Need your help. Brisket

[Artos]

It's the pit...not you.

If I can anyone can...

[bboswell]

I’m throwing in the towel!!!!

Sorry but I saw this coming.

Your auto cooker is killing you !!

[oktx]

If you cooked for 18 hours then your probes have to be waaay off. I use Redi Chek. One probe for the smoker and one for the meat. I have a hand held probe to check the meat as a backup.

[Chase4556]

I hope this one turns out for you. Your problem may be your temp at 225. As I mentioned in my previous post, you may have a temp swing of up to 50° lower than what you are thinking you are cooking at with the older Pit Bosses. They have huge temp swings because of the older controller. You may not be getting it hot enough to cook at a decent time without drying it out. Just my 2 cents.

I cook with a Pit Boss and I keep mine at 200° until I hit the stall or bark looks good and wrap. After that it goes to 250° until it is 203° or probe tender.

I cook on an older pit boss copperhead 5 vertical. You are right about the temp swings, but I got that figured out. #1 thing is to know what your smoker is doing. That’s where those extra TRUSTED probes from a good stand alone unit comes into play.

250* setting gave me 200-225* grate temps. I run mine at 275* to get 250* grate.

Had temp swings. Took a while to figure out a fix. Mine has a factory water tray. I fill that, then have a large disposable roasting pan right above it that I fill with water(also catches all drippings for easy cleanup). When I start things up, I preheat to 350* and let everything calm down for 30 min or so. Turn it to 275* and top off the water about 15 minutes before the meat goes on.

With this I get about 20-30* temp swings from high to low (240-265ish usually) which is just fine. Brisket, ribs, chicken, pork butts, beef ribs… all have come out great.


In my opinion, 18 hours is way to long. Even a 14lb brisket is usually done in 14-15 hours for me.

[Tall0]

Didn't read all the responses but biggest difference makers for me are prime meat and 35-40 day wet aging the brisket.

[Smart]

If it was inedible then at this point rest assured its not you. Its the way that rig is cycling heat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think this is part of the issue and his Acurite hand held was 12-15 degrees different than his pit boss probes. Something is not right. He seems to be doing everything right but not getting the results. Glad to see you ordered some better thermos JP. Make sure you do that grate test I told you about as well looking for heat distribution.

[frazee3200]

I’m throwing in the towel!!!!

Ditch the Pit Boss and get you a Recteq. To much temperature swing for me with the Pit Boss. One day I’ll try a conventional stick burner just to see but I love my Recteq

[captainsling]

I cook on an older pit boss copperhead 5 vertical. You are right about the temp swings, but I got that figured out. #1 thing is to know what your smoker is doing. That’s where those extra TRUSTED probes from a good stand alone unit comes into play.

250* setting gave me 200-225* grate temps. I run mine at 275* to get 250* grate.

Had temp swings. Took a while to figure out a fix. Mine has a factory water tray. I fill that, then have a large disposable roasting pan right above it that I fill with water(also catches all drippings for easy cleanup). When I start things up, I preheat to 350* and let everything calm down for 30 min or so. Turn it to 275* and top off the water about 15 minutes before the meat goes on.

With this I get about 20-30* temp swings from high to low (240-265ish usually) which is just fine. Brisket, ribs, chicken, pork butts, beef ribs… all have come out great.


In my opinion, 18 hours is way to long. Even a 14lb brisket is usually done in 14-15 hours for me.

I don’t think he ever read my original post. I would almost guarantee he is having the same problem. Need to change the controller to the new style or get a new pit. It’s nothing he is doing other than not knowing his temp inside his pit.

[HUNTIN HARD]

I don’t think he ever read my original post. I would almost guarantee he is having the same problem. Need to change the controller to the new style or get a new pit. It’s nothing he is doing other than not knowing his temp inside his pit.

Yes sir I read and thank you and everyone else for helping. My pit boss is a newer one got it August September last year. Some time around March my control board went out so they sent me a new one. I’m going to run it one day and try to look at temp at different places in pit. This brisket came out mushy on the point end(cut with a spoon) and flat end was kinda dry and a VERY hard bark all around. The red butcher paper was soaked in juice. steaks chicken everything else comes out good just these **** things are giving me hell.

[Ætheling]

These are invaluable in measuring heat differences around the pit and cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/KIZEN-Infrared-Thermometer-Gun-Humans/dp/B07VSHR9M6/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1ERKP3V903M0H&keywords=infrared%2Bthermometer%2Bgun&qid=1653309124&sprefix=infared%2Bth%2Caps%2C139&sr=8-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyWjFMRjRBRzNSMEsyJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDg1MDQzMTNVSElVVklUQk1KSCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTIyMzE3MTRWOFJGVThNNFpaRiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

[bboswell]

These are invaluable in measuring heat differences around the pit and cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/KIZEN-Infrare...NrPXRydWU&th=1

Trouble with those is the pit has to be open which completely changes how the heat builds and the pit draws.

[SaltwaterSlick]

I have a 4 probe redi-chek and even with my stick burner it is amazing at the temp variances inside the cooking zone! I learned early on just "where" to lay a brisket to get the right cook speed and temp... Found out also quickly that those outside thermometers with the probes that penetrate the lids of the cooker are next to useless when it comes to knowing the ACTUAL internal temp of the pit.

[Smart]

This is a backyard hack. I just take probes (that have been tested as accurate via the water boil test) from my monitoring thermos and place them on the grate in different places. My main probe is set where it is set during the cook and I take it to 250. Then I move the others around a couple of times until I feel like I have a good idea of the heat. I set my tuning plates like this as well to get a more even heat distribution.....easy as heck really.

I like to know what my temp is at the grate anyway where the meat is.....and is why one of my monitoring probes is in a bracket on the grate right between in front of the meat and between it and the fire. I don't care what my temps are at the top of my smoker by the lid...I've seen it vary 20-40 degrees. The big round thermo gauge on my smoker is now just for decoration.

[captainsling]

Yes sir I read and thank you and everyone else for helping. My pit boss is a newer one got it August September last year. Some time around March my control board went out so they sent me a new one. I’m going to run it one day and try to look at temp at different places in pit. This brisket came out mushy on the point end(cut with a spoon) and flat end was kinda dry and a VERY hard bark all around. The red butcher paper was soaked in juice. steaks chicken everything else comes out good just these **** things are giving me hell.

Is this the controller you have? This is the one I am refering to. This one is way more accurate then the one you have, if it is the one in the picture you posted in April. That is still the old style controller even though they sent that one to you to replace the one you had.

[HUNTIN HARD]

Is this the controller you have? This is the one I am refering to. This one is way more accurate then the one you have, if it is the one in the picture you posted in April. That is still the old style controller even though they sent that one to you to replace the one you had.

No sir I have the one I posed in April.