Smoked BBQ Brisket

This was such a fun and experimental recipe. My friend and I cooked this together - at different houses, with different grills.  She has a charcoal grill and I have a gas grill.  We used the same cut of meat and the same rub and marinaded for the same length of time.  Cooking times will vary and we'll talk about that below.  Both results were really - I mean really good!  

The BRISKET: 

First, purchase a 10lb whole prime brisket.  We purchased this one from Wild Fork Foods (who also deliver to you I'm sure).  If you're purchasing from the grocery store, you can ask the butcher to cut you a smaller 5lb portion. You just have to choose between the flat or the point. Those are the two halves you see here.  I defrosted my 10lb brisket from Wild Fork and cut it in half myself to make these two pieces.  Since I was going to be using 6 of propane and babysitting the grill all day I decided to cook both pieces at the same time and freeze leftovers. This gives me several meals at once without having to do the whole process over again. 

The RUB: 

4 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP hot paprika
2 TBSP sweet paprika
2 TBSP cayenne pepper
2 TBSP mustard powder
2 TBSP seasoning salt
2 TBSP smoked Malden salt

Sprinkle the meat with liquid smoke and some Worcestershire. Rub the seasoning into the meat - use all of it.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and set in the fridge overnight. 

Other INGREDIENTS: 

2 cups apple juice
water
Your favorite bbq sauce (my brown brown sauce here)
2 cups hickory wood chips
2 cups applewood wood chips
foil water pan or grill-safe pan

butcher paper

Liquid smoke

Worcestershire sauce

The PROCESS: 

1. 1 hour before cooking, take your brisket out of the fridge. Soak your wood chips in water. 

2. Prepare your grill with the water pan under the rack you're going to put the brisket on. I added 1 cup of apple juice and 1 cup of water to my pan. Turn on the far left burner to high and place your smoker box over that burner. Heat up the grill to 250 degrees. 

3. Place your brisket fat side up on the racks above the drip pan. This is the side that is not directly over the heat.  Start your timer! 

4. Maintain your heat between 225-250 degrees. Cook the brisket for 5-6 hours opening the lid at 2 hours and 4 hours to add more wood chips and spray the meat with apple juice. Do this as quickly as you can to keep the grill from cooling way down. 

5. Your meat is done when the internal temperature reaches 190-195 degrees.  For the flat (smaller half), i got there in 5 hours and 45 minutes. For the point (larger half), I got there in 6 and a half hours. When you remove them from the grill, wrap in butcher paper and place in an insulated bag or cooler or wrap in towels. Let rest for at least 1 hour before slicing and eating.  (Yes, an hour! Be patient)

I mean....this bark is insane! The flavor on this thing is so amazing!  

You know your meat is tender and cooked properly when it passes the "flop test". 

Today I opted to make brisket nachos. After slicing the brisket, then chop into smaller pieces and place on top of chips.  Add BBQ sauce and cheese, (i used a blend of medium cheddar, colby jack and monterray jack and make sure you shred it yourself). Place under the broiler for 4 minutes to melt the cheese. Then top with pickled jalpenos, thin-sliced red onion, green onion and more BBQ sauce. 

The LEFTOVERS: 

To freeze leftovers, let the brisket cool completely. Then slice and set out in a single layer on parchment paper. You can layer here as long as parchment paper is inbetween. Cover and freeze completely. Later you can put the slices in a ziploc bag. To reheat, add some water to the bottom of a sheet pan. Lay the brisket pieces on a rack above the water. Brush lightly with some bbq sauce and heat at 250 degrees for about 20 minutes. 

The WINE: 

Louis Martini

Cypress Ranch

Napa Valley, CA

Cabernet Sauvignon

2016

The CHARCOAL GRILL: 

Set up your Weber Charcoal grill with coals on two sides (only about 8-10 coals on each side), wood chips mixed in. Set a water pan under the rack. Place your brisket fat side up over the pan. Heat up your grill to between 200-225 and maintain that temperature. Every hour, add a few more coals and wood chips. Cooking this in the Florida heat of summer it took 12 and a half hours to reach 190 degrees. When you're brisket gets to around 150 sometimes it hits what they call a stall period and can stay at that temp for awhile. If your stall lasts more than an hour, try wrapping it in butcher paper and returning it to the grill.  Cook it the remaining time in butcher paper until it gets to 190/195 degrees internal temperature. Brisket is all about the internal temp, not about the hours.  If you're trying to time it perfectly it will almost never happen. Depending on the weather; especially the wind and humidity could really affect your cooking times. Invest in a good meat thermometer and make sure it's calibrated before this cook!