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Realized I was cranking my smoker temp way too high for years
I used to think you had to keep a stick burner at 275-300 degrees to get that bark right. One day I was watching a Tuffy Stone video and he said he runs his at 225 for the first 6 hours on brisket. I figured I'd try it on a 14 pound packer last weekend and the difference in moisture was night and day... the fat rendered way better too. It took me about 5 cooks at the lower temp to really trust it because I kept worrying about time. Has anyone else had that moment where you realize you were just rushing the whole process?
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zarab2421d ago
Used to run my offset at 275-300 because I thought that was the only way to get the crust I wanted. Friend of mine who wins local comps kept telling me to take it down to 225. Figured he was just being precious about it. Finally tried it on a pork shoulder last month and the bark was actually better, not worse. Fat rendered out clean instead of that greasy mess I used to get. Had to admit I was wrong.
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the_lee2mo ago
My first few briskets I was running 300+ because I saw some comp guys doing hot and fast. Took me 3 failed cooks to realize they were wrapping in paper at stall temps not cranking the fire the whole time. That fat cap rendered like butter once I dropped to 225 and just let the thing ride.
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paulschmidt2mo ago
they were wrapping in paper at stall temps not cranking the fire the whole time" - that line hit me. Once I figured out the stall was actually doing work instead of just being a problem to solve, my whole approach changed. But here's my question: how do you tell the difference between a real stall and the temp just getting stuck because your fire management sucks? I've had times where I dropped to 225 and the temp just sat at 160 for hours, but I couldn't tell if it was actually rendering or if my fire was just riding on wet wood and not putting out heat.
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