future. Someday when I have more time I will Get a stick burner. Keep up the great work. 14:17
On my woodwind pro I find the wood chunks struggle to catch fire at lower heat. Might be better to start at 225 until wood chunks catch fire and then reduce to desired temp. After that you can add chunks and you won't have any issue
I cooked a couple on my trigger grill. It's the Homestead one. And I just recently cooked a couple on my upright pitbush. I use mesquite palace. I leave mine on smoke setting until it hits 160 Internal temperature Then I wrap it until it hits 205.
I've had great success with Lumberjack competition blend pellets on my recteq. Quality in both the smoker and the pellets go a long way.
Hey man, you gotta open the valve/handle under the slide out to light the wood chunks. Unless you assembled it differently than the directions- down is shut and to the right 90 degrees is open/light. I typically load that box up with chips and then open it to only like 30 degrees open. Refill with chips roughly every hour and a half.
If I had a half-acre of land to set an offset and the wood, I'd love to run a stick burner. But since I have a city lot, it's the pellet cooker along with a drum or kettle when I *must* play with fire.
The drum has met the Firestarter urge well, honestly. But I enjoy cooking on the pellet grill.
Do you wrap the brisket in the toaster oven or leave it in the foil boat?
cool! I actually learned a lot about brisket cooking even though this was a pellet cooker vid. “Lean’s tend to do that”… you have no idea how encouraging that is!
Great video. It's nice to see you put your bias aside and do an honest review. Pellet cookers definitely have their place in bbq.
I have tried all pellet smokers and the king is the weber smokefire EX. Use Lumber Jack pellets of mesquite or hickory. Always use water pan and the big difference is gonna be when you use smoke tube. Ive got 5 weber EX6 and i make about 30 briskets per week.
I have a full-sized smoker, but also have the small, much-maligned Asmoke portable pellet smoker. It has its limitations, mostly because of size, but I have had great results with ribs, with plenty of smoke and bark.
I have a cheap walmart pellet smoker and to my surprise it does really well. I miss living in Texas and just being able to run to HEB or Higginbotham hardware to grab post oak for the stick burner.
And you were cooking it during Chud chat with Evan and some refreshments! Amazing video as always!
My new process is 180 for a few hours then crank the heat up to 275 to finish. Really helps with fat render. I do the Goldee’s method…perfect every time. Pitts and Spitts 1250
My go-to method for brisket has been 4-6hrs on the 125gal offset, then over night on the Camp Chef pellet at 210deg with a probe in the lean to alarm at 205deg. Rest it till at least noon. Typically great results with minimal effort. Done this way I can get off work Friday and have great brisket Saturday afternoon/evening, and it gives you a lot of wiggle room for a Saturday evening gathering vs trying to get up in the middle of the night and get it done by evening.
I'm glad to see another pellet video from you. I'm one of those that doesn't have the space or time to really rock an off set smoker, so I like the idea of being able to get good results from a pellet grill. Between you and Mad Scientist, I've got a good idea of what I'm getting myself into and what kind of results to expect.
Outside of the weight factor, i highly recommend a green egg style cooker. Space-wise works on small patios, can maintain heat for hours, and no reliance on electricity or special fuels. Also really flexible cooking styles from low and slow to high head for steaks/pizzas. Once you learn how to use it, it’s absolutely comparable to pellet grill for ease of use
Where does the Weber kettle stand in comparison to the offset or the chud box in terms of cooking experience?
Yeah, pretty much been my experience too. A pellet grill smoker on a good day produces meat that is maybe 80-90% as good as in a classic proper smoker if you pull out all the stops. The benefit is that it does this very reliably and pellet grills tend to be very forgiving, you get that 80% to 90% brisket even if you have to spend the whole day cleaning out your garage and can only tend to it a few minutes at a time. You get that 80%-90% even if you can only afford to put in 50% of the time and effort you normally want to sink into smoking brisket.
I wouldn't try to impress anyone with a pellet smoker brisket, but if you just want some brisket after a hard day's work...
When resting in the toaster oven at 150 degrees, was it left in the foil boat for 8 hours?
👍👍 Nice post Sir! I was taught not to trim. I love the fire maintenance aspect when I'm using my weber smoker. I'm not too convinced re: pellet style, since I've tried my friends.👍👍
I do agree on your opinions regarding what leads to a successful run😁
I always use an oven thermometer to get the right temp, and not stray from what I was taught. You got a subscriber😁👍👍
I have the wood windpro 36 and found that the wood will not catch unless you set the temp to 250 degrees or more.
I start my briskets early in the morning and finish in the afternoon/evening. I take it up to 190, pull it off, wrap in butcher paper and hold in my CVap at 150 degrees until lunchtime the next day. I’ve been smoking with pellets for years but I don’t use a grill, I use a Cookshack FEC-100 and only use 100% flavor-wood pellets. My customers, family or friends cannot tell the difference between and offset or pellets and so much easier!
I'm a pretty big fan of Brisket on my GMG pellet grill. It's got a REALLY large barrell of space, so mine takes a bit longer to reach temp than some of the smaller or more efficient ones.
I start around 11 at 180, wake up around 7 to 175 temp (but always have my Bluetooth thermometers in there) boat it at that point and crank up to heat to about 220, by 8:30-9 ish because it's not about 200-210. Then I just reduce to 150 and leave the barrell open to cool off. By the time I'm done throwing some fat and a top of foil over the boat (covering the brisket) it's usually 160 or less in there, so in there it goes until I'm ready (usually dinnertime around 5:30 -6:30). I can't compare it to Texas BBQ (I'm in Cali) but I've never had better brisket than my own. The "best" I've ever had outside of my own has all been from friends. Even the best restaurants out here don't seem to care about the quality of their low and slow meats. I could always have just been unlucky though.
hi im new to smoking and i have a masterbuilt gravity smoker ,its easy to use i would like your comments on how it compares to reg offset and the pellet grills
Bradley, I’ve found those pellets at H‑E‑B and when I use my pellet smoker they seem to do the best work.
Another good experiment might be to start on the offset and go to the pellet grill after the bark is set. For me babysitting the offset is fun for about six hours then it's tolerable for another few hours then it's work. This results in a lot of excellent ribs and pork butts for me, but by the time I'm done with a brisket it is harder to enjoy.
The reason you didn't get the fat render you wanted,why it took so long to get to the bark you were looking for and why the flat was a little dry was because you started out too low on temperature. I never go lower than 220 because I used to do it the way you did and got the same results. Once I started them at 220 the results were far superior because at 180-190 the meat is just losing moisture and drying out for 5+ hours. The other thing is I put my meat on VERY cold so as it starts to come up to temp it is very receptive to absorbing smoke flavor. Finding a snake in my boots always seems to help as well 😂😂
I tend to agree. I was thinking lower temps 180-190 range to ‘absorb’ more smoke. Just made the meat tougher. Raised my temps back up to 225-250… much better results. Also, I cook fat down.
@@ledhed5717 I hate to admit it but I think with the pellet smokers this is the superior way.
@@ledhed5717 fat side up until the stall, remove, coat the meat side in tallow, wrap, finish fat side down (meat/tallow up). rest. profit.
Great video. I always learn from your content Bradley. I'm just getting started on offset smoking (played around with an OKJoe's for a while; however broke down and now have an LSG on order), but have spent many years cooking on a pellet grill. One thing I've learned is the quality of pellet grill and pellet selection makes such a difference. I'm currently cooking on a Yoder 640 pellet grill with high-quality (knottywood) pellets. The Yoder is far and above any pellet grill I've ever used (and trust me, I've tried them all). I also appreciate your comment about 'loving the process' of managing a fire - something I'm really looking forward to. Seems like both methods (offset and pellet) have their respective places, however you can get great bbq either route. My future state is this - if I want a good quality bbq but don't have time to sit all day and babysit, I'll cook on my Yoder. But if I have a day to spend at home, tinker with the fire, and work on honing the 'real deal' skills of a pitmaster, I'll be cooking on the offset. Either way, this is a great hobby and it's folks like you posting fantastic content that keeps guys like me excited to try new stuff all the time. Keep up the great work!
I have a BGE, a Weber and a Traeger. Sometimes it is just easier to use the Traeger. It hold temps well and doesn't need babysitting. I can work and grill or sleep and grill. It may not have the same flavor as an offset but it sure is convenient.
I have a vertical smoker, a pit boss specifically. What I learned is if I want good smoke, I start low at 150. Also, smoker gets about 10 minutes, then meat goes on. Water pan, for some reason this makes a difference on briskets, but not anything else. It gets the bottom different, texture wise. I did without, almost pot roast on bottom, with it on, I got more softness. Also, using some hickory or mesquite really helps with the flavor.
It goes like this: smoker at 150, 10 minutes on, toss brisket in. Then let it rip for 6 hours, then I keep an eye on color, then crank heat to 225-250 and let it go till 165 or so and tight foil wrap. Once hits 202 I take off and then I temp hold it in oven at 160 (if your oven can do it, otherwise it stays in smoker) for a few hours or half a day or more.
Too much, dries out. Not enough? Too tough. I hate smoking briskets, they make me angry.
so, I mused my vertical pellet smoker to make pulled pork - put it on Sunday @3pm @225. My alarm didn;t go off, and when I woke up I panicked, went out... it was gorgeous. granted, internal temp was 211, but it was amazing looking. I wrapped in foil and left in toaster oven @150F for about 5 hours before shredding, and it was amazing. so, pellet smokers can work, even for idiots like me ... Makes me want to try a brisket again, so I'm watching this with interest!
So how would you go about improving this on the same pellet somker?
Great stuff mate. The chunks are what delivered the flavour. I use chunks on my Gas Smoker. Always a crowd pleaser.
Thank you! I have this exact smoker and love it. But only recently tried a brisket (over night). While it’s clear urs came out better, I had similar issue with lean being a touch over cooked and some areas the fat had not rendered enough. I’m looking forward to trying again w/foil boat (I had butcher wrapped, and maybe longer rest (I cooler rested 5 hours).
The hot side is on the right - even though the firepot is on the left. Face the point away from firepot and ur flat will be moist. I have numerous videos on this smoker including a biscuit test. Hope this helps. 🤘
I put the fat trimmings from the brisket in an aluminum pan and set it on the bottom gate above the heat source and put the brushes on the top rack. Gets a much more even cook and get smoked beef tallow.
I've found that I can get the smoke box up and running faster by placing some wood chips in the bottom and then place the chunks on top. You get smoke immediately from the chips and they in turn, help ignite the chunks for long lasting smoke. LOVE the Woodwind Pro!! It's a total bark monster.
Love the channel . Was wondering if you could do a video a comparing a brisket cooked with table salt vs kosher salt would be much appreciated.
Looks like my briskets. Ever since I've used your foil boat method, my briskets come out perfect, with perfectly rendered fat. Along with that, a long low temp oven hold is So Very Important. When your wife eats a piece of the flat, with perfectly rendered fat, end her eyes roll back...that's a very good sign.
My pellet smoker has warmer function so I put it in there for 10 hours to rest and you still get more smoke on it while it’s resting. Also if you start fat side down the fat cap renders more and then finish fat up when you wrap to crisp it up more.
Did the foil boat! Best brisket I’ve ever cooked! I knew when the burnt end off the lean when I cut it was juicy! Did your trimmed to. A lot a sliceable brisket! Central Texas bbq in. South western Ontario Canada!
What toaster oven are you using that is big enough for a brisket?
Very timely. I just did my best brisket ever in a pellet pooper. Costco prime 14 lb packer seasoned as you do. Put in my GMG with post oak high quality pellets - then I also use a pellet tube to give additional smoke. I start at 220 fat side DOWN with a water pan in the smoker - and underneath I have a foil pan of the fat so I can create tallow. When it hits stall I use the foil boat method bump it to 270 and cook it to 190 target because I plan to HOLD it until dinner following night. I let it cool then stick in my oven at 155 for 19 hours! When I pulled it out and sliced it my guests were salivating - they all got some burnt ends as a sample. I cubed up some of the point so I can make full on burnt ends tonight. Almost the entire rest of the brisket disappeared! My best ever. Not sure I like your pellet grill you weren't getting as much smoke as my GMG does. Also Bradley good pellets will make all the difference. I think I have brisket dialed in good enough to beat my offset now.
I love my traeger, but there is a huge difference in the smokiness from an offset. It's all good to me.
One thing I have found cooking on my pellet smoker for tha last few years is that external fat doesn't ever seem to render down the same way I see it in videos with guys using an offset. I'm not exactly sure why this seems to happen, my best guess is that offsets cook better at a higher temp and have a faster convective flow than pellet smokers.
Looks great. Lots of work. Not sure about the Austin uptalk. And, I definitely don't cook food in aluminum.
Pellets are great at low and slow, but a quality grill is important but also using a quality pellet is vital
Traeger makes a good pellet stove but i you egg shaped smokers for my brisket low and slow for flavor and some buc ees rub
Since the heat is coming from the bottom, the fat side should be down?
I run my Treager at 225 until ready to wrap and then bump it up to 250 the rest of the way. But I throw it on at 11 the night before and go to sleep lol. About 7 am it’s ready to wrap
I like using a blend of mesquite and pecan for any cut of beef or burgers.
Do you keep all the trim for sausage or is some of the beef fat etc discarded? I wasn't sure whether to toss some of the discolored fat on the outside.
I know you have every kinda cooker there is but A propane fueled unit like Gugas that stands in an upright might be something you like. I have one thats 15 years old now got it from cabelas before pellet grills existed and I love it. Makes for a good outside oven or warmer if need be as well. Maybey look at one... Camp chef makes em (Gugas version) mines a Smoke Vault. Just think upright vertical propane smoker. Good for smoking sausage videos Bradley I can tell you that much for sure. Anyway give them a look.
Always play what's in the knife roll😂. Guessing it's a card holder for them flower bouquets this week 🤔
Each time you say 'make it more aerodynamic' I think smoko-dynamic.
ok the facial hair at 0:01, vs 13:57
what'd you do, what changed, where'd that grey come from, btw mine did the same thing, same spot in grey but i'm blondie. I suspect we're similar ages. And did you get a professional trim or diy? I've done both. ehh mixed results - guess I haven't found the barber I trust to do it all going forward.
Expecting to taste like burnt furniture now that's funny as hell. Now I smoke on a vertical pellet smoker but I've never heard that analogy that's funny, never had that complaint though either. I also have a small offset to and the only difference I can tell is the bark it's darker and a little smokier on the offset, but it's nice to be able to almost set it and forget it. Like I'm doing a prime rib right now and I started it last night about 10 o clock and woke up to being almost done it's just resting in the vertical at 150 degrees right now, it will be ready for lunch. Great video though I haven't laughed that hard for a bit.
Try using Mesquite pellets in you pellet smoker. I finally tried it and it was a lot better than regular pellets. Mesquite is strong and good for pellet grills, IMO...
Use the offset for 3 to 4 hours, then finish on the pellet grill. Best of both worlds and 99% as good as a full offset cook. Try it!
To everyone having success with a brisket on a pellet grill.
How long are you cook times? It seems to take forever and then some to reach a temp to wrap or boat for me.
What is up brother, I have to say, because of me being a disabled veteran and everything taking twice as long I use a pellet grill to enable multi-tasking. I have found the addition of another smoking device, a bit of sugar in the rub, and top shelf cooking over a water pan have given great results with respectable bark.
Not that you will, but I would be honored if you tried that method.