Just realized my brisket was always dry because I was opening the smoker too much to check the temp

I started using a probe thermometer with a remote monitor and left the lid closed for the whole 14 hour cook, and the difference in the flat's moisture was like night and day, so what's your go-to method for keeping from peeking?

3 comments

3 Comments

garcia.tyler23d ago

Honestly, that whole "never open the lid" thing is overrated. I peek all the time to spritz and I've never had a dry brisket. If your temp drops that much from a quick look, your fire management is off. The whole ritual of checking the bark and adding smoke is part of the fun for me. Relying only on a probe takes the soul out of it.

wendyk5623d ago

Yeah, but that temp drop from opening the lid isn't just about the fire, it's about the humidity inside the cooker. Every time you open it, you let all that good, moist air out and the meat surface cools down fast. That can really mess with the cook time and how juicy it turns out, even if your coals are fine.

grantp2822d ago

My buddy Steve ruined a pork shoulder last summer doing exactly what garcia.tyler said. He was opening it every half hour to spray apple juice, said he was building bark. The temp swings were wild and that butt stalled for like five extra hours. It came out tough, like it steamed in its own juice instead of breaking down right. He learned the hard way that humidity matters as much as the heat.