Hi, I’m Randy with BBQGuys.com. We’re outdoors enjoying this beautiful weather,
and today I’m gonna show you how to smoke a brisket on this Primo Oval XL.. let’s
get to it. Alright, let’s get this grill ready to go..
I’ll fill it up about half way.. Right around the level of the vent holes should be good.
Kamados are really efficient, so you’d be surprised how long a batch of charcoal like
this will last. Guys, I never use lighter fluid.. Especially
with porous ceramic, you don’t want those fumes soaking into your grill. So I’ll toss
a few of these quicklights in to get it going. While the fire starts, close the lid & open
the vents… this will let the coals catch easy with more airflow.
Now let’s get to trimmin our brisket. What you are wanting to look and feel for, is the
hard fat. Any soft fat that you feel is totally ok, and will render during the cook. I’ll
just work my way around the brisket and shoot for about ¼ inch of fat left evenly across
the whole brisket, however, I like to leave a few pockets here and there, so that the
seasoning and smoke have an opportunity to soak into the meat itself and don’t forget
about the fat that separates the flat & the point.. I’ll give that a little trim.. because
today, I want to keep this brisket whole. Keep an eye on the grill while it preheats,
we don’t want it to get crazy hot.. so I’ll dampen down the vents to stabilize the kamado..
I’m shooting for a range of about 275- 300 for today’s cook.
As for the seasoning, I like to keep it simple with kosher salt and black pepper.
When smoking, I normally go with the classic temperature of around 225 degrees.. but this
brisket is big.. weighing in at about 17Lbs. I’ve been hearing about some of my buddies
achieving some pretty good results with their hotter and faster methods.. so I want to try
that today. Ok, let’s get smoking! I’ve got some applewood
chunks here, and I’ll throw those in a few different spots, so that we get some good
smoke throughout the cook. Setting up for indirect cooking is made pretty
simple with these racks and deflector plates. This is also the perfect spot to put your
drip pan. It’s your best bet to go with a disposable pan for this guys, it will be
useless after a long smoke. I like to go with a mix of apple juice and
bourbon to keep some good moisture going. We may need to refill it as the hours go by.
To keep a closer eye on my grid level temp, I’ll set an ambient probe right on the grates.
After setting in the heat deflectors, I’ll go ahead and let everything come back up to
temp. Once there, we’ll lay this bad boy in..
fat cap up. It’s moments like this that I love the oval shape of this Primo, it fit
this massive cut of meat just right! Kamados are so stable with temperature, I
go about 2 hours before even checking on the progress, and to see if we need to top off
the drip pan liquid. The edges are starting to get some nice texture and color! I’ll
top off the drip pan and let it cruise! We’re at six hours now.. this is about the
time you may want to grab your spray bottle..and mist the outer edges, so they don’t char
too much. My preference is a 50/50 mix of apple cider vinegar and water… and the cider
really sharpens the flavor of the meat. Alright, now we’re 8 hours in.. I’ll go
ahead and stick the internal probe in, so I can keep an eye on the brisket’s progress.
We’re 9 hours in.. I’ll give this one last spray before removing it to wrap. Really
getting some good bark on this.. now the hardest part is waiting. Try to use some heavy duty
foil.. We don’t want any of the juices escaping. After it’s wrapped, I’ll look for an internal
temp of around 200F. Now, remember guys.. with barbecue it’s hardly ever going to
be an exact time frame for every cook. Personally, I like to get a good feel for the tenderness.
I think it’s time to get this brisket off the grill & let it rest for about an hour..
due to it’s size. Let’s unwrap and see what we got! Wow, it
smells good… I’ll set these juices to the side.. too much flavor here to waste.
Now it’s time. YES.. Just look at how the edges just fall apart. I’m really happy
with how this came out. Man, the nice thing about a big brisket like this is, you’ll
have leftovers. Me, I plan to make sandwiches and some gravy with that leftover jus. But
of course.. If you are cooking this for a party, leftovers may not be an option. There
is a reason why I set these burnt ends aside.. Mmmm. Still tender & Juicy, with great smokey
flavor. Thanks for watching today, and remember.. at BBQGuys.com, we smoke.. the competition!