FifeSpice

The data

Every brisket, charted.

Since 2023I've logged every brisket I smoke — internal temps, smoker setpoints, when I wrapped, when it stalled, and what I'd change. It started as notes to myself in a messy spreadsheet. Here it is, cleaned up and made interactive.

0
cooks logged
0h
hours of smoke
0 lb
beef cooked
0.0h
average cook
Meat temp
The brisket's internal temperature — the line you're chasing to ~203°.
Smoker setpoint
What I set the pit to. Bumping it late helps push through the stall.
The stall
That long flat stretch where evaporative cooling fights the heat. Patience (or a wrap) wins.
203° pull
Rough target, but I cook to feel — done is when a probe slides in like butter.
20°62°104°146°188°230°1h3h306h8h3011h0113h3116h01203° pulltime on the smoker
Pastrami 3.174.8.238.5.237.4.24

Pick cooks to overlay

Things the spreadsheet taught me

Lessons, in data form.

Trim it more than you think

It's literally written at the top of half my cook logs. A tighter trim renders cleaner and builds better bark.

Know your thermometer's lie

My Traeger's built-in probe reads about 10° hotter than reality. Every chart here uses the corrected number, not what the pit claimed.

Respect the stall

Around 160–170° the temp flatlines for hours. The data makes it obvious why a first-timer panics — and why you shouldn't.

Wrap with intent

Comparing cooks, the ones I wrapped once bark had set — then nudged the pit hotter — finished more predictably.

The whole logbook

All 15 cooks.

CookDateWeightTimeFinalReadings
12.24.25WagyuDec 24, 202520 lb17h 1m173°1
8.29.25WagyuAug 29, 202520 lb17h 1m165°5
8.15.25Aug 15, 202518 lb16h 1m—0
3.14.25Mar 14, 202519.5 lb15h 51m204°11
1.1.25Jan 1, 202520 lb17h 31m203°7
12.6.24Maybe bestDec 6, 202418 lb17h 31m203°11
9.6.24★ BestSep 6, 202420 lb17h 45m203°2
7.4.24Jul 4, 202417 lb17h 31m203°11
3.17.24Mar 17, 2024—14h 31m203°7
2.11.24Feb 11, 2024—18h 1m203°4
8.5.23Aug 5, 2023—13h 1m203°11
4.8.23Apr 8, 2023—18h 1m203°22
2.11.23Feb 11, 2023—16h186°9
2.4.23Feb 4, 2023—16h200°7
Pastrami 3.17PastramiUndated—16h 1m197°13

Sparse temp columns just mean I was too busy tending the fire to write numbers down — the events still tell the story.