Am I the only one who spent 3 whole weekends getting the perfect bark on a brisket in Kansas City?

I kept thinking it was taking too long, but I finally figured out that my smoker temp was dropping too low every time I opened the lid. Took me about 9 days of trial and error with a cheap thermometer from Academy before I realized I needed to bump the heat by 25 degrees and stop checking every hour. Now I just let it ride for 14 hours without peeking. Has anyone else dealt with a smoker that can't hold a steady temp?

2 comments

2 Comments

margareth4825d ago

Hold on a second. A cheap thermometer from Academy isn't the problem. Most of those basic ones are fine for telling you the air temp. The real issue is you're chasing temp swings when you don't need to. Open the lid less, not more. Watch your fuel, not the gauge. That 25 degree bump probably just hides a different problem like too much air or not enough coal. Focus on a steady fire, not a perfect number on a dial. You'll get there.

-1

jennyp1924d ago

My buddy Jake was having the exact same meltdown over his offset last summer. @margareth48 is right, he kept buying new thermometers thinking that was the fix. Finally he just stopped staring at the gauge every two minutes, let the fire settle, and his brisket came out perfect. He was way overthinking it, opening the lid to check the temp every time the needle moved a bit. Now he just watches the smoke color and how the fire burns, and he's never going back to obsessing over those little swings.