Crossbuck Smokers & Smoke Room
It is important to note that the equipment you use will undoubtedly have a significant impact on how you should smoke your brisket. Realistically, cooking on many backyard smokers will be akin to trying to sink a long putt on a fast, undulating green with a 7-iron. Not impossible, but it definitely is going to make your job tougher.
Our Smokers
At Crossbuck BBQ, we utilize custom-made, wood-fired, offset, box smokers from MGrills, manufacturers of the best commercial smokers for restaurants. These works of art are made using heavy-gauge steel that provides excellent thermal retention and weigh in at about 5-1/2 tons. They are outfitted with multiple racks so we can smoke various meats at slightly different temperatures within the smoker.
Our Smoke Room
Plus, Crossbuck's smokers are housed in a smoker room that provides even more control over environmental factors like wind and temperature that can affect the cooking process. Watch this video to learn a little more.
So, when we talk about the need to control variables to ensure consistency, utilizing these custom-built smokers in controlled smoke room is one of our “secrets to success.”
Our Advice
With that said, don’t give up all hope on smoking a good Central Texas style brisket just because your spouse won’t let you invest $100,000 in a commercial smoker and converting your garage into a smoke room. That’s probably overkill and may get you in trouble with your local fire department and HOA.
What to look for in a Backyard Smoker...
- Go as BIG as You Can - Cooking a Texas-sized brisket on a little grill is going to be hard because it’s barely going to fit on the grill and the heat may get concentrated into the bottom or top of the chamber…which may affect whether you smoke your brisket fat-side up or fat-side down.
- Strive for Consistent Heat - Most small smokers get hotter in certain areas than others. If you can figure out where these areas are and where your temperature gauge is measuring, you can try to exhibit more control. You also need to consider that the smoker’s internal temperature or gauges can be affected by the external temperature.
- Tip from Tim - When we have to cook on a smoker we did not help design...we often test its heat consistency by placing trays of uncooked bacon throughout the smoker to get a better feel for how the heat flows through cooking space.
- Tip from Tim - When we have to cook on a smoker we did not help design...we often test its heat consistency by placing trays of uncooked bacon throughout the smoker to get a better feel for how the heat flows through cooking space.
- Understand the Environment – Tim likes to tell a story about how when he first got into BBQ about 20 years ago, he went out to Academy Sports and bought the most expensive smoker they had. He brought it home, set it up in his backyard, got a fire going, got it to a nice 225°, and then a blue jay flew by and it went up to like 380 degrees. The point – you want to minimize wind.
For more background on Smokers and Smoke Rooms, watch this video.
Next Topic - The Best Wood for Smoking a Brisket
Ship Crossbuck’s Central Texas Style BBQ Nationwide
Chopped Brisket
Served in convenient oven-safe, vacuum-sealed, 1 lb. bags.
Sliced, Half or Whole Brisket
Served in convenient oven-safe, vacuum-sealed, bags.
Samplers and Gift Packs
Central Texas Style Brisket + other Crossbuck favorites.