Originally Posted by cdcox (Post 5879321)

I cooked the first 3 hours directly on the grate without basting. At the end of 3 hours, I would estimate that no more than 2 T of liquid was sitting in the bottom of the smoker. None had dripped out the grease trap at all. So a foil pan would not have done anything except block smoke. Internal temp of the meat was 150F.

I then wrapped it in two layers of HD aluminum foil. It came up to 195 very quickly, about 45 minutes. I didn't look at the smoker temp very much during this time, but I would guess it averaged around 250.

Once it reached 195, I wrapped it in a towel and put it in my playmate cooler. I left the thermometer in so I could monitor the temp. After about 40 minutes it had dropped to 175 or so. I boiled some water and put the pot on top of the brisket and closed the cooler. It was in the cooler for about 3 hours and didn't ended at 165.

When I pulled it out of the cooler to slice, I drained about 2 cups of liquid from the foiled brisket. This all came from the meat since I didn't add a drop of liquid. I'm going to save this smoky, spicy wonderfulness for some kind of soup or chili.

All of the meat had excellent smoky flavor. The smoke ring penetrates a full 1/4 inch into the meat. The point (what little there was) was cooked to perfection (tender, juicy, smoky). I've only cut up part of the flat. It has great flavor, adequate moisture (not juicy, not dry), and is fairly tender. In the past, I've cooked a brisket for 18 hours and the flat was just about falling apart. The brisket I cooked today still has most of it's connective tissue. I'd say the connective tissue in the flat is the biggest difference between this brisket and the 18-hour brisket. Considering I'm done eating and the 18-hr version would still have 9 hours or so to go, this was a pretty fair trade off.

Originally Posted by Stewie (Post 8241646)

OK, I'm watching BBQ Pitmasters on Planet Green that shows competitions in detail. The best of the best use some no-nos in their preparation. Well, they're no-nos to most snobs, but it works for them.

1) Myron Mixon (greatest BBQ competition winner ever) uses lighter fluid to start his wood/coals. He said the people who say it's wrong can go **** themselves... I'll beat your ass doing it.

2) Johnny Trigg (several wins on the national stage) uses two commercially available BBQ sauces mixed with honey for his sauce.

3) It's not the cheap cuts of brisket that matter, Kobe brisket is popular among the big boys.

4) More when I find out more.

5) Edit: Pellet smokers seem to be doing well even though they're scoffed at in competitions.

Originally Posted by KCUnited (Post 8241836)

I did a couple high heat briskets over the Summer/Fall, cooked at 325+. It was certainly convenient enough for spontaneous cookouts, and I felt the meat was tender enough, but cooking with foil killed the dry rub I would use on a low and slow. Quality of the bark was undesirable.

I'll definitely keep doing them every now and again for the convenience, I'll probably experiment with a wet rub next go around.

Originally Posted by KCUnited (Post 8241836)

I did a couple high heat briskets over the Summer/Fall, cooked at 325+. It was certainly convenient enough for spontaneous cookouts, and I felt the meat was tender enough, but cooking with foil killed the dry rub I would use on a low and slow. Quality of the bark was undesirable.

I'll definitely keep doing them every now and again for the convenience, I'll probably experiment with a wet rub next go around.

Originally Posted by talastan (Post 8241922)

I'm still new to the smoking BBQ experience. What is the difference between a wet rub and a dry rub? Is it just ingredients or the process?