Too low and too slow?

[Roy]

Well I screwed up my latest brisket just last weekend. It was a real joy as we had lots of people over and it really sucked. Tasty and juicy and tough as shoe leather. I did a mild marinade for about 12-14 hrs then a tasty rub and on the Q at 4AM. I decided I'd had my best results at the stupid stinking inadequate moronic 175-190 setting on the f$#^$^% Traeger. I figured that 12 hrs or so would get me there with a 9 pound full brisket. WRONG! I was determined not to jack up the heat but with one hour to go I only had 180 internal. So up to 240-250 and it came up fairly quickly to 195. What a disappointment.
#1 I have had success with this method before.
#2 I guess I should have turned it up sooner.
#3 Don't say to use the higher setting cause IT'S TOO HIGH.
#4 This was the second of 2 briskets from a new supplier and they both sucked but it may be my fault.
#5 Why can't Traeger give me 220-225?????????
#6 I saw the Traeger crew with a bunch of their rigs on local TV and guess what...the shiney new models were running at 190
Bottom line I think the brisket was overly tough and I had it too low and too slow but how to correct I dunno. It was not at all dry so perhaps if I had given it the last 3 hours at the higher setting it would have been fine. Black...but fine.

[Lewis & Herschel]

If it is tough, it is undercooked. I think 225 is the lowest any bbq should be cooked at, below that you are leaving food in the danger zone too long. I think you also may have gotten a bad reading from your thermometer, that sounds like too short a time to come up that much, you may have went all the way through the brisket and got a read off the grate.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with cooking at 245-250.
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[Harry Nutczak]

and also remember no 2 briskets are the same, so no 2 cooking events will ever be the same.

This one could have been thicker, tougher, who knows! Once you get a feel for what the internal temp needs to be along any part of the cook it should help.

I agree with L&H, get that temp up to 225 minimum for cooking meats. there is a thread around here on fast cooking a brisket. I have done some fast and have been very pleased.

Times & temps are only a guideling, not a science.
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[Pigcasso]

I am one of the ones that cooks the brisket hot and fast. I usually cook at 300-325 for 4-5 hrs unwrapped then wrap and place in a cooler for another 2 hrs.

Comes out better than when I did low and slow. Low and slow for me always were dry.

Harry is right, lots of ways to do it at various temperatures. Find what works for you and don't be afraid to experiment.
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[rashley]

I feel your pain. I have a traeger that I use when I am too tired to watch my DPP fat 50 overnight. I also have the problem of one setting getting me about 190 and the very next click up jumps to 250. Here is what I do. I cook Fat side down so that the bottom doesn't get too hard. I layer the outside of the brisket with bacon to act as the portion that gets too much heat. It keeps the brisket itself from getting too hard/thick of a bark. Then I cook to 190/195 internal and then foil and let rest for about an hour or two in an ice chest. No ice of course . I hope some of this helps. It almost always works for me. I might contact Traeger and see if there is some mod I can do to slow the auger ever so slightly while on that setting to get about 225 instead of 250. When all else fails, I fire up the DPP 50 and it comes out great every time. That is if I am not too tired to watch it and feed it.
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[EastTennQcrew]

I have a FEC100 and 500. And the 500 came with a Treager controller, and I had the same problems with temp ranges. The new controllers on the FEC's have a digital controllers. and they can be set in 2 degree settings.

[Marky C]

There is a mod on the Traeger, I have done it on mine at it is dialed right in now. Inside the digital controller, there is dial that goes from 0 to 9??
It needs to be changed. I can't remember what it is right now. YOU SHOULD CONTACT TRAEGER FIRST!! They were very helpful.
I had same problem, 180 setting would go to 200+. 225 would go to 250+.
As far as smoking too low. I like to start at the "Smoke" setting for couple hours, then set at 225 until done. Good luck.
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[Roy]

Hey thanks guys. You that have had experience with Traeger controllers know exactly what I'm talking about. Of all the temps to miss it's gotta be 220! Now Mark I've tried that dial you mentioned but without success but I think I'll try again now cause this is a joke.

[Bryce Crane]

Hey Rashley...Doing my first brisket tomorrow on my DDP Fat 50. Any suggestions I need to know about???

Appreciate any tips you can dish out.
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[Marky C]

I have also read that some types of pellets burn hotter.
Maybe SkyBob will chime in. It seems he has some experience with the Traegers also. Good Luck.
_________________
Kill a cow, Start a fire ...
The magic begins.

2 Drum Smokers
Traeger Texas
CharGriller
22" Weber Kettle
Portable Sportsman Gasser
Sizzle Q Griddle
1 Hot Rock

[bluesman250]

If god meant for us to BBQ with pellets, they would grow on trees. Scrap the pellet cooker and get a stick burner or a charcoal rig. My 200 WSM will cook at any temp i want for hours and hours and hours with no fuss. And it cost a 5th of what a pellet cooker does.

But if you stick with the treager, use the higher setting. 240-250 is just fine for brisket, or pork for that matter.

[Marky C]

The post in not about pellet over stick burners, or gas or,charcoal or whatever. Just trying to give some advice.
_________________
Kill a cow, Start a fire ...
The magic begins.

2 Drum Smokers
Traeger Texas
CharGriller
22" Weber Kettle
Portable Sportsman Gasser
Sizzle Q Griddle
1 Hot Rock

[Marky C]

Double posted- sorry
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Kill a cow, Start a fire ...
The magic begins.

2 Drum Smokers
Traeger Texas
CharGriller
22" Weber Kettle
Portable Sportsman Gasser
Sizzle Q Griddle
1 Hot Rock

[Jeff Hughes]

If your cooker will run nicely at 250 or so, go for it, that is a great temp to cook briskets, pork butt, ribs, or chicken.
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[Roy]

[Jeff Hughes]

Why is 250* too high for long cooks?
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[Roy]

Jeff a convection oven allows you to cook fast or get more cooking effect with a lower temp if you will and that's what goes on in a Traeger unit because of the forced draft fan. If you haven't used one you couldn't know that.

[Jeff Hughes]

I know what convection is.

Even with convection, 250 is a moderate temp.

I know lots of guys who cook at well over 300, and win.

I wonder why 250 is too high in your cooker.
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[Lewis & Herschel]

I use Convection with my Guru on my Stumps and Cook at 250 to 275 all the time. I have zero, zip, no issues what so ever.

And I do not foil butts or briskets. It is no problem.
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[Roy]

I don't know. All I know is that at 250 that brisket's gonna be at 200 in 6 hours or less no problem and that's too fast.