Almost ruined a brisket after a grease fire in my kettle at 2am

I was doing an overnight cook in my backyard in Tulsa, temp held at 225 for 6 hours, then I opened the lid to spritz and the whole drip tray went up. Grease had pooled under the deflector and a fat chunk fell right on the coals, flames shot up past the grates. I panicked and slammed the lid shut, cut all the vents off, and let it choke out for 20 minutes. The brisket picked up a heavy smoke soot taste, but I trimmed the bark off and it was still edible. Anyone else had a flare-up like this and saved the meat, or is it just ruined once that happens?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa_jones2122d ago

Trimmed bark and called it “blackened”? That’s just breakfast.

the_dylan20d agoTop Commenter

...and honestly, I'm with the opposite side here. That soot taste is basically a free smoke infusion. You trimmed the bad parts off and it fed you, right? That's a win in my book. People get way too precious about bark and perfect smoke rings. A grease flare up is just a mistake that adds a story to the cook. If the meat isn't dry or raw, you ate it and you're still standing, so where's the actual loss? Calling it ruined is like saying a steak is trash because you seared it a minute too long. You fixed it with a knife and ten minutes of work. That's not ruined, that's a lesson with dinner attached. The real ruined brisket is the one that sits in a trash can. Yours got eaten. I'd say you're ahead.