Brisket Color

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Big Cat
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Brisket Color

Postby Big Cat » Sat Feb 27, 2016 2:13 pm

My brisket color is lacking. I do not get the deep color others can achieve. Typically, using salt and heavy pepper. I am using a WSM and oak wood. Sometimes a mixture of oak and pecan. Smoke 230 - 240f for 4 to 5 hours until I am hitting 170f in the thickest part of the flat. Then wrap in butcher paper and finish to tender. I hope the group has some sound advice.
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Re: Brisket Color

Postby Speed » Sat Feb 27, 2016 4:04 pm

It could possibly be the rub you are using... I know there are several barbecue joints in Central Texas that claim to only use salt and pepper but even still, they are using a much different cooking set up than a WSM. Here are a couple of pictures of a brisket I recently smoked on my WSM using lump charcoal and the same Oak and Pecan smoke you spoke about. Do you have any pictures to show the color on yours? What is your total cook time usually?
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Re: Brisket Color

Postby bsooner75 » Sat Feb 27, 2016 5:29 pm

Do you spritz it at all during the cook? Every couple hours I hit it with a mixture of Worcestershire (thank you spell check) water & hot sauce. Kinda helps the bark settle and the smoke "stick".


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Big Cat
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Re: Brisket Color

Postby Big Cat » Sun Feb 28, 2016 9:16 am

I do not have a picture, but my brisket does not have that dark consistent color. I will take a picture the next brisket cook. The center of the brisket is the least dark. I seem to get best results fat side down. Edges are dark, maybe i should remove the water pan? I do spritzs starting the second hour. Sprizs is apple cider vinigar, lea & perrins worstishire, and water mixture.. Is there a seasoning i could add for color? I realize some folks add paprika for color on ribs and chicken. Or, would a different wood help?
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Re: Brisket Color

Postby Big Cat » Sun Feb 28, 2016 9:20 am

Total cook averages 4 - 5 hours smoke. Once I reach 170 - 175f, i wrap in butcher paper, and go till tender, then rest. Total time on WSM 6 - 8 hours.
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Re: Brisket Color

Postby BluDawg » Sun Feb 28, 2016 12:54 pm

Stop using water you need DRY heat.
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Re: Brisket Color

Postby Big Cat » Sun Feb 28, 2016 2:07 pm

Thank you BluDawg. That may explain why I have moisture pooling on top making it tough for bark to set. I have always used a water pan. I will let the group know (with pictures) next brisket.
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Re: Brisket Color

Postby Gator » Sun Feb 28, 2016 2:59 pm

I wouldn't spritz a brisket...
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Re: Brisket Color

Postby Speed » Sun Feb 28, 2016 6:34 pm

I always run my WSM with the water pan dry and just covered with foil. I also do not spritz my briskets. I let the smoke and the natural juices do all the work. After I wrap the brisket in foil and it's cooked tender, I usually unwrap it and let the bark set again. It will become very loose from the steaming in the foil. I know you stated using butcher paper so you probably don't have this issue.

Something else, where are you measuring your temp at? The dome thermometer on a WSM is way off from actual grate temp.
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Re: Brisket Color

Postby Big Cat » Tue Mar 01, 2016 11:10 pm

Utilize dome thermometer and thermapen instant to measure temp. I will try an empty pan wrapped in foil, or one with some clean sand in the pan wrapped in foil.
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Re: Brisket Color

Postby spacetrucker » Wed Mar 02, 2016 9:11 am

Welcome to the forum....
cherry wood will give you a nice red tone color along with some darkeness from the oak or mesquite, Blu is spot on about the dry heat, incomplete ignition produces maximum smoke, but can also produce the dreaded creosote acrid bitter taste so be careful there...Romayor, hmmmm do ya know any retired game wardens that live near there?
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Re: Brisket Color

Postby Speed » Wed Mar 02, 2016 12:45 pm

Big Cat wrote:Utilize dome thermometer and thermapen instant to measure temp. I will try an empty pan wrapped in foil, or one with some clean sand in the pan wrapped in foil.


Try an oven thermometer on your grate when your pit is up to temp. Most dome thermometers are 30-40 degrees off from actual grate temp. Mine is almost exactly 35 off. This may or may not have anything to do with your color but it doesn't hurt to know. I have noticed that I have to pour the smoke to it on my WSM. It's different than cooking on a normal offset pit. The WSM seems to create a more moist environment even without water in the water pan. I hope that helps.
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Re: Brisket Color

Postby cowboydon » Wed Mar 02, 2016 11:52 pm

Welcome to the forum
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Re: Brisket Color

Postby Big Cat » Thu Mar 03, 2016 7:52 pm

Thank you everyone for the advise. Romayor is a small town, but no, I do not know a retired GM. Maybe I should start asking at the baitshop and Valero.
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Re: Brisket Color

Postby BigDave » Fri Mar 04, 2016 7:41 pm

Well I guess I will be the spoiler. At the beginning of cooking on the pit, we pour in 5 gallons of water in the belly of the pit so there is a very moist environment in our pit. We never have a problem getting great color and bark on a brisket.

IMHO inefficient heat flow thru the pit is what creates these "spots". Just my opinion but I have seen way too many cookers spritzin briskets and rib and yardbirds that have beautiful color and bark to think spritzin or moisture would hinder the formation of bark & color.

Five gallons of water is a bunch of internal moisture and it doesn't hurt the cookin on our pit one bit. Now I will be the first to admit our pit is different from most as it is not a true offset but uses a convection tube with no direct fire into the cookin chamber. And the temp is never more than 5 degrees off from end to end with the furthest end of the pit from the firebox being the hottest. Yeah its weird but she cooks great!

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