Smoked Brisket, Revised
Brisket (estimate 60 minutes per pound, though thicker or larger non-point cuts might take as much as 90 minutes/pound) 4 Pounds is a good base point.
Spice rub: Salt (smoked salt better) and coarse ground pepper in a 3:5 ratio, with other spices like onion and garlic powder, a dash of cayenne, ground mustard seeds and even a few ground juniper berries)
1 bottle of Stubbs' Moppin' Sauce
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
Light Beer
Oil
Get the brisket out to bring it to room temp. Give it a quick marinade in a bit of the vinegar and beer with a bit of the moppin sauce. (I added a teensy bit of vegetable broth as well).
Let it drip and pat it dry, then give the room-temperature brisket a nice spritz of oil and then apply the spice rub.
Sear the fat side above the hot coals, then place the brisket itself, fat side up, on the "warming" rack, opposite from the coals.
Underneath, place a disposable pie tin with leftover marinade and a bit more beer and some wood chips. The mop will also drip into this, causing a tasty steam to help maintain moisture.
I maintained the grill's temperature around 220F, adding soaked hickory chips and rosemary branches. Mop every 30 minutes, but otherwise try not to disturb the grill.
A 6 lb brisket took 6 hours to warm up to 180F internally, but got a bit dried out. I might try the crutch suggested in the link below next time, or mop less to maximize the humidity inside the grill.
http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/texas_brisket.html is a great guide and explains his choices of which tools and tricks to use.
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