The first Kamado Joe brisket: what worked, what didn't

I've been cooking on the Kamado Joe for about a year now. Chicken thighs, ribs, pork shoulder — the usual learning curve. But brisket has been sitting on my to-do list since I got the thing. It's the final boss of backyard BBQ. I finally committed to doing it properly last month.

These are my honest notes from the cook. Not a recipe — there are enough of those online. This is more a field report from someone who reads a lot and still got surprised.

The preparation

I trimmed the brisket the night before. A full packer — point and flat together, about 6.5kg. I'd watched probably eight hours of brisket content across various sources and settled on a simple approach: coarse salt and black pepper, 50/50 by weight. No binders. Let it sit uncovered in the fridge overnight.

The Kamado was set up for indirect cooking at 110°C (225°F). I used a mix of post oak chunks and lump charcoal. The Kamado holds temperature exceptionally well once dialled in — that part I had confidence in.

The cook

I put the brisket on fat-side down at 5:30am. The first six hours were uneventful. Good smoke production, temperature stable, the meat climbing steadily from 10°C internal.

The first stall

At around 70°C internal, it stopped. Completely. Sat at 70-71°C for almost three hours. I knew the stall was coming — it's a known phenomenon caused by evaporative cooling as the connective tissue breaks down — but knowing about it and experiencing it are different things. You start questioning everything at hour two of a stall.

I held the line and didn't touch it. No foil, no bumping the temperature. Just trust the process.

The second stall (unexpected)

I didn't expect a second one. After pushing through to about 82°C, the temperature stalled again briefly at 85°C. Only about 45 minutes this time. Apparently not uncommon with larger briskets — I just hadn't read about it in the context of full packers specifically.

The result

I pulled it at 96°C internal and rested it wrapped in butcher paper and a towel in a cooler for two hours. This rest period is not optional. The carryover cooking and moisture redistribution matters more than most beginners realise.

The flat was tender and sliceable. The point was incredibly moist. The bark was proper — dark, crackly, not burnt. The smoke ring was about 8mm deep.

What I'd do differently

• Start even earlier. 5:30am with a 2-hour rest put dinner at 9:30pm. Next time I want to eat at 7:00pm, I need to be on at 3am.
• More oak. The smoke flavour was good but I'd go slightly heavier.
• Probe placement. I was monitoring the flat — I should have had a second probe in the point. They cook at different rates.

Will I do it again? Already planning the next one. This is the kind of cook that teaches you more in one session than a week of reading does.