Hello Fumar Gurus,

I'm trying my first brisket, picked it up at Whole Foods for a highway robbery price, it weighs 8.5 pounds. Pretty sure it's what we call a "flat" piece, but not totally sure.

What I want to know is what temp does the Amerique settle on once it goes into the "hold mode"? I would like to put it in at midnight, having for dinner around 6 the next night. Problem is I won't be here to catch it when it reaches the proper finished temp. Will the hold mode save the day, or will it continue to overcook in my absence?

My thoughts are to set the probe to 195, and set the cook temp to 225. Do you think I have the timing/temp combo correct?

Thanks,

Smoke In The Cockpit

Not an Amerique owner but I believe the hold temp is 140*. Seems like I remember this from reading a few Amerique posts. Some owners will jump in here soon and get a little more definitive.

Thanks Wheelz, I confirmed that by doing an "advanced search" and saw it posted elsewhere.

Boy it's tough to make a decision on how to cook it. I think I'm now leaning towards putting it on at midnight at 200, then crank it up to 225 in the AM. Probe set to 195 in case I screw it up, but hoping to reach that temp by 4:00ish, foil it with a yet to be decided liquid, throw it back in with power off, and see how it looks at 6:00 for dinner.

Any advice from the pros, or is this good strategy for a newbie's first attempt?

Smoke In The Cockpit

Come on folks, it's T-minus 3 hours and no advice yet! ;-]

OK, looks like I'm flying solo on this one!

Put it in at 11:00 pm, 200 with the probe set at 195. It's 7:00am and the probe says 159, still have the smoker at 200.

I think I'll wait a few more hours before cranking it to 225. Any thoughts? It's 11 more hours until dinner time.

SITC

Heck, crank it up to 250* if you wanna. Turn it fat side down when you do crank it up. You are in the plateau about now. That's when I crank up, if I don't start it on 250*.

BTW, do you find your Q cooks, looks, and tastes better in Georgia ?

The closer your smoker temp is set at (200) to what you want to finish at (195 for slices) will SIGNFICANTLY extend the cooking time. It will just take a long time to hit that temp. There are plenty of cooks that like a longer cook time. I'm on, but ONLY do that with briskets that have plenty of good fat (internal).

Crank her up some.

If you're going to hold a long time, say it's done at 10am, 8 hours on hold will dry it out some, there IS a limit how long you should hold it.

8.5 is pretty big for a flat so you're in good shape.

Sorry no response, but depending on when you hit the forum, there may not be users.

Did you start, how's it going?

The AmeriQue hold temp is pre-set to 140*F.

I checked, and realized that the A/Q operator's manual does not state the pre-set temps, the temp range, nor the holding temp. I have asked that this be revised.

There is intelligent life out there LOL!

It's 1:45PM, and I just hit 190. I'm pulling it as we speak, 1/2 cup beef broth and some more cookshack rub, foil and back in until 195. I'll let ya'll know how it turns out.

Funny, I spend summers in CA and winters in GA. Lots of educating of the locals here on the difference between BBQ and grilling. I guess I'll need to buy another Amerique for the GA house now, because I'm a HUGE fan of this thing. I've been using the old barrel shaped smoker for years, this is without a doubt the better way to go. Plus I stay more sober this way, not having to "man the smoker" for 12 hours at a pop!

Thanks for everyones help, you guys are great!

Smoke In The Cockpit....someday I'll tell you how I came up with that screen name.