Oh man... when you think of good Texas BBQ, you gotta have a good ol' smoked brisket. This was a very successful cook and glad I was able to finally post one. I hope you all enjoy watching this as I did smoking it. Cheers, Brew-Qers!
Enjoyed your video. I have one of these grills and have been struggling with obtaining a decent smoke without overstocking. It seems if I put more than two chunks of wood in there I get a white chimney of smoke. I was impressed to see you put so many wood chunks in there and have a decent, controlled smoke going. I would love to see a video of how you bring the grill to temp, or a brief description. Thanks!
I've been watching your videos for a few weeks and this is the one I needed... I'm new to the kamado world so actually seeing the grill prep for a LONG smoke makes me comfortable enough to try this. putting the chunks I the middle at the bottom was new for me. thanks, keep putting more videos up!
+kiel matesic I'm glad they help out! Yeah, you can easily get a long smoke going on these things. Regardless of what kamado you use, they all have about the same result. Some of the more expensive are just built a bit better longevity wise. I'm still working on figuring out the key to a good smoke ring on a kamado. The smoke flavor is definitely there. There is a chemical reaction that happens to the meat around the 160 degree range that takes place as the smoke hits the meat but these kamados hold temp so well that the cooking efficiency itself is better than a barrel smoker.
Once you have done a cook for that long at that low of a temp, you have officially mastered your grill. It's a fact. Nothing more difficult on charcoal than what you just pulled off. Cheers.
I don't know how old this video is, but it stands the test of time as it was fun to watch and easy to follow. I am smoking my first brisket today and I searched videos for advice. Your video gave me everything I needed from the simple rub recipe, how to use it, settting up my Kamado and picture of how my brisket should look through the entire smoke. I'm only making a small 5 pound one as my family is small, but I'm excited and I'm sure it will come out great following your directions. Great video.
I am waiting on my Big Steel Keg to get here and can't wait to try a brisket! Made one on my PBC but it's too cold here for it to work well. Not to mention you can't cook a brisket nearly that long in ideal weather anyway. Definitely excited to get into Kamado cooking. Great video!
LOL you didn't watch them before? Trying to balance out the bbq vids with the beer vids but sometimes the beer vids take over my channel lol. Cheers, bro!
+Brian Fisher that'd be a nice project to document and post on RU-vid. Probably grab more subscribers as well doing that kind of stuff to throw in a little mix
I read some of your comments about this smoker rusting out,and the ceramics are better because if this,but for the difference in price,and the fact that you can get these on sale at times, you could buy several of these for the price of one ceramic. I am a huge fan of this smoker and covering and easy maintanence will keep it in good shape for several years. You do a great job with your videos, thanks,for teaching us how to use our kamado’s.
Yeah, no doubt that you can buy them at crazy good prices sometimes. I agree it’s a great Kamado, just wished it lasted longer. I’m happy to hear folks appreciate my efforts. Cheers and smoke on!
I purchased one of these CharGriller Akorns from Lowes earlier this month after watching several of your videos (plus it was on sale). Have used it a ton and love it - best all around cooker I've used. Followed your rub recipe and instructions on a 12 lbs brisket. Smoked it with a mixture of soaked hickory and oak chunks and some apple wood chips. 16.5 hours - never had to touch the Akorn except I closed the top vent to just barely open before I went to bed. Put it on at 3:00 p.m. - let it smoke all night - never got up to check it - Akorn was still reading 250 this morn - brisket was 211 or so. Dude - probably the best tasting brisket I've ever done! Lots of bark and the flavor is spot on. Unfortunately this brisket is for a church function (so I can't eat much of it - just a sampling or two, or three!). So guess I'll have to go get another one! Love your videos and all the advice. The Akorn is definitely worth it.
+Benny Hood that's pretty awesome! I'm glad my videos have been helpful in demonstrating the possibilities in using the Akorn. Briskets do come out very tasty from it for sure. I'll be doing another brisket video soon using a Dalmatian rub method. Thanks for the sub! Cheers!
I appreciate the helpful response. Not sure if you remember, but you help me set my dampers correctly, when I first got my Akorn. Now I have friends offering to buy it because of the results I'm getting! lol Thanks!
Glad you are enjoying yours! They are fun to cook on. I noticed my ash pan getting a little rust on it. I'm going to do a video of refinishing my ash pan with some high heat grill paint soon.
Me: I wonder what's on RU-vid today? RU-vid: learn how to cook a brisket on Akorn Kamado Kooker. Me: 22 minutes later, Rerouted to Amazon to buy a Akorn Kamado Kooker and off to heb to buy a brisket lol. Wish me luck.
The Brew-Q I have only owned and cooked on a propane grill for a few years now. I live in Texas and I every one I know bbq's with a traditional bbq pit. I'm in the market for a pit and this Komoda looks like a great fit for me. Great video btw. Never slow cooked a brisket but I'll definitely be trying this recipe.
You will love the versatility with cooking on a Kamado. Gives you the option to grill burgers, smoke a brisket, or bake a pizza with that fire-grilled flavor. Best of so many outdoor grilling worlds.
The Brew-Q I love to cook so this should increase menu options a little lol. I'll be watching for more videos ok this grill. Any pointers for a beginner?
Thanks for the vid. I've got a brisket going in my new Akorn now. I got a sweet clearance deal at Walmart due to a slight dent in the side. It was marked down to $140. I really wasn't looking for a grill, but saw it and bought it. I'm really loving it so far!
Just found one of these grills on the side of the road with some dumped mattresses. I'm going to clean and restore it and get cookin. Nice video, nice brisket. Thanks.
Here is what I got from this video: Don't under season the meat, don't overtrim the fat layer, soak the wood chips and bury them in the coals; use a good dual digital thermometer, cook at 250 degrees in the grill until internal temperature is 200 degrees (maybe remove at 190+ and wrap and let it come up to 200 in the kitchen), use a water filled pan to keep the air moist, don't over check it but spritz with water or apple juice when you do. Did I miss anything important or get anything wrong? I'll be trying out my new Akorn this weekend.
I ordered an akorn which will be here Friday - of course its gonna rain this weekend so I won't be putting it together to try out but it's nice to see a start to finish video here. This will be my first grill/smoker I've bought myself and haven't used one in years so this although an older video is great to see
It’s a great grill to get to cooking on Kamado-style. I switched from an offset to it back in the day and had a lot of fun with it. I no longer have the grill but it was fun to cook on for sure. Cheers!
@@TheBrewQ wow keeping up with the comments huh? That's great lol. That's kinda what I saw - a great all arounder that you can do a lot of different things on if you have the right accessories like the deflector. And much more reasonably priced for someone who's just getting into all of this stuff. Maybe fall in love with it and move up to other things.
Love my Akorn! So versatile you can cook in many ways on it! Smoking, Grilling Steaks, Pizza with a pizza stone. Man I will say when you get that baby nice and hot it sears steaks as good as any steak house!
I have this smoker and I smoked a 13 pound brisket on it with peach wood at 300 degrees and it smoked it in about 6 hours and it was so good this is a very good smoker
emile bacchus was it tender? The lower temp is so you can gradually bring up the temp while giving the brisket time to melt apart with the fat. Too fast and the meat can be chewy and tough. Glad the Akorn worked out for you! Cheers!
The Brew-Q but I cooked it until it reached an internal temp of 180-185 and wrapped it and let it sit so it could reached the internal temp of 195 so it want over cooked
good job.. i've been using a kamodo acorn but i haven't mastered how to lay out wood charcoal so i haven't been smoking properly.. looks like form your vid i just haven't been adding enough.. i'm adding as fuel dies and its' really hard to get under all of the levels of things to add. so i just lay out mesquite lump and wood chunks like this and the air flow slowly allows it to keep catching? nice nice.
Great video! I am wondering how close the temp on the lid was to the temp on your igrill probe? I know that the factory lid temp probes are notoriously wayyyy off.
YEP.,.u really showed the way ,from set up to GET SOME!! I pulled the trigger n got the kamander..dude it came with everything basically for 288$ even though it has the heat diffuser I want the cooking stone .it's 34$ . I know I ragged u on your chicken vid ubut u replied with courtesy!!! I'm using your vids + the kamander community too. It's all good. Thanks
One piece of advice I would give is to open the lid as little as possible and get spritzing or whatever you need done as quickly as possible. I know some open time in videos is for filming, but really try to minimize it. It helps keep temperature under control. Free airflow for a couple minutes gets a lot of coals going and can really spike the temperature.
Thanks for the video. Smoking my first brisket on the Akorn Kamado on Wednesday. Can you provide any detail on how you got the Akorn up to 220F? I've had major trouble with this in the past (always seems to get too hot and I can't bring it back down). After you used the fire starter on the coals and closed it, approx how long and what temp did you start to close off the damper and bottom air valve? Did you have to mess around with the coals or add any other smoke chips/chunks later in the smoke? Thanks again for posting!
I always start with the top and bottom vents wide open. As I get close to 170 degrees, I start dialing the vents down to about the 2 mark on both top and bottom. Once I hit about 200, I then start dialing them down even more to the 1 mark and wait for the temp to stabilize. If it isn’t at 225, i May open the vents back up to 2 for about 15 minutes to try and get the temp up and then closing back down to the 1 mark. Takes practice but does become second nature i promise. This can take up to an hour but patience is critical. Cheers!
+Tugboat I've been using an igrill temp probe that works with my phone via Bluetooth. The newest version is called the igrill 2. Works like a champ! Used to be manufactured by idevices but weber bought the patent and now makes it. I use an older version in my videos.
No, I (of course) saw a scene in a movie that took place in an Hasidic Jewish private home kitchen. Every single surface was covered with foil. Hasidic law is extreme. I just want to smoke a brisket, and we have the same grill that you use. I paid around $50.00 for 3 lbs of brisket. So Ima make my own, following your method. Thanks for posting it!😁 Not anti-Jewish a bit.
Tugboat I used to and it works fine to do so but I actually found that mixing the wood chunks throughout the pile ensures a steady smoke through the entire cook. So I would put a little coal down, then 3 or 4 chunks of soaking wet wood, a little more coal, some more soaking wet wood, and then top off with coal.
How exactly do you get it to hold the temperature you need for whatever you are cooking? Is that based on how many coals you have in there or ventilation?
+Tyler Burke the amount of coals won't really matter, it's how you dial in your vent settings. I mention in a few of my vids about methodology in achieving a fairly steady temp. You want to slowly bring your grill up to temp by opening the top and bottom vents halfway and once you are about 50 degrees away from target temp, you can start dialing down to the number one on bottom and about an eighth inch gap on top vent. It takes practice but does work well.
enjoyed it. what did you have your top and bottom dampers set on and did you have to adjust any as you went? I've had some successful Thanksgiving Turkey smoking success, but i want to tackle a low/slow brisket this weekend. thanks!
They stayed around the number 1 mark on both but if temp started to drop, I’d adjust them to the 1.5 mark on both and monitor from there eventually dialing back down to the 1 Mark. Just a little bit of a dance that I do that seems to work well.
Man -o- man. That sure looks yummy. I have to get one of those probes. Love brisket but there hard to find on sale. let em rest before you cut them and use an electric knife cross grain. I'll have to do a smoker video at some some point. Looks great from Cut-n-Shoot Texas. Cheers
+Drunkinone yessir! I agree! I usually buy them on sale at HEB when I get one. I have an electric knife as well and it would have made it easier to cut the point especially in the real tender areas. I have some still separated in portions and frozen for breakfast tacos or a quick BBQ dinner. Cheers!
I've been doing some research into these egg smokers, but they're kind of pricey. The Akorn Char-Griller is the most economical, but I was worried that it wouldn't hold temps as well as the ceramic versions. Looks like from your video it did just find over an extended period. I might get one just as a starter, and if it works out move up to a Big Green Egg or one of the other ceramic versions. Great video!
+Tom Allison I thought the same at first but I have been very pleasantly surprised at how well this cheap kooker performs. The longevity of it is the biggest concern. It definitely won't last as long as a full ceramic but you are correct, it is a good entry into Kamado cooking. Cheers!
I bought an Akorn grill last week and did a brisket on it Friday night. I couldn't keep the temperature steady, and I had to relight it twice. What do you keep your top and bottom dampers set on to keep it at a constant low temp (like about 250)? The brisket ended up coming out great, but I didn't have the luxury of letting it go overnight while I slept, I had to stay up with it all night.
+Tom Allison I keep my bottom damper set at 1 and the top damper set at about an eighth of an inch gap. Haven't had any flameouts yet. You are not alone with this issue, though. I have had a few other people have the same problem. It's definitely an air flow issue for sure.
Great video. Did you go right from the smoker to the cutting board? I've read recipes that say to wrap it in a towel and throw in a cooler for an hour. Is that needed?
Doug Young yeah, you want to give the meat some time to rest as juices redistribute through it and it will continue to cook itself and tenderize more while it rests. General consensus is 1 hour. Thanks!
Got my Akorn for Father's Day. Best grill I have ever had from a construction/materials PoV. Gonna try smokin something for the first time ever in just a couple of weeks. Did you ever have to add to your fire or did it take care of itself after the initial lite?
Well buddy I just wanted to let you know I stepped up this weekend and smoked a brisket this weekend using your recipe. IT TURNED OUT AMAZING!!!! Especially for the first time ever doing so. If I had to be completely honest probably just a little bit more done thanit should've really been. I had trouble keeping my akorn at a consistent temp. It consistently creeped up or decreased on temp. It never went anything too crazy tho. Just wondering if you had any tips at maybe keeping a more consistent temp. Anything will help. Thanks and I love your videos
Yessir! With the AKORN, don’t sweat the swings too much. Keep that baby dialed in around the 1 mark on top and bottom. When starting off, start dialing down the vents to the 1.5 mark at the 175 degree mark allowing the temp to creep up and once you are about 5 degrees away, dial it to the .75 to 1 inch mark on both vents. You may see slight jumps in temp but don’t sweat it. If you start to dive too low approaching 200, open the vents up to as far as the 1.5 mark and wait 10 minutes and when you see the creep up happening, dial back to 1. It takes practice but you will learn your smoker no doubt. Cheers!
I bought acorn smoker abut a year ago and didn't like the way it leaked so what I did was get a green egg gasket seal kit and doubled it around the lid and I also sealed the bottom! What a difference it made!! Love the smoker as well as the suggestions thanks.
right on. Yeah, I have not had any leak issues with the smokes so far. I have entertained the idea of replacing with the egg gasket kit if my current gasket ever wears out. Thanks for stopping by!
I like this guys vids... hes good. My Main smoking instructor is the great Melcolm Reed, ( YT How to BBQ Right ) but this guys good ! Thanks Bud... keep 'em coming !
+chutulu mons (xav1) should be a hit! Just remember to keep it low and slow, pull it off the grill at 195 degrees, foil it and put in a cooler for an hour, then slice it up! It's good stuff!
Thanks for making the video, what wood did you use to smoke? Wait for the temperature to reach the one you want to use and close the ventilation holes to keep it there?
+Carlos Javier Montes Benoit, I used mesquite and oak for this smoke. When you get writhin about 25 degrees of your target temp, you want to start closing the vents down to the number 1 on the bottom vent and about a 1/8" crack on the top vent. It will continue to climb but usually will start to steady out around the target temp and may only fluctuate +/- 10 degrees. Hope that helps!
+Guitarpick1770, generally I just use a wire bush to scrub off the grate and then afterwards, I coat the grate in any type of oil such as vegetable or peanut to prevent rust.
While I havent done this.. Still doing research for purchase.. How are you determining the amount of charcoal to use for the duration of your smoke? Also, what temp monitor is that?
If its a long smoke, put as much as you can in there as far as charcoal is concerned. If you are doing a short smoke, 2 lbs is usually enough if its lump charcoal. This remote thermometer was the Weber Igrill but it has been replaced with a new inkbird.
Great vid. I have an Akorn jr that won't handle a brisket this size so I planned on doing one on my electric smoker. I've had good luck with the electric doing ribs and pork butts but never tried a brisket or chuck. Do you ever use electric for beef?
I have never used an electric smoker. The closest thing is the Traeger but other than that I’ve always used wood and coal. You should be able to do a brisket just fine in one, though. The only thing I think could be an issue is the amount of smoke needed to give a deep smoke flavor to the meat.
+Chris Groth I'm using the igrill by idevices. I use their ambient probe and their meat probes. They no longer sell my version but have a newer one that is called the igrill 2. It is Bluetooth and works very well. Google igrill and you'll find it. You won't regret the purchase.
great video, just brought a Akorn kamado, looking forward to using it! as a 1st time smoker, how much is too much smoke, or should say what happens if the family hates tasting bushfire? do i start with a few chunks or one or many chunks? cheers
+Tugboat for a typical 8 plus hours smoke, I would go with about 6 to 8 big chunks of smoking wood. You'll get some smoke flavor from your base lump charcoal as well. I recommend soaking the chunks in water for about an hour prior to the cook that way the wood burns and smolders slower than if it was dry. If you use wood chips, I'd put them in foil and poke holes in the foil. The chips will ignite if just tossed in your fire directly which will cause a major spike in temp. Congrats on your new kooker!
+Bag Of Donuts none at all, really. I’d adjust the vents maybe a few times in the beginning but it pretty much stays within 10 to 15 degrees of the settings.
I know this is a old video!! But I'd put in a few spices at a time n shook it up,that tin was full!!!! Anyway , we've both moved up!!! I'm leaning towards a pellet, a little. Love my kamado though!!
Hey man. Great video. Waiting for my akorn delivery - scheduled for Monday. How do you get the temp probes into the akorn? Looks like you just have them running under the lid? No special-made holes or anything? Thanks for your videos. Stay safe
Would you recommend following the rest of your instructions if I don't have a smoking stone? Mine didn't come with one, so we will try with a terra cotta saucer?
Thank you!! GMTA I guess? We opted for a pizza pan! I read a bunch of tips where people said they used the saucer and they exploded. I am skeptical that will happen at a lower heat but what if something goes wrong -- YIKES! We just got finished rubbing your spice blend all over. Have you ever added coffee to it or does that make it completely NOT Texas brisket? :) TY for the great video!
+Mrs Koz I haven't used a coffee addition to the rub but there are so many parts of Texas that make rubs differently from each other. Most basic "Texas" rub is just salt and pepper. Coffee would make it interesting, tho!
I, honestly, have zero experience with the Weber smokey mountain grill but from what I can tell, you will have a lot less issues keeping a steady temp with the akorn due to it being so well-insulated. I don't get an amazing smoke ring on my meats but the smoke flavor is definitely there and so I don't mind the lack of a big smoke ring. I think if it were me, I would still go with the akorn due to the versatility of it. Sorry if I wasn't of much help but I can tell you that you won't be disappointed in this choice. Cheers!
I have a 22.5" WSM. It'll hold 225 degrees F for 14 hours on a full load of fuel. Once it's dialed in, it will stay at the target temp until it runs out of fuel. Great for overnight cooks.
+sawtoothscream 1 I would say about 4 pounds of charcoal? I filled it all the way til it was just below the smoking stone. I only burned about 2 lbs and had some charcoal left for another cook. I also mixed wood chunks in with it.
I just got a Kamado Jr. and I have a question. How do you get the center of the grate to stay in? It looked like yours was firmly in the center. Mine keeps falling inside of the grill on to the fire. Help, Please
I'm not sure on the Kamado jr since mine was the full-sized one. If you continue to have that issue, you may want to reach out to chargriller to see if its something they can replace or fix.
I no longer have this mode but now have the full ceramic model. This one started rusting out on me after 2 years. If you are in a low humidity region then go for it but if not, try and go full ceramic. Lowe’s carries the full ceramic AKORN in the spring. Costs more but will last you way longer. This steel model did do a great job with everything but it has an expiration date.
I live in Iowa, so humidity is an issue, but my steel Akorn is on a covered porch. I had my first one for six years and it still functions fine and I use it for party cooks, but it is showing it's age. I just got a new one this summer because I just wanted a new better looking one. I just wish they made a 24" model. Another big plus is the Joetiserrie works on it also. Bargain.
1 on the top damper and 1 on bottom. If temp starts to die down, open bottom and top to 1.5 or even 2 and then dial back to 1 on both once temp starts ramping up.
