Smoking with a Weber Q 3100

You have really set yourself a task with that one and I don't own a Weber Q but let me give you my thoughts.

The secret to a good brisket is a low temperature cook over a long time. You need to do it for about 10-12 hours, maybe more and get the internal temp of the brisket up over 200f (95c) so it turns a tough cut in to a delicious tender result. Cooking it at normal roasting temps will just produce a tough result.

The 3100 has 2 burners and you need to use one, probably the small one, to get a constant temperature in the BBQ of around 230-250f (110-120c) for a long time. The advice about having part of the grill with no heat under it is irrelevant so forget that. The way around it is to have the briket on a tray like cake rack, Weber trivet with foil under it to shield it from the direct heat or even better, cut down foil tray to half it's height, put a rack over the top for the meat to sit on and add some liquid in there to help maintain moisture. Apple juice is good for that.

You can adjust the burners once you get going to maintain the right temperature.

Once you are underway, give the brisket a spay with some apple juice or plain water about every 60 minutes or so but do it quickly so you don't lose temperature in the BBQ.

You should have a thermometer to monitor the meat temperature and once it hits around 160f (70c) you will find it 'stalls' at that temperature for a while. It may even drop back a bit but don't worry. Once it's sat for an hour at that level, wrap the brisket tightly in butcher paper or foil and put it back in the BBQ, increasing the termperature to around 275-300f (135-150c). It should only take another couple of hours to get the meat to the target. Then take it out, leave it wrapped and sit while it comes back down to about 160f internal. That's the time to unwrap and slice.

I wouldn't get to hung up on smoke for this one. It's very hard to get a smoking box hot enough without increasing the bbq temp past what you are aiming for. Just put a good rub on it and away you go.

If you are keen on smoking and want to advance your options in the future, I'd suggest buying a Weber kettle which you will find locally on the second hand market at a very reasonable price.

My last bit of advice is cook it a day or two before hand. It takes the stress out of it and you can just reheat in the microwave (not oven or it will dry out) when you want to serve. My experience is that it tastes better the next day anyway. I'm doing that right now with a puled pork for tomorrow night.

Let us know how it goes and good luck.

Have a look here. This is how I smoke in the family Q. This was ribs, but you'll get the idea.

Middle burner only and foil to make it indirect. Also a roasting rack so it's not sitting on the foil. I used pellets in a stainless sieve.

Hopefully it links to the correct part of the post, if not you'll find it.

Post

RE: Lazy arvo ribs on WeberQ

Clever!

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werewolf

Sep 10th 2016

Wouldn't it be nice if someone who asked a question and got a detailed answer at least acknowledge it.

Manners.

agree gumb, although its a great guide for beginners like me and can be adapted to diff bbqs. I'm keen to try a brisket and have a weber kettle and genesis, might try on genesis so don't need to be constantly tending fire.

Do the brisket in the kettle - snake method.

Will only need to tend the fire after 12hrs to extend the snake if needed.

I agree with that, do it in the kettle.

alright, might have to give the snake another go. Reckon it burnt too quickly last time as I think the smoking wood on top lit more along the bricks than just the face of the snake.

Don't stress if the kettle is running a bit hot. Give whatever you are cooking two or three hours of smoke, tightly wrap with a bit of liquid or sauce, then place it in your gasser or oven on low.