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My fire went out during a brisket cook in Austin
I was about six hours into a brisket cook for a friend's party in Austin last spring. My offset smoker was holding steady at 250, then a sudden rainstorm blew in. The wind shifted, rain hit the firebox, and my temp dropped to 150 in maybe ten minutes. I panicked because the brisket was still tough. I grabbed my charcoal chimney, got a fresh batch of lump charcoal blazing hot in the garage, and dumped it into the firebox. I also wrapped the brisket in butcher paper right then to help it through the stall while the fire recovered. It took about 45 minutes to get back to a steady 225, but the bark still set up nice. Has anyone else had to rescue a cook from a dead fire that fast?
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white.keith4d ago
Man, I gotta be honest, that sounds like a total overreaction. A temp drop for a bit isn't the end of the world, you just stalled the cook longer. Rushing with a super hot chimney of charcoal is a great way to overshoot and scorch your meat. And wrapping it while the fire was down? That just trapped it in its own steam at a low temp, you probably made the bark soggy. Sometimes you just gotta ride out the weather and let the fire come back slow.
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dakota_miller934d ago
That sudden Texas rain is a real smoker killer.
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lucashenderson4d ago
My buddy's wedding brisket got hit by a freak downpour last spring. Had to finish the thing in his oven while the whole party smelled like wet charcoal and regret.
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