My first Smoky Okie brisket . . .

[donnylove]

Decided I had to fire a brisket this weekend and I'd never tried Okie's method, so here goes:

Wal-Mart didn't have any brisket yesterady morning, so I had to wait for Sam's Club to open. Bought the smallest one they had and it was still 15+ lbs! Paid $1.98/lb. How does that compare elsewhere in the non-traditional BBQ areas of the country?





Didn't do much trimming. Rubbed with a combination of kosher salt, white pepper, granulated garlic, onion poweder, chipotle pepper, and paprika. Wrapped in plastic and into the fridge overnight.





Took'er out this morning and got the drum rolling with lump charcoal and mesquite chunks. Packed it with pepper and fired up the gasser for a hot sear. Inferno time . . .





On the drum at 11:00 . . . stay tuned!

[O B City]

Looks like a great start so far. That price would be good for here (I will buy just about anything under $2.00 / pound).

[PigCicles]

Bring on the MEAT!! Hurry back we're hungry for some brisket. Nice start buster.

[donnylove]

Just about ready to flip her over in the pan. Anyone ever do this on a drum? I get such a big temperature variation above and below a pan when I use one . . . should I be shooting for 275 (my cooking temp) in the coolest part of the chamber (above the pan of meat)?

Thanks for following along!

[PigCicles]

Go for the temp at the bottom of the pan. The pan is blocking the flow of heat above the pan. Just stay true to the method and see what happens.

[donnylove]

So if I'm showing 200 above the pan and 300 below, I'm in the ballpark? Right now I have 250 above and 350 below.

[PigCicles]

Some like the hot n fast method, but I would probably cool it down a bit and shoot for approx 250 - 275 actual temp below the pan. If you are using a short stem thermo that doesn't show the temp in the middle you will need to be closer to 225 on the thermo.

[chadd17]

Great start. Keep those pics coming.

[donnylove]

Thanks for the advice. I'll slow'er down. I've got two long-stems in there, so should be a true reading.

[SmokyOkie]

Think about average temps. You can cook that piece of meat at 350° if you want and it will be great. Just be sure it rests well before you slice.

Looks like you are on your way to Deep Beef Bliss