Why did I wait so long!

Just a had my first shoulder from my new 008 tonight and it was the best! Been pondering buying the unit for over a year. I can't understand why I waited sooo long!

mhumm38 - Please tell us more about your cook. It took me more than 5 try's before I got brisket right in the 009. How long, and to what temp did you get it? Any foil? Thanks. All info appreciated.

Well I marinaded a small, 3.5 lb. brisket in Head country marinade and rubbed it done with their champ rub. I put it in the fridge over nite. I had my wife put on at noon the next day at 225 degrees. I was expecting to remove when I got home from work at 5. The meat temp when I got home was at 160. I remembered the saying it's done when it's done, so I waited. About 7:30 it was around 180 so I decided to open up and check. I forked it and seemed to me it was still not done. So I shut her down and waited some more. At 9:00 the meat temp was 188 so I pulled it off. Man Oh Man!! It was worth the wait. I just got to learn how to adjust to the time thing. I can't believe the instructions are that far off on estimating time per pound. I wonder if it is because it is so air tight in the chamber. I would read large drops in internal temp and it would stay done for a long time and then it would jump back up. I was thinking it would maintain the temp you dailed in. I guess it doesn't work that way. But is sure can cook! You can't rush it. I feel the cooker has a mind of its own, (like a woman) sorry I couldn't resist that ! The problem now I have in my mind is does the cooking time change if a did the exact thing again to the exact cut of meat. I like to be able to judge or schedule my cooks.

Mhumm38,

I'm up to 11 cooks with my 008. No a lot, but I'm learning and having fun. I've never had a bad outcome. The major issue is the one you are having -- how long will this take?

The first two times I tried Brisket, the results were good, but I knew I could do better. I used flats of 5.6lb and 3.8 lb at 225 shooting for 190 internal. It took about 2 hrs per pound to hit that number in both cases. The results wer e a little too dry for my liking.

Using my male brain, that told me that size matters, I decided to experiment with the largest size brisket I could find, which was only 7.7 lbs. 225 shooting for 190 internal. I hit this number in 9.5 hours, rather than the 14-15 I expected from past experience.

The results were the best brisket I have done. Way more juicy and in less time per pound than before. Not sure what is going on with this one.

I have a lot of theories, but my latest one that seems to make the most sense is that maybe the same internal temperature doesn't get you too the same level of doneness for different sizes of brisket. I think SmokinOkie kind of indicates this in Brisket 101. He says that he shoots for lower temps in smaller briskets, if I remember correctly. So, in this case, I should have shot for lower internals with my smaller cuts and had more juicy results (and lower time per lb).

My other theory is that with brisket, maybe bigger is just better. The brisket is often in the same fooprint, just thicker. Thicker means more meat to hold in juices, etc.

I'm also guessing that meat shape has a lot to do with time/lb. 7 lbs in a flat probably would cook faster than 7 lbs in a ball, like shoulder. Also for a flat, as weight goes up, the thickness doesn't increase as much as a round object, so there maybe some kind of non-linear dynamics that straight time/lb rules of thumb won't work for.

Luckily, nothing I have done has been bad, so experimenting always leads to enjoyable product. Ultimately, we probably all have to develop our own approaches based on our experiences.

Good note and record keeping is a must! I guess trail and error will make it perfect someday to. I

I have had my model 50 since Jan. and have done about 5 briskets. All have been choice and between 7-12lbs. I have done them all this way with excellent results. I cook them fat cap down at 225 until the meat reaches 170 deg by remote probe. Then I foil them and mop with apple juice/cider vinegar. (They always look a bit dry at that point. Even though I know the cookshack is supposed to cook "moist" I still think brisket benefits from foiling.) Then I continue to cook at 225 until internal 195 to 200. Then rest at 140 for at least 2 hrs or put in a warm "cooler" until dinner. All have come out really moist. I think the rest in foil at minimum will help your briskets.

After reading all the posts on long and/or varied cook times over the past year or so, I've come to believe that meat consistancy is a key factor. My own cook times are so consistant that I can predict within the 1/2 hour typically when the product will come out of the smoker. I attribute this to the meat more so than my stellar talents as a cook.

I buy my meat from the same suplier all the time, who in turn uses the same supplier. Prior to this I too had widely varying cook times as different meat had differing amounts of fat and moisture, and that is not even considering meat that has been enhanced with some "solution added". I think if you limit yourself to one supplier it will go a long ways toward stablizing your results as well.

I also tend to cook the same amount of meat each time, or at least more meat than what many of you report cooking. I never cook less than 2 butts at a time(usually about 18# total), and I won't cook any brisket smaller than 10# generally. I have a vaccume sealer to take care of what few left overs I need to deal with.

I don't really care how long something takes to cook, but like some of you I do need to be able to predict with some accuracy WHEN sonething will be done.

I agree about not caring how long it takes! I really just want to be able to predict how long so I can plan my eating time!