Smoked Brisket: Thinking Outside the Box

Bar-b-que is a time honored tradition. The pitmasters of yore and today have their secrets, there methods, and some pretty serious prejudices. They can get pretty defensive if someone suggests an alternative method or disagrees with there golden rules. Now, that is not to say that all BBQ people are like this. And of course there has been debate since time immemorial based on region and method whether it is ribs, pulled pork, BBQ sauce, or in this case brisket. Now don't get me wrong, a brisket cooked at 200-250 degrees Fahrenheit for 16 hours is definitely damn delicious. There's a reason people line up at Franklin's BBQ at like 4am to get in and partake in his tasty nums. I know backyard smokers who insist on cooking for 16 hours. They get up as early as you would need to in order to get into the most popular BBQ joints. However, my take here, isn't so much that this method is wrong (I am also certainly not saying that I can make a brisket that is as good as Aaron Franklin's). What I am saying here is: You can make a damn good brisket in around 6 hours, 8 with a couple hours for resting.

Here is the method to my madness, or the mad method, if you will.

Ingredients;

1 whole packer brisket (12-14 pounds)

Kosher salt and coarse ground pepper

1-2 cups of beef broth

That's it. It is all you need for this mouthwatering recipe.

Here is what you need to do:

The first step is always to trim and season the brisket. First, trim any chunks of hard fat off of the brisket. These will not render properly and will not be tasty or visually appealing on the final product. Next, cut the fat cap down to 1/4"-1/2" if it is thicker than that. For seasoning, I use about 2/3 salt to 1/3 pepper. Some like it 1/2 and 1/2, which depending on the strength of the pepper can come out a little too peppery for some.

Now it's time to start the smoker. I use an offset smoker. This will get you the best flavor and is one of the golden rules that I won't contest. That being said, other types of smokers can still make delicious food. Basically, to start the smoker, you make a fire inside the fire box. Who would have thought?

Once the smoker has heated up to 250 to 350, place the brisket on the smoker FAT SIDE DOWN. This is another one of the tradition breaking instructions. The fact that we are cooking hot and fast means the meat needs to protection of the fat cap.

So, I am going to maintain the fire to keep a temperature between 350 and 400 degrees. I always keep a temperature probe in the meat. I will monitor this until it hits about 165 degrees. Once this happens I will remove it from the smoker, wrap it in foil with the beef broth poured over it. This is also known as the Texas crutch. Maybe a little untraditional, but not even close to unheard of.

For the final step, wait for it, put it in the oven at about 250 degrees. Using the oven for a smoked brisket- you must be crazy. I might be, but here's the deal. You won't get any more smoke flavor once the brisket is wrapped. So if you feel like keeping the fire on the smoker going and trying to maintain a steady temperature, you are welcome to do it. I like to put it in the oven and use this time to get the rest of dinner ready,

Once the brisket reaches about 203 to 205 degrees internal temperature, probe for tenderness (i.e. stick a meat thermometer into the meat through the foil). Once it feels like soft butter, you're brisket is done cooking. Now put it, still wrapped, into a cooler. I like to wrap it in a towel and then put it in the cooler. Let it rest at least an hour, 2 is better.

After it has rested, slice it up and serve it. Your guests will love it and you didn't have to wake up at three am.

See the three key things are to remember:

Hot and Fast

Fat Side Down

Finish in the Oven

Just for fun here are some more BBQ pictures: