Don’t miss out on all the action this week at DraftKings! Download the DraftKings app today! Sign-up using dkng.co/mattcarriker or through my promo code MATTCARRIKER
Matt, I want to suggest respectfully of course that you invite Cowboy Kent Rollins to the ranch he is the king of outdoor cooking and yall would love having him there!
Matt, as an ER nurse, please dont use metal grill brushes. Pieces of metal will come off adhere to grill and wedge itself into meat as it cooks. Usually miss seeing pieces because of color change from smoking. Metal can lodge in throat or stomach requiring major surgery.
I call BS you guys are just making stuff up. Stomach acid will eat through Steel in less than 2 hours! How's it getting to your intestines? Maybe if it got lodged in your esophagus but that wouldn't be major surgery...I use a wire brush. It cleans the grill the best.
For anyone wondering you spray apple cider vinegar on brisket for 3 reasons 1 tenderizer. 2 crust. 3 moisturizer. The acids in the vinegar breaks down the protiens in the fat and meat making it softer in your mouth, the crust comes from the sugars in the vinegar and 3 the water evaporates making a sauna like environment for the brisket.
minor correction to number 3, saunas are dry air, not a steam room. you are adding moisture to the meat surface, the smoke is very dry air, it will pull the moisture out of the meat unless you give it some extra via spraying and a water pan. smoke preserving meats was two parts of creating a bacteria resistant surface on the meat due to the smoke and drying out the meat to low moisture so new bacteria didnt want to grow.
You dont need to spray your Brisket if you know what your doing. I never spray my Brisket and it is always cooked perfectly, super moist, and after 15 Hrs at 225 it is super tender. Your not cooking ribs, your cooking a Brisket with a huge fat cap. And spraying it with vinegar, will hurt the bark. You must be from the north...
I learned a trick from an old timer, several years back. When moving large decorative rocks, he used old snow tire chains, wrapped them around the rock, then threaded a chain through them and lifted the rocks with the bucket of the backhoe. This stopped the teeth of the bucket from scarring the pretty rocks and helped him set them in place. Yes I know, snow tire chains are not that common in your neck of the woods, but maybe a viewer has an old set that could be sent to you. Since you do plan on using large rocks for decoration around the Desparado, it might be something worth having around.
Well first start with a real brisket that will actually take 12 to 14 hours to cook. You can smoke it for half the time and then throw it in the oven and get some sleep
Post oak, lump charcoal not briquettes, salt/pepper/maybe granulated garlic rub, learn how to trim briskets, use butcher paper (one layer) for the wrap at 170F. Baby steps.
Good to know how you do yours . Everyone is a lil different. He'll figure out what works for him with lots of trial and error. It's part of smoking an cooking.
Pair the two bits of info; • your lighter got so warm, it exploded, from sitting on the grate NEXT to the burn box and • your firewood, that you tried to dry and preheat ON the burn box caught on fire....... The grate is for preheating/drying fire wood👍👍.
Everytime I watch a video from this channel, I feel like I'm going on an adventure. Cheers Matt, and everyone else watching. Thanks for making my days a little less boring, and more bearable. Love y'all. I hope you have a good day.
I’ve noticed Matt is a man who is comfortable by himself. Most people would want someone with them when they make a video. Many of his are alone on his property. 👍
I'm 100% comfortable alone. I'm a trucker I'm away from family 2 weeks at a time. I can go multi days never saying a word to anyone at all. I'm currently parked up at a shipper with not a soul around me. You don't know who you are until you can be alone and listen to yourself think.
Been smoking brisket for over ten years. First time is always the funnest. But you knocked it out of the park! Out in the woods…. By yourself….. Fire….. Breakfast….. Living the best life dude!
On your insulated fire box, you could also insulate a door/lid on hinges for your top to open when you want to use as a grill?? Then, when the lid is closed, you could still use the space as a countertop type space.
Never cut a brisket while it's cooking. It'll become chewy. Also also must, must, must let it rest for at least 3 hours. Trust me it'll stay hot as hell even after that long. Key step. Otherwise all the juice runs out and the brisket ends up tough. Let those juices reincorporate. Other than those two things you did excellent for your first time smoking. I usually have someone else help when I smoke beef, chicken, turkey, or pork. That way someone always maintains temp. Also invest in a wireless probe thermometer you can check temp with that through an app. Work smarter never harder broski. 😎
@@TheAnnoyingBoss no sir. I rest mine that long and temp. hardly drops. As long as it's wrapped and in a well insulated cooler. The meat needs time to relax and let the juices be reabsorbed throughout the brisket. That's how you get super tender, juicy brisket that has that classic flop. Ask any real pitmaster. That rest time is crucial.
@@TheAnnoyingBoss you wrap it in paper during the cook, then wrap that in a towel when its done and place in a cooler. finished brisket is around 200 ish degrees in the center when you pull it. the towel and the cooler insulate the meat to let it come down in temp slowly. 2-4 hours, it will still be warmer than a steak off the grill resting for 5 minutes
Matt you're doing it just right, you're learning! You reminded me so much of the first time I started home brewing beer, I was kind of paranoid about everything and watching everything like a hawk, worried that it wasn't going to come out right or taste bad, but after two or three batches its old hat, and you will get the hang of it! Same thing with smoking, I did the same thing with that as well. Love your videos man, love what you're doing with the resort, please don't ever stop doing what you do!
The early mornings are the best! the stillness of the air, quiet and cool. The smell of the wood burning and the flickering flames in the dark. And NOBODY talking!!!!!
Foil is a bark killer. Use a single layer of butcher paper. Smoke at 215. Dont open the lid. Maintain temp by fire. And the closer to the fire box, the higher the temp.
@RyanConnell5150 I'm aware that he mentioned it. My comment still stands accurate. Foil is a bark killer. It causes the bark to get soggy and sometimes not stick. And too much butcher paper is the same as foil. Nowhere in my comment did I mention anything that says he didn't know about it. I merely made a statement iterating why foil is bad and how to use butcher paper.
Mikey is the certified Hype man of the channel! You have a great bunch of friends Mat and I love watching ya'll enjoying life while working on this huge project. 🤘🏼
Seeing you excited for your first brisket is awesome. As for the stump, instead of using it, you could always build a table around the tree right next to it, so you have a cool little sitting place overlooking the river, wrapped around a tree.
First off, get yourself a digital thermometer with wire leads so you can watch the temp of your meat from outside the grill. Second, dont cook to temp when you are planning on wrapping the meat. Cook to color. Once your meat gets to that nice dark brown color, wrap it, then cook to the recommended temp. I get mine up to 210 because thats the temp that the fat starts to render. Once it hits that temp, pull it off and let it rest for a few hours. I put mine in a cooler to rest. The apple cider vinegar will help get you to the nice color you want as well as keeping the outside nice and moist, dont want that brisket to dry out and turn to shoe leather. I said it on the other vid, but check out Meat Church.
The steps down to the river look awesome. Great use of all those huge boulders you have. Great job for a first time cooking a brisket. You will get better after more tries.
And please make a clean out able grease trap in that thing. It will fill up quick, and I do not want to see my favorite youtubers ranch go up in flames
Cut the bottom out, weld on a couple of C channels, and slide in a large deep tray like an oil pan for a transmission. We know you know what that looks like
I suggest use the remaining rocks to pile around the stump and then backfill dirt or build a platform/patio/deck on the rock base. Once you have a level pad, put a picnic table(s) on it.
Been smoking briskets for over 30 years and everyone who ever tries mine says it is the best they ever had. A few tips I recommend are: #1 Low & slow is the best. I start mine at 195 and cook until the probe temp reaches 165. Usually 8-10 hours. Then wrap and bump up to 220 for another 4-6 hours. That low temp 1st step gives you a good 1/2” smoke ring. If you cook too hot from the start your smoke ring will be much smaller because the meat seals and the smoke cannot penetrate. #2 the guy who commented on using only clean wood with no bark is 100% correct. #3 simple salt & pepper seasoning is the best I have found. Keep it simple.
Hey Matt, I'm sure all the experts have chimed in and given wonderful advice. Maybe Donut can help you refine your craft. Just a couple of things I noticed that might be helpful. First the firebox, try lining it with fire bricks to help hold in the heat and direct it to the smoker more efficiently. Next instead of using water to create the humidity try apple juice. Personally, I don't wrap my briskets and continue to cook them. Slow and steady temp at about 180 to 200 until finished. Imo it builds a better smoke ring and bark. Lastly, you might consider a set of cookware when using on your flattop. Maybe even a kettle for coffee. Good luck bud!
my 250 gallon homemade reverse flow smoker we built 10 years ago is still my favorite cooker to use for pulled pork or brisket but I don't use it much anymore cause I just don't sleep all night when I do. Wood>Pellets and I'll never be convinced otherwise. You mentioned building one. I'd research like crazy and build reverse flow. I spent countless hours researching dimensions and we put it together and it runs flawlessly.
Im 40 and went down this path last year because I got a pellet smoker cheap from my work and man is it worth learning! I mostly learned from youtube, and no matter what its trial and error so don't get discouraged! I found learning from the Meat Church BBQ channel to be the most helpful, and their rubs are amazing, I love their Gospel RUB!!!
You can get a bit of control over your temp with the chimney controlling your airflow so you don't kill your fire. You might consider cutting a vent with an adjustable cover on the back of the firebox so you are not relying on the door and you can get your air in lower.
Matt, good on the brisket. A few suggestions. Don't overload the smoke factor, too much of a "smoky" bark is the result. The vinegar "wet mop" is great for carolina bbq especially for the mustard based bbq sauce. Low and slow is great with brisket...the fat on it is the protection from burning up and keeps the meat "moist". My wife and I love your videos!
You are doing so many things right, but, if I may.... A. Learning your vent settings is crucial &:you're doing good on that front. About every 45 minutes is not uncommon to stoke the fire. B. I target 215°-225°. Above 225 and you lose your smoke. C. You WANT smoke! I normally keep my pit at 225 for about 5 hours. There does come a point when the bark is so hard, more smoke won't penetrate and that's around that 6-7 hour point. Now it's time to wrap. D. Once wrapped, you CAN take them in the house and finish in the oven or just leave them on the grill. At this point, it's just heat. E. When to take off- tou pull them off WHEN TENDER! yes there are temps associated with this (usually around 195°) but how it feels is more important. When you slide the meat thermometer in, it should be like butter. F. The Rest. Empty ice chest are great for this. Rest for 5 hours if you can. It will still be plenty hot. Finally, MeatChurch outta Waxahachie had EVERYTHING ya need (supplies & videos) to help you out. Cheers! 🍻
16 hours at 200. Smoke for 8 hours then wrap in butcher paper coated in beef tallow for the remaining 8 hours. Dry rub with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, dry mustard, onion powder, and garlic powder, and some dried and powdered brown sugar. (You can dry the brown sugar in the oven on 150 for an hour or two then pulverize it in a coffee grinder or food processor.) An injection with apple juice, worcestershire sauce, a shot of apple pie moonshine, honey, and Dijon mustard will keep the moisture at a good level during the smoking process. I usually inject it and put on a dry rub a couple of days ahead of time. While uncovered duringthe smoking 31:34 process, mop with a blend of apple juice and bourbon or spray with the same mixture. After 16 hours, let it rest in an ice chest for 6 to 8 hours, still wrapped in the butcher paper. It takes time and patience, but it's worth it. Also, stay on that temperature. I use pecan, a little hickory, apple, and oak. You have mesquite all around you. Use some of that but not too much or it will over power the meat.
Just a reminder, top of the fire box was just painted. Suggest you strip it and season it like a griddle if you want to cook directly on top. Even better option, get a cast iron griddle, season it and put it on top. Also, you need a grate in the fire box so that the ashes don’t put out your fire. Need air on all sides of your charcoal/wood. 😊
I dont trust the thermometer on the grill wall. Get a digital thermometer with several probes. You want 1 probe about 1 inch above the grates to measure your grill temp (225-250) and one in each piece of meat. You could use just Apple cider vinegar, but I've found a half and half mixtue with wather works best. Also, remove the bark from your logs. Bark makes dirty (white) smoke, and clean logs make blue (clear) smoke. After you finish smoking, put it in a cooler for 20-30 minutes and let it rest. All in all, great job for your first smoke. Smoking is a learning roller-coaster. Once you think you figured it out, the next smoke acts differently.
I'm positive someone has probably mentioned it already. I would suggest getting wireless thermometers that you can use with your phone. Also if you're going to do alot of whole briskets get yourself a cooler you can let them rest in for awhile before slicing into them. Internal temp is everything. Learning is the best part
Ditch the wire brush. It can leave metal strands on the grill and they can end up inside you. Use rolled up cardboard. Or, you can use an onion half. It will deglaze the bars and leave your grill surface nice and clean.
Meat smoking and bbq'ing is all about the right temperature....if you open the lid, you loose temperature...so only open when you need/have to...and as short as possible ! You also can use special woodflakes for smoking...gives a nice flavour to the meat... BTW, alu foil is used at the very end of the smoking....when the meat is nearly done, put it in alu foil to let the meat rest .
Can we take a second to see how far Matt has come. From how do I change this Chevy water pump too straight operating a backhoe !! Hell yeah brothers!!!
Good solid first attempt. Better than mine for sure. Pink butcher paper would really help with moisture. Just make sure to wrap tight or it will steam the meat. Find you a good thermometer system that preferably has a phone app. That way can grab a little sleep in the airstream. Welding gloves or some good high temp gloves for the heat. Also invest in some cheap white cotton gloves and a box of nitrile gloves (get the nitrile a size bigger). That way can handle the hot meat without tongs. You will definitely want them when start doing ribs. Good luck and have fun
You need some post oak wood splits Matt . Bark makes dirty smoke , clean splits only , and you want to never stop below 225 getting a lil hotter is better than to cool .
I suggested this after the last video. One only needs to watch guga foods to see the value. Cooking by temp takes alot of the guesswork out of smoking. A good set of remote probes with Bluetooth, butcherpaper and some tallow would have made that brisket amazing and ez.
FYI Matt. Also, remember to use Good Wood. Please don't use Pinewood to start the fire. try using Pecan, Hickory, or Oak wood, these would flavor the meat.
If you'll smoke the entire brisket as one piece, the flat and the point still connected, you will always end up with a better, juicier brisket. Let it go until 165-175* before you wrap it. I smoke a lot of briskets and unless something crazy happens, they turn out amazing. You will see a huge improvement between your first and second brisket, and even more improvement between your second and third brisket. Never go by time, go by bark and internal temperature. You will master this.
If you could get chuds bbq to come out he could teach you everything you need to know about cooking a brisket and just smoking meat in general. He is probably the best out there
A key Matt is to NOT open the smoker trust what you are doing. Open it a hour before removal test it more you open it then it it wont come out the way you want. I use Whiskey not vinegar
@ 26:02 "He's already pulled over! He can't pull over any farther..." "Now to teach you boys a lesson, we're gonna stand here while you boys smoke the whole bag."
A carpenter/contractor could come out, notch out a ledge into the stump with a laser level. Then you could build the table around the stump, and include it. Furthermore, carve a bowl into the exposed stump in the middle of the table. Fire proof the carved bowl, with sealant or a metal bowl etc. Thus making it a grill for the campground. Families could sit around the table cooking hotdogs, marshmallows etc.
10 minute club! Now he just needs the projection screen on the telephone poles at the range and BBQ and movies at the Desperado! Perhaps a screening of Tiny Guns 3?
Sand down the stump until its level, dig around it for some seating, then treat amd cover the stump in a thin epoxy to try and preserve it. Or you can cut off an inch or so of the top and use that as a table top that you can use wherever you want a tree table
Matt make a metal quarter circle you can weld above the door and experiment with different openings and mark on the wedge what your temps are at each. Boom instant temp control.
There is a BBQ comp going on down in Cuero this weekend, not to far from SA! It’s a sanctioned IBCA event and our team is cooking. Come on out and we can give you some tips!
My best tip for smoking is to avoid opening the doors as much as possible its the biggest mistake people make having a bluetooth thermometer helps alot with that the probe just stays in the meat the whole time and you can keep an eye on the internal temp from your phone
The absolute best intro to any one of your channels! WOW Matt! I cannot believe how much you’ve accomplished in this short amount of time! Such an inspiration! One love brother!
A hammer drill and some well placed feathering wedges would help you cut those rocks down to a size that would make for better stone steps. If you know of a local stone mason it might be worthwhile to have him to build your steps.
Just build a deck around the base of the stump. People can put their chairs down and use the stump as necessary. Plus it would make the stump the centerpiece.
Don't choke down your fire... Leave that small vent on the fire box and your stack open. Control your temp with the amount of wood and size of splits you put on. Cook at 225-250 until the bark looks good. Wrap. Cook a few more hours... You can use a temp gauge, but really, you can do it by just stabbing it with the temp probe. Once it goes in like butter, done. Let it rest for AT LEAST an hour.
Not bad for first time keep at it, I've smoked at least 100 briskets, it takes practice. Tips: Your logs (splits) are too big and they won't light and burn quickly creating a smoldering diety fire, making a bitter taste. Your briskets were cut in half, get whole briskets. Just do salt pepper garlic to start, then experiment with other rubs later. Get a quality insta read thermometer like thermopen or javelin pro. Wrap briskets at color (blackish meteorite looking), not temp.. sometimes full big briskets don't need wrapped if your fire management is on point. Don't spray briskets until they're close to the proper color so the bark can set, premature spraying or major temp fluctuations will ruin the bark formation. That smoker can fit 4-6 full size briskets. Learn to trim them properly too. Why smoke 1 if you can do more, practice first though. Proper brisket placement on smoker is key, each smoker is different. Turn brisket 180 (or rotate them all around so they cook evenly) if needed to get the other side up higher in temp. Only open smoker when absolutely needed and be ready to act fast and get the door shut or you'll mess with you're temps and fire management. Also, start your brisket whenever you want, even the day before... smoke it all day when you're awake. Wrap in foil or butcher paper at about 165-175 (at color). Your brisket should be over 200 degrees and when you poke it with your probe it should feel like pushing through peanut butter. Pull it off smoker and let it come down to 180ish degrees or so then wrap it in a few towels and place in a cooler for up to 6-8 hours (finish your cook before night so you can go to bed), then slice the next day when you're ready. Always rest your brisket like this for at least 3-4 hours minimum. Smoke on!
If you keep opening both sides wide open, you release a ton of the heat. Much like when you are baking in an oven. DONT. Try to keep the heat in. Also try mixing spices, not a lot, with the vinegar and mop it on the brisket. I was on a brisket team and learned some good tricks.
Should not have put it closer to the fire. That would have dried it out. You want to do it slow to render the fat. You also want to wrap it when the brisket starts to stall. The stall is when you check the temp one hour, and it is pretty much the same temp the next hour. If I recall correctly, the stall is usually around 170. It isn't 100% necessary to wrap, but it will help you get passed the stall quicker. After that, you want to cook to probe tenderness, not temperature. Probe tenderness is usually around 200 - 205. Probe tenderness is when the probe just slides through the meat with almost no friction, almost like peanut butter. After that, wrap it up in butcher paper, then a towel and put it into a cooler for a few hours to stay warm. It should be ready once it gets back down to around 160.
Also do whole briskets. Trim and make sure after they reach 200F (wrapped in butcher paper once they hit 170F) that you allow the brisket to rest for at least 2 hours. Up to 6 hours if you have a way to keep it in an insulated cooler or holding oven. Then slice it correctly. A perfect brisket can be ruined by slicing it wrong. Edit: Well crap, he cut those flats with the grain. Dios mios.
Idea: dig a hole next to the river -> concrete a little pool in to it -> direct the flowing water trough the pool. Fresh water pool with minimal work to keep it up.
Or stack rocks like he did with stairs, but use concrete between the rocks to fill the gaps, less concrete and looks way nicer. Stack the full width of the river so it acts like a dam.
Smoking meat is best done around a group of friends. Get some friends, sit around a camp fire, smoke some meat, drink some beer, have some laughs, then eat the bbq.
