Brisket is a Texas tradition. People have been cooking brisket for many years,in a variety of ways, including boiling, oven cooking and barbecuing. My favorite is barbecuing, with a braising technique added as well.

Brisket Facts:

Brisket  is a tough meat to begin with, unless it is fully cooked. Brisket is loaded with a waxy looking connective tissue called collagen, which makes the meat tough and chewy. Only when the collagen has been transformed into gelatin will the meat be tender. It begins to convert to gelatin at 140 degrees internal but the process occurs most rapidly at temperatures over 180 degrees internally. A meat thermometer is recommended for serious barbecuing. An internal temperature of 210 degrees must be fully acheived to fully cook the brisket.

The juices are normally long gone after cooking which is the why most of the time it is served with barbecue sauce. Cooking the meat with moist heat in foil(braising) is preferred because it will conduct the heat better than just cooking on the pit.

1. PICKING THE BRISKET

When picking a brisket I like to look at a couple of things-

a. Make sure briskets are thawed to inspect.                                                                                      

b. Pick up a brisket and fold it in half. It should be able to touch a end to end after trying a couple of times.

2. PREPPING THE BRISKET

a. Fork the brisket- use a large serving or table fork and peirce the brisket all over.

b. Dry rub. The Texas Gourmet Sweet Chipotle Season All is a great rub. Here is a simple dry rub you can make at home.

You can adjust the proportions of spices in this all purpose rub or add or subtract a spice as you wish. For instance, if you dont like spicy foods, reduce the or eliminate the cayenne. Also if you are using hot chili powder, you may want to eliminate the cayenne. This rub works well with ribs and brisket and Boston Butt if you want to make pulled pork.

4 tablespoons sweet paprika

2 teaspoons ground coriander seed

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons lemon pepper

2 tablespoons sea salt

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves

1 tablespoon granulated salt

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon ground white pepper

1 or 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Mix all ingrediants together in a small bowl. ( The rub can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several weeks).

Apply the rub liberally to all sides of the meat.

Make sure and cover well. Cover with plastic wrap for the refrigerator or tie up in a plastic bag and place in a cooler with ice.Refrigerate from 4 hours to overnight( to allow all flavors to permeate the meat). 1 hour before cooking , remove the brisket from the refrigerator  or cooler, uncover and allow to sit and become room temperature.

3. COOKING THE BRISKET

Place brisket with the  fat side facing the fire as close to the fire as possible and sear for 5 to 7 minutes. Then flip brisket and place at opposite end of pit away from fire box.

a. Smoke  for 3 1/2 to 4  hours at approx. 250 to 275 degrees with fat side up, without touching or opening the pit( This is enough time to impart a good smoked flavor into the meat)

b. Wrap the brisket in 2 layers of heavy duty foil. Spread a thinly sliced onion under the brisket and 1/2  of  a can of beer or 6 to 8 oz. of beef broth to foil before sealing up. Make sure to seal foil well( NO HOLES)

c. Place into an oven or on a pit at 250 to 275 degrees in the  foil  and cook for 5 to 6 hours(depending on size) until fork tender.

d. Remove from pit or oven , loosen foil at one end to release the steam and let the brisket rest for 45 minutes.

e. After resting the brisket, carefully pour drain the reserved juicesfrom the foil  into a bowl and place in a freezer for 20 to 30 minutes to allow the fat to separate from the aujus or the reserved juices from the brisket. Seperate the fat from the juices and discard, then pour up to 1 cup of the remaining juices into a sauce pot with your favorite barbecue sauce, stir, heat  through to combine for a great flavored sauce. 

4. SLICING AND SERVING

a. Separate the top and bottom of brisket , and  trim off any undesired  excess fat.

b. Slice across grain  into long thin slices ( approx. 1/4 inch thick)

 Bon Appetit!

Bryan Slaven

The Texas Gourmet