How important is humidity when smoking a brisket?
Recipes for smoking brisket typically recommend a temperature of 225 F. My weber smokey mountain has a water pan to help regulate the temperature. But what if I am able to maintain that temperature without a waterpan? Would it cook the same way or is the humidity necessary when smoking brisket?
Best Answer
The water pan does affect humidity in the cooking chamber and therefore, it does change the how quickly moisture evaporates out of the meat. The question really becomes - "Will the meat be moist enough without the water pan?" Which, to a degree, is personal preference. Some choose to not use a water pan and baste instead, some use both and some neither.
I would recommend trial and error. Brisket is relatively pricey so I would recommend using pork shoulders. Smoke one with the pan and one without and see if you think the moisture content is satisfactory. The briskets won't cook exactly the same but the relative moisture level in the shoulders should give you a decent estimate.
I personally always use a water pan, but I don't usually fear meat from a smoker being "too moist", and it does wonders for temperature stabilization. I also have a larger smoking chamber than a WSM so it's possible that too moist is a larger concern for you.
One last note, while cooking too hot for too long will inevitably dry out your meat, cutting a brisket or shoulder without letting it set for at least an hour (ideally 2) after cooking will also dry it out.
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Quick Answer about "How important is humidity when smoking a brisket?"
If the humidity levels are high, moisture cannot evaporate off the surface of the meat, keeping the surface temperature of the meat high, speeding up the cooking time. On the other hand, if humidity levels are low, the moisture will evaporate and cool the surface of the meat, slowing down the cooking time.How do you smoke a brisket and keep it moist?
Add Moisture After two or four hours of cooking, you can lightly spray your brisket with water, hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, or apple juice. You can do this every 30 minutes or every hour, based on preference.How do you smoke a brisket without drying it out?
Make sure to set the grill or smoker to the correct temperature before adding the brisket. If the temperature is too high, the meat will dry out, especially if it's left in there for too long. One issue might be with the smoker itself\u2014or more specifically, the way it's configured.Can you have too much moisture in smoker?
The moisture on the surface of the meat usually evaporates cooling the meat down a bit as it cooks. If the conditions are too humid, there will be too much moisture on the meat and in the air for this evaporation to occur, which means the temperature is able to rise much more steadily.Why is my smoked brisket dry and tough?
Often, tough brisket comes about as a result of undercooking. The meat needs to be subjected to low temperatures for many hours in order to achieve that prized tenderness. If the brisket does turn out too tough, you may be able to salvage it by returning it to low heat for a few hours.How to Smoke Brisket + Smoked Beef Tallow | Mad Scientist BBQ
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Answer 2
According to Big Green Eggic, the main effect of the water pan is help keep the heat even and low in the cooker by:
- Providing a buffer mass
- Not heating above the boiling point (212 F / 100 C)
This makes it easier to hold even, low temperatures (like 225 F) for long, low and slow cooking.
They claim the humidity change is not really terribly important, as water evaporates from the surface of the foods relatively quickly in any case.
The article Physicist Cracks BBQ Mystery in the Huffington Post blog (which is very interesting in its own right) mentions that many successful competition barbequers are choosing to barbecue at slightly higher temperatures, which would make the entire point of the water pan moot.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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