Jump to content

Mortimer

Legacy Members
  • Posts

    112
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Mortimer

  1. Holy shit - rocked a reverse sear tri tip w chimichurri sauce tonight. First time ever attempt at reverse sear or tri tip.

    $16 tri tip roast. Olive oil binder w SPG simple brisket rub. Let sit.

    Chimichurri sauce: Italian parsley, olive oil, red wine vinagar, kosher salt/coarse pepper/red pepper flakes, four clove garlic, fresh lime juice. Blend (but not too much).

    Bring BGE to 250 indirect. Smoke tri tip to 120 or so. Pull meat, pull plate setter. Go direct heat at 500 to 135-140 internal temp, flipping every so often.

    So damn good. My picky kids had 3rd and even 4th helpings (without sauce). The sauce for me launched it into orbit. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to get off the standard fare smoking/grilling go-tos. 16 fuckin bucks.








    • Hook 'Em 2
    • Like 1
    • Fuck Around and Find Out 1
  2. Love on the Spectrum

    Only 3 episodes in but, yes, very powerful stuff. Goodness, as a dad, tough to watch, at times. The parents. Some good folks there.

    It would have been a different viewing had I watched it before having children, I'm certain.

    I just can't help but root for all of them from my little corner of Texas.







  3. Hit lunch at the location off Anderson Mill Rd throughout high school in the early 90s (Go Wood!). Then found myself living off Stassney in the 2010s where I hit the South locatation as often as possible. Rocked the location near campus throughout my time at UT. What a kickass break that was.

    Damn. It sounds like only the South location is in jeopardy? In any case, I would be absolutely crushed if this piece of old Austin fell.

    Now I'm living in Cedar Park/Leander with shitass pizza all around - a pizza desert with no epic T&A comics.

    Will make a point to start throwing money at the North location. Goddammit.

  4. All five or so briskets so far were Prime.

    Will definitely be calibrating/replacing all of my probes - thanks for the link.

    I usually try to cook to 203. I probably need to start probing earlier for the butter test. The brisket always - seems - nice and pliable when I lift it off the rack - so much so that I often worry it might fall apart as I place it on the resting tray. I have wondered if I need to probe directly into the meat for testing, rather than punching a hole through the butcher paper (misleading resistance).

    I have been letting it sit for about 45 minutes wrapped in the butcher paper on the counter, then wrap in foil before placing in a cooler (sometimes wrapped in a towel) for at least two or so hours - sometimes longer. I'll experiment with letting it sit out longer and without any cover material.

    Really appreciate all the incredible feedback. Outstanding. I have some good leads now as far as shaking my routine up. Going to try cutting out the spritzing and, as I mentioned, start the process of calibrating my equipment. Will certainly begin refilling the water pan throughout the cook - that never even occurred to me. May look at how full I'm filling the fire box, to keep better separation between the meat and the heat source.

  5. Will certainly give fat side up a try. Always thought that was a big no-no with eggs.

    I use the Thermoworks Smoke. One probe (ambient) clipped just above grate usually near the front left side. Internal probe placed between Point and Flat.

    The dome thermometer consistently reads 17 or so degrees hotter than the Smoke grill probe. Not a lot of fluctuation there over last two years between the two independent readings, as far as I can remember.

    Internal probe was dead on with my handheld probe Lavatools Javelin. Again, two independant readings.

    But yeah, who knows, maybe I need to replace the Smoke probes. I really need to calibrate every thermometer I have, at this point.

  6. Are you refilling your water bath? About halfway through, the water evaporates and the fat fills in, so it looks like you still have water but you don't.

    I fill a 9x13 pyrex casserole dish on top of the plate setter with water at the start and i refill about halfway through.

    You are using the plate setter, right?
    Refilling the water is interesting. Always looks very greasy/thick when I trash it the next day or two.

    Always indirect with platesetter. Thank you.


  7. Troubleshooting. Would appreciate any feedback...

    Set Up

    * Bought a used 15yo LG BGE two years ago
    * I'm a huge fan. Used it quite a bit - numerous pork rib cooks - St Louis, Spares
    * Plenty of beef short ribs - mostly good, sometimes dry-ish but still mostly killer
    * I've rocked steak, fajitas, spatchcock chickens, salmon, the usual - always turned out pretty damn good. Love the taste, love the challenge of the smoker


    * I've smoked about 5 full packer briskets - the Point is usually not bad, but I'm consistently dealing w a dry Flat (reason for this post)


    * Hardware: Felt seal seems okay. Egg sits on a nest w a cover on a roofed patio, when not in use
    * Usually clean out ash thoroughly for air flow for important cooks


    The Problem

    * Whether it is a 5 lb Boston butt or a16 lb Prime brisket, my situation almost always results in a ridiculously long cook with a dried up piece of peppered jerky for the payoff

    * I've cooked briskets at 225. And 275, recently. Both flats dry af

    * By the time I'm happy w the bark it has been stalled for multiple hours. I wrap in butcher paper and the thing goes into marathon stall mode at 173 for another 5 or so critical hours

    * I always employ a water tray - usually a big one low enough profile to accommodate a standard grill sitting atop the plate setter, across the foil tray (physically separates the meat from the heat source

    * Fat side down

    * I've used decent lump. Oak chunks here. Pecan there. Always the same - tough flat

    * I spritz after two hours - ACV, water. Hit every 45 minutes or so after that

    * I let it rest for 30-45 min after pulling off pit, rest in cooler for a couple hours afterward.

    * When I attempt oven method after wrap, flat is still a dry shitshow

    * My last brisket: 16 lb prime, pulled at 21 hours. Yes, dry, of course. I was told by more than a few people it should have taken less than half that cook time

    Question

    Guys, what am I doing wrong here?

  8. ....and the smoke is done.  Seven hours is enough for me.  If I ever use this type of smoker again, I can easily drop the meat down a level towards the dying coals.  Since the temp gauge did not work, I had no idea the actual temperature, and did not want to take a chance the meat might fall into the danger zone.  I had to cut the brisket in half so it would fit in the oven. (small oven, home built in early 60s, strange). Wrapped in foil, brisket is finishing in oven at 275 degrees.  Total smoke time 7 hours, with many reps of me throwing the wood chips.  It seemed to work.  Soaked the wood chips in water, and every time I threw chips, and occasionally some charcoal, the smoke picked up.  I saw plenty of smoke ring.  Will let it cook for at least 8 hours.  
    How'd it turn out?

  9. Twenty-one hours seems like a long time even if you were at 225 degrees.
    During all this probing, did you ever "push" on the meat? When it's done, it will jiggle in a way that says, "Take me inside and eat me forever."
    I need to start doing that.

  10. Wait... did you say a TWENTY - ONE HOUR smoke?

    I figured 1 hour/lb would be best-case scenario for a 240, no-rush cook. Google said 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes/lb. So, 16 to 20 hours according to my shabby research. When 21 reared its ugly head I was still feeling optimistic. "It's just a stubborn brisket..."

     

     

     

     

     

     

×
×
  • Create New...