My friend told me to soak my wood chips. Ruined a whole brisket.

I had this buddy Mike who swears by soaking hickory chips overnight before smoking. Tried it on a 14 pound brisket last weekend and the meat came out tasting like steamed sawdust. No smoke ring at all after 12 hours on the smoker. He saw my pictures and finally admitted he learned that from a YouTube video that was full of bad info. Anyone else been tricked into soaking chips when dry is the real way to go?

3 comments

3 Comments

annajenkins22h ago

I mean yeah it sucks but is it really that big of a deal. You messed up one brisket, its not like you burned down your smoker or hurt someone. Dry chips next time and youll be fine, no need to make it sound like a tragedy.

murphy.tessa22h ago

19 hours of bbq is a long wait just to have it come out dry, I feel for you. @annajenkins may not get it, but when you're trying to perfect a craft it stings when a cook goes sideways. A brisket that size is an investment in time and money, so it's okay to be bummed about it.

the_tessa18h ago

Actually it's not dry chips that help, it's keeping a consistent temp and wrapping at the right time. Dry rub or dry brine can actually pull moisture out if you overdo it, that's not the fix here. The real issue is usually the stall phase and not giving enough time for the fat to render properly. 19 hours should be plenty for most briskets but if your smoker temp was bouncing around or you peeked too often, that's what dries things out. So no, one bad brisket isn't a tragedy but the advice about chips isn't really the solution either.