Big Green Egg

[Too Tall]

Sunday eve. knocked out two of the best pizzas ever. Figuring out methods and tricks is always key to making good food.
The dough was thin and I made a sauce using dense tomatoes and alot of crushed hot peppers. Keeping the sauce stingy and toppings sparse, mozerella was whole milk for max. melt.
Holy cow that was (burp) good.

For NYE I'm thinking about cooking my first low and slow somethingoranother. Brisket is tops on my list. Talk to me.

[summilux]

Brisket is (at least in my hands) a hard thing to do. Mine always seems to come out dry. Dry but tasty....

Pulled pork is very easy and every one that I have done on the BGE has come out perfectly. Here's what I do
-Marinate pork butt (7-8 lbs) in cheapo hot dog mustard overnight.
-Heat up BGE and stabilize to 250 degrees. Use the clay heat shield with an aluminum drip pan.
-Open beer/wine
-1.25 hours per pound (more or less). Meat should have an internal temp of about 180 degrees
-wrap in foil for one hour
-pull apart with forks (meat will be hot)

I like a vinegar-based North Carolina sauce on my pulled pork: 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup cider vinegar, 2 Tablespoons dried chili flakes, 1 Tablespoon black pepper, brown sugar to taste. Boil it all up and refrigerate overnight.

I have done 3 butts in one large BGE.

[robin3mj]

Brisket is (at least in my hands) a hard thing to do. Mine always seems to come out dry. Dry but tasty....

Pulled pork is very easy and every one that I have done on the BGE has come out perfectly. Here's what I do
-Marinate pork butt (7-8 lbs) in cheapo hot dog mustard overnight.
-Heat up BGE and stabilize to 250 degrees. Use the clay heat shield with an aluminum drip pan.
-Open beer/wine
-1.25 hours per pound (more or less). Meat should have an internal temp of about 180 degrees
-wrap in foil for one hour
-pull apart with forks (meat will be hot)

I like a vinegar-based North Carolina sauce on my pulled pork: 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup cider vinegar, 2 Tablespoons dried chili flakes, 1 Tablespoon black pepper, brown sugar to taste. Boil it all up and refrigerate overnight.

I have done 3 butts in one large BGE.

I might have to try this for our Jan 2 bowl game eatstravaganza.

[WFO]

Sunday eve. knocked out two of the best pizzas ever. Figuring out methods and tricks is always key to making good food.
The dough was thin and I made a sauce using dense tomatoes and alot of crushed hot peppers. Keeping the sauce stingy and toppings sparse, mozerella was whole milk for max. melt.
Holy cow that was (burp) good.

For NYE I'm thinking about cooking my first low and slow somethingoranother. Brisket is tops on my list. Talk to me.

That might be a hard one to start with. Bone in Butt is a good one though....... cut the cap off, dry rub [very course] overnight, bring it to room temp, cook @ 235-250 till the bone pulls out easy/clean. Pull.

Eat.

[summilux]

I might have to try this for our Jan 2 bowl game eatstravaganza.

Pulled Pork + Coleslaw + Mac and cheese + beer is one good meal.

[Too Tall]

Brisket is (at least in my hands) a hard thing to do. Mine always seems to come out dry. Dry but tasty....

Pulled pork is very easy and every one that I have done on the BGE has come out perfectly. Here's what I do
-Marinate pork butt (7-8 lbs) in cheapo hot dog mustard overnight.
-Heat up BGE and stabilize to 250 degrees. Use the clay heat shield with an aluminum drip pan.
-Open beer/wine
-1.25 hours per pound (more or less). Meat should have an internal temp of about 180 degrees
-wrap in foil for one hour
-pull apart with forks (meat will be hot)

I like a vinegar-based North Carolina sauce on my pulled pork: 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup cider vinegar, 2 Tablespoons dried chili flakes, 1 Tablespoon black pepper, brown sugar to taste. Boil it all up and refrigerate overnight.

I have done 3 butts in one large BGE.

Why is Brisket so hard to do right? Not high enough fat content?
By golly, I think that's going to happen for NYE.

[WFO]

Why is Brisket so hard to do right? Not high enough fat content?
By golly, I think that's going to happen for NYE.

Then go buy a packer, the best/highest fat you can find, CAB if you can find it. Brisket is no place to scrimp on quality. I'd advise separating point from flat and making the flat your money shot. The more uniform size is your friend here.

Trim the cap down to a 1/4" or so [some people don't trim]

Salt and pepper only [for me]

Cook fat side down in a BGE [heating from below]

We can argue over temp all day but set the sob at 225 and forget it.

I say wrap in foil at 150 when you stall, it's help with moisture too.

Some people mop before foiling........search 'brisket mop' on google for a million recipes.

Pull at 190 and let it cool a bit then wrap it in bath towels for as long as you can before serving...a few hours. Nice Au jus will collect in the foil. Please don't throw it out.

60 minutes a pound for a flat is in the ball park.........90 for the whole damm packer. [packers are more difficult because of the different thicknesses of the meat.]

Cut across the grain but you knew that.

[Too Tall]

WFO I'm all over that. Now I need to remind my butcher that I exist.

[summilux]

Why is Brisket so hard to do right? Not high enough fat content?
By golly, I think that's going to happen for NYE.

I think the low fat content, not just outside but the marble, must be the reason. I've tried 4 briskets over that number of years and it always came out dry. I've tried both raising and lowering the temp and that hasn't worked. I haven't tried wrapping at 150, but I will next time. Honestly, I haven't experimented as much as I should since a brisket is a pretty expensive slab of meat. A pork butt ends up costing $15 and here in Ottawa a brisket is almost the price of high grade sirloin. On a BGE for beef, I just buy some nice steaks, crank up the fire to 600 and sear.

[Dorman]

I agree that 225 F is kind of the magic temp for slow cooking/smoking any variety of meat I have done. I'm not an BGE user (uncle's had one for about 5 years and swears by it), but temp is temp. I also agree with the 1 1/4ish hour per pound range if you are running at this temp. If I'm doing ribs, shoulder or brisket they all get a generous dry rub and then an hourly waterboarding of Coke/apple cider vinegar or 7 Up/apple cider vinegar (depending on how sassy I'm feeling) out of a food grade spray bottle. Brisket is a little more tempermental, but if you stick with the rules it works fine. If you want to impress everyone get the big full cut brisket that weighs 10 lbs. The smaller cuts that you can find at any grocery store (the little square 3 pounders) are actually easier to work with and can be done in 5 hours instead of 13. I've done both. It's beef and you are slow cooking it with a bunch of wood smoke. In this situation I would say the choice of wood, rub, moisture and temp control are more important to the end result than whether you are doing a full size brisket or the smaller cuts. Plus you might still be sober when the little ones get done.

[JoB]

Why is Brisket so hard to do right? Not high enough fat content?
By golly, I think that's going to happen for NYE.

You know what you need to make for NYE?

Momofuku pork buns, that's what.

[summilux]

If you have a BGE and it's starting to get frosty where you are, I suggest that you put a thin and long piece of wood between the top and the base to stop the two from touching. This weekend, my BGE froze shut. Probably moisture on the felt seals. I had to light a fire in the ash waste section to warm everything up. It tools about an hour and it was a major PITA.

[Shawn G]

TooTall,
I bought a Primo after moving to Texas from Belgium this summer, fun grill/smoker/pizza oven. Soon after I got it I cooked a full brisket for friends visiting from the Continent. Lots if good info on YouTube on how to do it. Just Google "brisket big green egg" and you'll have a full evening of wasted time on your hands. Mine turned out great, but make sure you have plenty of time on your hands, mine took about 14hrs from start to finish.
Big tip, start closing those vents ASAP after you get the fire lit and take your time (~1 hr) to ensure you catch/stabilize the temp @ 225. If you get the grill too hot it takes a long time to get it back down to the proper temp. Also, take the time to ensure the entire set up of the cook (plate setter in, drip pan in, etc) is temp stabilized prior to putting the meat on. If you try to rush it you'll spend the first 3 hrs of your cook chasing the temp, not fun @ 1-3:00 am if you are shooting for a dinner-time finish! Finally, expect the temp to drop significantly when you introduce the meat into the grill, lots of cold meat into the space will affect the temp initially. Don't chase it, trust the setup you took the time to perfect in prior to putting the meat on. Let it smoke for a good 30 mins at the lower temp (~200 is the perfect temp for initial application of smoke) and then adjust (slightly!) if the temp doesn't rebound by then.
My method:
- one full packer brisket
- trim fat to no more than 1/4 inch on back and trim off as much as you can elsewhere. Don't get too picky about this, it will turn out OK, I promise
- slather brisket with EVOO, then LIBERALLY coat entire brisket with dry rub (my choice is 50% Dizzy Pig Cow Lick, 50% turbinado sugar - Dizzy Pig is GREAT stuff)
- into a sealed plastic bag and into the fridge for 6hrs min (overnight is better)
- 1hr prior to cook (take out when you start getting grill ready) take brisket out and let it start warming up to room temp - if you think too much rub came off in the bag, feel free to apply some more of the dry rub mixture to ensure the entire brisket is coated prior to grilling
- When you get the coals started, add smoking wood. I used five or six fist sized chunks of pecan. Put in plate setter and drip pan. Just prior to putting on meat, add apple juice (1/2 - 1 inch deep in the drip pan, add more during the cook as necessary to ensure drip pan doesn't dry out)
- Put brisket on - Lots of debate as to whether to put it on fat side up or down. I put mine on fat side up to let the fat drip through the beef as it cooked. With the plate setter, drip pan and apple juice, there is already plenty of barrier between the coals and your meat, I'd rather let the fat keep the meat moist as it renders down. YMMV.
- That's it until the internal temp of the brisket (thickest part of the flat, don't put the thermometer in the point!) is at 185. Keep an eye on the temp (a Maverick remote thermometer will be the best present you ever bought yourself for low and slow cooks!), but if you took your time on the front end to get your grill setup properly, you'll need to make few/no adjustments.
- When internal temp hits 185, remove the brisket from the grill (down here they say it looks right if it looks like a meteorite and that is a pretty good description IMO). Separate the flat from the point. Wrap the flat in heavy foil and two beach blankets and place in a cooler to let the flat "rest" while you re-cook the point to make "burnt ends" or as some call it "BBQ Candy"
- Cube point meat into 1" X 1" -ish chunks. Apply some more rub, place in a clean drip pan and put back on the grill for 3 more hours (the point meat is much fattier than the flat and will not dry out)
- When burnt ends are finished, take flat out of cooler, unwrap, slice against the grain (I mark the grain with a toothpick before cooking as it can be difficult to find under the crust) and serve. Easy peasy and AWESOME. Have fun!

SPG

[Too Tall]

Shawn I owe you a debt of gratitude. Reads like a book. Thanks.

[Rico]

Yes nice write up SHawn.
I cheat when I smoke and use a CookShack. There's also Smokin Tex brand.
Basically a big stainless insulated box with a water heater element on a thermostat wrapped around a small internal stainless tray that contains a wood chunk. Set it and forget it and smokes very nice. But I love my BGE too!

[Shawn G]

Shawn I owe you a debt of gratitude. Reads like a book. Thanks.

Please post back with your results! Happy holidays!

SPG

[Too Tall]

Please post back with your results! Happy holidays!

SPG

For sure. After New Years I'll report.

[Too Tall]

Two things. First a certain gentleman and his hot wife sent me a re-supply of Hawaiian Old School Salt AND a Too Tall sized jar of organic honey. Wow. Generous and thoughtful. Thank you.

Second, whats for dinner? Whole organic turkey covered in paprika, toasted cumin and that lovely hawiian salt. This will not be a bad thing.

[deano]

I am not sure I've been this hungry at 9:45 PM before. That looks mouthwatering.

[maunahaole]

That dude is no gentleman, but his wife is hot.