Howdy, doing a Brisket (point only, full is too much for just two olds) on my BGE this weekend. First: I know it is not a smoker!!! Will be using the new InkBird ISC-028-BW, hate buying Chinese, but whatdaya gunna do, my American made stuff has crapped out, again. Anywho, my question is:

Is there any advantage to:
1. Starting at low temp, 225, and after stall increasing temp to 250-275?

or

2. Starting at high temp, 250-275, and lowering temp to 225 after stall?

3. Just stay with the old way of 225 throughout?

BBQ Experts should know.

Run at 275 the whole time. It won't take as long, but will still be good. Most everyone runs brisket a little hotter anyways.

I think rest time is more critical than the actual cook. I've been seeing lately of different strategies of resting at ~150 for 12-18 hours either in an oven or sealed and placed in a sous vide bath. Has anyone here successfully done this? Really intrigued and think this can help especially with timing for dinner, etc. The longest I've rested is 6-7 hours, and that is usually just wrapped in towels in a cooler.

Either way should be fine. My preference is to: generally start low, around 225, and then later in the cook after wrapping start bumping up the temp (250-275). This will help the fat render properly towards the end of the cook and will make sure you don't end up with too crispy of bark. Use the same principles whether it's a whole packer, point only, or flat only.

To the above poster: Yes, you should be resting your briskets as long as you can. There's some major benefits to tenderness & moisture by holding a brisket longer than just a few hours. You can go up to 20-24 hours before quality will start to fall off. Just set your oven to a keep warm setting in the 140-160 range, put the brisket on a cookie sheet pan, and you're good to go.

It's what most of the bbq restaurants in Texas are doing, they aren't cooking all night long and pulling off the pit at 10am to serve you. They cook during the day and rest in warming ovens overnight to serve the following day for lunch.

In my egg I've found a lower temp better bc it doesn't give off as smoke as an offset so for better bark and smoke ring (if that's your thing) I don't go above 250- once you wrap I'll go as high as 300 to finish it off. I also go fat down and the point toward the back bc that's where it gets hottest.

Rest for atleast 3-4 hours if you aren't going the oven hold method mentioned above.

Btw there's so many different methods these days. Different Rubs, using tallow, Texas crutch , butcher paper , foil boat etc. I think if you just take your time - get a good trim, don't rush it , and start with a quality cut you will turn out with something very good.

BGE is better at 225-230 or so during the smoke. I have had it get away from me a time or two and get over 300 for a short period, but I try to stay in the low end of temps as much as possible until wrapping. The BGE will automatically heat up to 250 to 300 just from opening the lid and it getting fresh air but since the brisket is wrapped I don't worry about it as long as it is around 280 or so. Longer the rest the better.

Howdy, so everyone, nearly, is wrapping after the stall? I have never done the wrap thing, perhaps now is the time to give it a shot/?

In a BGE, hotter temps will produce better bark. There isnt enough air circulation at low temps for great bark. But, when you run hotter you run the risk of overcooking/drying out the bottom of the point. To avoid this I use 2 heat deflectors with a gap in-between so that there isn't as much heat on the underside.

ATL Aggie said:

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In a BGE, hotter temps will produce better bark. There isnt enough air circulation at low temps for great bark. But, when you run hotter you run the risk of overcooking/drying out the bottom of the point. To avoid this I use 2 heat deflectors with a gap in-between so that there isn't as much heat on the underside.

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Yes. I have a Kamado Joe and ran across Smoking Dad BBQ on the YouTube a year or so ago and he sat the deflector on top of the accessory rack (allowed more airflow) and then used 2 deflectors (separated by a few nuts) to prevent the bottom getting overcooked. It has been a game changer for product quality and bark.