I tried to watch YT videos. A lot of them. Some of them have the same temperature but with widely different times.

Anyways, I'm on my first brisket. I settled for a setting of 195 degrees with a target of 165 internal. The recipe says it's going to take 8 hours. Well, I reached 170 degrees in 4 hours. Do I wrap it in butcher paper now or wait the full 8 hours?

After wrapping, the recipe says go to 225 and it will be cooked at 203 degrees internal after which it's done and I take it out of the Traeger to rest until it reaches 140 degrees internal before slicing. The resting time is supposed to take 2 to 3 hours.

I think the high altitude of where I'm at 5,000 feet is affecting it but I don't know how it's affecting the cooking.

Thanks in advance.

We are new to Traeger, first this year with an Elite BBQ007e and then a 34Pro. Haven't done a brisket yet but have done chuck roasts which are prepared the same way. We're at 4,000 foot elevation and go with temperatures for each step including when wrapped.
We've done brined whole turkey, baby back ribs, the aforementioned chuck roasts, sausages, hamburgers, and lots of sides all successfully.

Smoke to temp, not time. Time can vary wildly, based on a number of factors. Not surprised that altitude would be one of them.

It's not like baking in the oven, X degrees for exactly Y time. No smoking session is exactly the same as another. Hence why having a quality internal thermometer is such a necessity.

Yes, I'd go ahead and wrap it, then continue until final temp.

Meat doesn't absorb any more smoke flavor after the first 3-4 hours anyway. After that, you're just there for the heat. Some folks (not me) will go so far as to smoke meat for 3-4 hours, then move it to the oven for the remainder.

I applaud you for trying to follow the recipe, the temps, the timing, ect. but I think it's really just a matter of experimentation before you find what works for you and your high-altitude situation. Each brisket is going to be different (weight, fat content and outside thickness, deckle thickness), and therefore each smoke is going to be slightly different.

Here's some things I do that allow me to get a fairly consistent smoked brisket that people seem to be happy with:

First, while I'm trimming and seasoning the brisket I figure out which corner I want to cut the brisket. Once I do, I keep track of that corner on the point because a brisket will change shape during the smoke. Cutting across the grain assists in getting a nice slice of meat that melts in your mouth.

Most times I start the smoke around 10pm and leave it on the SMOKE setting for an hour after I put the brisket on. Then I raise the temp to 225, make sure it's holding that okay and ensure the hopper is full. Then I go to bed and get a good night's sleep. Once I put the brisket on I don't open the lid until the next morning.

After I get up and have a cup of coffee, I go out and open the lid to check the brisket and put a temp probe in it. At this point the brisket isn't going to take any more smoke flavor and it's usually in the stall phase. So you can leave it on the smoker just for the heat (which I prefer) or you can finish it in the oven. I only do the oven thing if I've got a pork butt waiting to be smoked afterwards.

To wrap or not wrap, that is the question. I've been experimenting with wrapping and I've had some good luck with it. I use good quality pink paper and it certainly keeps the flat end of the brisket from drying out while the point gets up to temp. But you don't get the thick bark on the outside if you prefer that. I actually keep smoking until the point reaches at least 190 degrees internal, with 195-200 preferred.

Whether I'm paper-wrapped or not, I pull the brisket off the heat when I'm satisfied with the temp and wrap it in an old bath towel and put it in a small cooler chest. I have one that I only use for brisket and pork butts, and I almost always throw the towel away afterwards because it gets full of juice and it's not worth trying to wash. (Towels are cheap at garage sales.) I try to leave it in the cooler for at least 2 hours, but have gone more than five when the brisket was done earlier than expected and it was still plenty hot when I sliced it. The collagen really breaks down during the resting period making for a tender slice of brisket.

There's a lot of 'Tube training videos out there, and I started with Franklin Anderson's vids even though he doesn't use a Traeger. His vids are fun and very educational, and it's easy to transfer the knowledge to Traeger-specific smoking.

You'll notice that I haven't mentioned any specific time or timing when I smoke, mostly because I'm more concerned about the temperature of the meat. Briskets will get to temps on their own time and you can't rush them. That's why I start the night before and just ease into the afternoon party with the brisket resting in the cooler. I don't know anything about smoking at high altitudes, but if it were me I'd be more concerned about the brisket temps and take note of how long it took the brisket to get there.

Apologies for the long novel, but I hope there's a few nuggets of info that are helpful to you. Good luck and have fun with it!

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Smoke to temp, not time. Time can vary wildly, based on a number of factors. Not surprised that altitude would be one of them.

It's not like baking in the oven, X degrees for exactly Y time. No smoking session is exactly the same as another. Hence why having a quality internal thermometer is such a necessity.

Yes, I'd go ahead and wrap it, then continue until final temp.

Thanks. I wrapped it at 7 hours and I put some beef tallow on top. We'll see how it goes. This was to get times and temperatures which I made notes on because I'm going to smoke at least two briskets with a target slicing time for eating at 1 pm Saturday. I'm going to noodle some more on the times and temps.

I have the Traeger probe and a meater thermometer in this one brisket. I also have a thermapen.

The four hours it took to get to 165 versus 8 hours in the recipe threw me off.

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Originally posted by Tailhook 84:

Apologies for the long novel, but I hope there's a few nuggets of info that are helpful to you. Good luck and have fun with it!

No worries. I appreciate the story as it adds to what I've come across already. The bigger the sample size, the closer to the truth.

Figuring out how long it takes to go from 203 to 140 slicing temp is the next unknown. I just plan on leaving it in the wrapper sitting on the table.

Videos also say resting time is as important as the rest. I can get that. I don't get why put it in a cooler? I suppose that prolongs the time it takes to cool down. I learned some restaurants keep them at 140 for 24 hours before serving.

quote:

I settled for a setting of 195 degrees with a target of 165 internal. The recipe says it's going to take 8 hours. Well, I reached 170 degrees in 4 hours. Do I wrap it in butcher paper now or wait the full 8 hours?

After wrapping, the recipe says go to 225 and it will be cooked at 203 degrees internal after which it's done and I take it out of the Traeger to rest until it reaches 140 degrees internal before slicing. The resting time is supposed to take 2 to 3 hours.

None of this has anything to do with a Traeger. They're trying to beat "the stall" which is moisture evaporating from the surface and cooling the meat just like sweat cools you on a hot day. Using heavy duty aluminum foil or butcher paper allows you to power through "the stall" by nearly eliminating evaporation and possibly save hours.

However, you're likely to encounter "the stall" at 150 degrees rather than 165 degrees so it'd be wiser to wrap at 150. It's better to double wrap it than single wrap it to minimize the evaporation.

As RogueJSK wisely wrote, cook to temperature not time so once wrapped shoot for 203. When you're probing it for temperature, once it gets past the bark it should go in effortlessly which is the 2nd confirmation test of being done. If it doesn't feel effortless, keep cooking a little while longer but if it never feels effortless then pull it at 205F because it'll never get effortless.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
Figuring out how long it takes to go from 203 to 140 slicing temp is the next unknown. I just plan on leaving it in the wrapper sitting on the table.

Videos also say resting time is as important as the rest. I can get that. I don't get why put it in a cooler?

Don't do this. Food safety 101 is to minimize the time the meat is between 40 deg and 140 deg.

Resting the meat allows the juices to redistribute. Resting in a cooler allows you to keep the meat above the safe temperature of 140F while the juices redistribute.

As far as resting, here is a tip involving a cooler and 2 towels. I place an 8 quart stockpot of water on my range and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, I set one the towel on the bottom of the cooler. Once the water is boiling I set the stockpot on the towel, set another towel on top of stockpot lid, and close the cooler lid to preheat. Once the brisket is ready, I pull out the stockpot and replace it with the foil wrapped brisket. This will let you keep it above the safe temperature of 140 degrees for many hours and the juices will redistribute.

quote:

I learned some restaurants keep them at 140 for 24 hours before serving.

I've eaten at most of the top brisket joints in Texas, and none of them do this. They time their meat so it's ready for lunch and are only open until they're sold out (i.e. unlikely to be open for dinner).

One reason for having a plan for resting is if the brisket cooks fast. I have a temperature controller on my BGE which normally keeps temps +/- 5 deg, but one cook I got some crap lump charcoal from Home Depot and cooking temps varied +/- 50 deg. I put the brisket on after dinner and expected it to be ready for lunch. My leave in temperature probe has an alarm and the MF'er starts going off at 5 AM. I got it in my cooler setup where I was able to keep the brisket warm until lunch, stay above the safe 140 temp, and rest the meat.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH: Videos also say resting time is as important as the rest. I can get that. I don't get why put it in a cooler? I suppose that prolongs the time it takes to cool down. I learned some restaurants keep them at 140 for 24 hours before serving.

I've honestly never heard of "140 degrees slicing temp" but I plan to look that up to see what the advantages are. I simply keep the towel-wrapped brisket in the cooler until it's time to serve, and the temperature is still well above 140 degrees (which I always check for food safety). This gives me plenty of time to not rush the smoke, and the brisket is hot and ready when my guests are ready, not when the clock says it's time to eat.

The cooler and towel wrap keeps the brisket at a high temp without actually cooking it further. The collagen is simply breaking down at the higher temps the cooler maintains.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
Figuring out how long it takes to go from 203 to 140 slicing temp is the next unknown. I just plan on leaving it in the wrapper sitting on the table.

Videos also say resting time is as important as the rest. I can get that. I don't get why put it in a cooler?

Don't do this. Food safety 101 is to minimize the time the meat is between 40 deg and 140 deg.

Okay, what do you think of this plan? Internal temp hits 203, I switch the smoker to Keep Warm setting which is 165. When it’s time to slice, I take it out of the smoker. I can also open the lid when it gets to 203 to cool down the smoker faster to get it down to 165.

Speaking of food safety, after I put the rub, I wrapped it in Saran Wrap and refrigerated it for 12 hours. Directions I came across was to take out the meat and let it come up to room temperature. But out of the refrigerator, it was 39 and after 30 minutes it was 43 and after an hour, it was 45. This is in the range you say is bacteria growth. I put it in the smoker after an hour. I’m thinking I don’t need to let it come up room temperature, right?

No, you don't need the meat at room temperature before you put it on the smoker.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
Okay, what do you think of this plan? Internal temp hits 203, I switch the smoker to Keep Warm setting which is 165. When it’s time to slice, I take it out of the smoker. I can also open the lid when it gets to 203 to cool down the smoker faster to get it down to 165.

That'd probably work and be safe

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
Speaking of food safety, after I put the rub, I wrapped it in Saran Wrap and refrigerated it for 12 hours. Directions I came across was to take out the meat and let it come up to room temperature. But out of the refrigerator, it was 39 and after 30 minutes it was 43 and after an hour, it was 45. This is in the range you say is bacteria growth. I put it in the smoker after an hour. I’m thinking I don’t need to let it come up room temperature, right?

People are way to fast and loose with the phrase "let it come up to room temperature." Every time I've challenged someone who wrote this they replied back that they actually meant set it out the 15 or 20 minutes the smoker comes up to temp. I've warned them that someone will take them literally and let meat come up from 36 or 38 degrees to 70 degrees and for a large roast (e.g. brisket) that'll be several hours in the food safety danger zone.

The second law of thermodynamics says that heat flows naturally from an object at a higher temperature to an object at a lower temperature. BBQ aficionados can use this to their advantage to target their smokiness preference while maintaining food safety:

If you want to maximize smoke, take the meat directly from the fridge to the smoker.

If you want to minimize smoke, let the meat sit out on the counter the 15 or 20 minutes the smoker takes to come up to temperature then put it on the smoker.

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

Thank you to everyone. I was pleasantly surprised that it came out decent. Had unexpected guests come and they liked it. That was even fiddling with the temperature.

I now understand the reason behind wrapping. Thanks TatorTod.

It did taste on the saltier side and I thought it’s just my taste as we’ve been cutting down on salt. But google says recipes has to be adjusted 20 to 30% less salt for high altitudes.

I timed each step. And I can see I can adjust for time by using the temperature. I bought a cooler for when I cook the three briskets.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Rey HRH,

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Originally posted by Tailhook 84:

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH: Videos also say resting time is as important as the rest. I can get that. I don't get why put it in a cooler? I suppose that prolongs the time it takes to cool down. I learned some restaurants keep them at 140 for 24 hours before serving.

I've honestly never heard of "140 degrees slicing temp" but I plan to look that up to see what the advantages are. I simply keep the towel-wrapped brisket in the cooler until it's time to serve, and the temperature is still well above 140 degrees (which I always check for food safety). This gives me plenty of time to not rush the smoke, and the brisket is hot and ready when my guests are ready, not when the clock says it's time to eat.

The cooler and towel wrap keeps the brisket at a high temp without actually cooking it further. The collagen is simply breaking down at the higher temps the cooler maintains.

The discussion on slicing temperature starts at the 23 minute mark. He says you want to slice brisket at 140 internal temperature. He also talks about restaurants cool it down to 140 and let it sit there for 24 hours.

But from the food safety discussion, I don't think he's right now. Why would restaurants keep it at the edge of the bacteria growth range knowing there's be fluctuations in any oven.

Know how to make really good brisket?
Make alot of bad brisket
I've been at it for years and don't underestimate the importance of a good trim job

Sorry if I missed it, but I didn't see the weight of your brisket vs video/recipe. That very easily can make a difference, but cooking to temp is the way to go. I prefer Fahrenheit.

As far as I know, the only significance to the 140 degree serving temperature is that you don’t want to hold it at any lower temperature (unless it’s below 40). I’ve had briskets stay above 140 for 4+ hours in a cooler before.

I keep data on my cooks as well so I can figure out what techniques get me the result I prefer. I wouldn’t rely on those data for timing though. I’ve had briskets of the same size vary by an hour or more in the same cook. I give myself several hours of extra time and just rest longer or shorter if necessary.

Obviously the temperature of the meat is everything here but I shortened my Traeger learning curve be discovering that my Pro 34 is off by 50+ degrees. Now that I adjust for that things come along more like I expect them to.

Couple of quick thoughts. Brisket texture is a personal preference. Also briskets vary in tenderness just like ribeyes do. It’s more about feel than temp. 195-205 is the range, it’s up to you to decide where you prefer it.

Also, I will rest the wrapped brisket on a cutting board for a little bit to drop the temp down to 180 ish before putting it in a cooler to rest. Don’t like that carryover cooking.

A Wi-Fi or Bluetooth temp probe is awesome because it’s easy to keep an eye on the brisket temp even when resting.

I use a Omaha steak styrofoam cooler that works well.

If the meat is a little too salty, or spicy, serving with a creamy sauce will help. Also might end up perfect in sandwiches, pizza, nachos, and most importantly, brisket chili!

quote:

Originally posted by SHOOTIN BLANKS:
Obviously the temperature of the meat is everything here but I shortened my Traeger learning curve be discovering that my Pro 34 is off by 50+ degrees. Now that I adjust for that things come along more like I expect them to.

Yep. Using a quality standalone ambient thermometer is a better option than rely on the built-in thermometer in your smoker, which tend to be cheap and dramatically off.

I have a Fireboard, which can host up to 6 probes. I use it to monitor smoker temp with an ambient probe on one channel, and up to 5 meat temps using internal probes on the other channels.

There are cheaper options for just 2 channel temp probes (ambient and 1x meat) like the Thermowork Smoke, if you don't want to spring for a fancier multi-channel setup like a Fireboard.

Are you cooking a whole packer or just a flat?