I Love Grilling Meat June 2019
June 2019
MEAT Insider
SMOKED BRISKET Challenge
Kick Off Summer Right! The Ultimate Smoked Brisket
I smoke my brisket in a foil pan. It’s not something you see a lot, but I swear by it. I’ve been doing my briskets in a foil pan for several years and every time, they come out great. I haven’t had a single complaint! I’ve spent much of my time walking the smoking circuit, and I’ve seen a lot of methods that go into smoking brisket. I’ve seen what goes on behind the scenes and things you don’t see on Food Network or at meat competitions. A lot of guys use foil pans when they smoke. They just don’t like to show that when the camera is rolling or the crowd is gathered around; it’s not as dramatic as pulling a slab of meat out of the smoker. Plus, a lot of those guys on the circuit don’t want anyone to know their secrets to smoking good barbecue. Pitmasters tend to keep their mouths shut. But I don’t want to keep my method of smoking brisket to myself! Even if you have your own way of smoking brisket without a pan, I do encourage you to give it a try. It hasn’t failed me yet. This month, I will tell you how I get it so good. If you take a look at my smoked brisket recipe on Page 3, you’ll see I brush on butter or olive oil before putting on the rub. Some folks say there’s no point to putting on butter or oil and that the rub will melt right off. In my years of smoking brisket this way, that has not happened. The rub stays on just fine. The butter or oil (which you use is completely up to you) helps bring the rub flavor into the meat and will help you get that flavor-packed smoke ring. Let’s talk about the smoke ring for a moment. Again, this is another one of those things folks have strong opinions about. I’ve heard the smoke ring doesn’t add anything to the meat or that it doesn’t really add any flavor. Let me tell you, I’m a firm believer in that smoke ring — and you can test it for yourself. Once you’re done smoking your brisket, cut off a piece of just the ring. It’ll be a thin piece of meat. You don’t want to cut any of the meat below the ring. Give it a taste, and when you’ve got a good taste of the
smoke ring, go back in and cut off a piece of meat below the ring and give that a taste. You be the judge.
If you can get a quarter-inch smoke ring around the meat, you definitely know your game. But with practice, anybody can achieve that ideal smoke ring. It’s what you get after a slow smoke with a medium amount of rub. And that’s something to keep in mind when it comes to the rub. You don’t want to put on too much. That’ll leave you with a muddy or dirty taste to the bark. Brisket already has an earthy flavor, and the herbs and spices in the rub work to complement that, so you don’t want to go overboard. Here’s another thing to keep in mind: Sometimes when people add mustard to the rub, the meat will taste dry. This is why I usually stay away from putting mustard in a rub. I’ll just stick to mustard as a condiment on my sandwich.
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... continued from Cover When it comes to time in the smoker, there are a few disagreements here too. In my opinion, if you can’t do a full packer in 10–12 hours, you may be doing something wrong. Your temperature may be too low or the heat just isn’t getting to the meat. Some people will keep their brisket in the smoker for 24 hours or longer. I don’t see the point of this. It can only take smoke up to a certain point. It’s not going to get any more flavor. You’re just pulling out more moisture. You’ll get a thick bark on it for sure — and if you like a thick bark, it might be for you. But I like a tender bark with that quarter-inch smoke ring. That right there gives you a bit of everything. That said, you can get a little extra crispiness without smoking for 24 hours. Just take the brisket out of the foil pan for the last 40 minutes of the smoke and go directly to the grate. You do have to be careful about losing liquid, so keep an eye out and a spritzer handy (more on that in a second). Then after the 40 minutes, wrap up the brisket in butcher paper and continue the cooking until you reach the desired temperature (see recipe on Page 3). So what do you do when you’re smoking a brisket for 10–12 hours? I never walk away from my smoker. I grab a lawn chair, my computer, and leave the back door to the house open. On top of that, I always have my spritzer bottle filled with apple juice at the ready. I want to keep moisture on the brisket and I’ll spray it every hour. When you walk away, you’re just inviting something to happen. It might sound like a lot of work to man the smoker all day, but it’s worth it, and not just for the end result. I know some guys prefer to use vertical smokers rather than horizontal (which I use). With a vertical smoker, the wood burns directly under the brisket. The beef fat is very flammable, and it can ignite in the blink of an eye as it drips onto the wood. In a matter of seconds, the meat can burn to a crisp. This is also a great reason to smoke in a tray in a horizontal smoker. As the fat renders, it stays in the pan, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally igniting it. Even better, as the fat renders and mixes with the broth (I always add two cups of broth to the pan
before smoking), you’re left with an au jus that is perfect for dipping brisket sandwiches or just using as a baste.
What do you do if your packer is too big and it really hangs over the sides of the foil pan? In my experience, I always expect that the packer will hang over the side. As it cooks, it will shrink. But I always put the thickest part of the brisket toward the firebox. You don’t want it right on the firebox. The pan should be centered in the smoker. If I see the flat portion of the brisket getting done quicker, I’ll drop the smoker temperature by 10–15 degrees. Then I’ll wrap the flat portion in foil for the rest of the smoke, leaving the rest exposed. Now, if you want to separate your brisket’s point from the flat before the smoke, you can do that too. You just want to pay attention to where you’re slicing. Fold the brisket in on itself, so the fat layer is in the middle. You want to find a white layer of connective tissue. This is where you should make your cut. Slice into the brisket, and it will split apart with ease. Another quick tip as you’re prepping the brisket is to find the grain. Look at the grain of the meat. This will help you when you cut into it later. Some people will cut straight into the meat. One of two things can happen when you do this: Either the meat will just fall apart as you cut it, or it will be tougher to chew. What you want to do is cut at a diagonal against the grain. This will keep the meat together and give you a tender cut that’s easy to bite into. Sitting with your brisket for 10–12 hours is hard work, even when you’re keeping yourself occupied. But it’s work that pays off in the end. When you cut into that brisket and share it with family and friends and you see smiles on their faces as they take that first bite, you know you’ve done good. That right there is what makes it worth it — that and saving yourself a good sized portion! –Danny McTurnan
Dan’s Smoked Brisket Rub A New Level of Earthy Flavor!
Ingredients
Directions
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1 tbsp kosher salt 2 tsp garlic powder
1. In a bowl, mix all ingredients, then add to your prepared brisket. For best results, add your rub the night before and let your brisket rest before placing it in the smoker the next day!
2 tsp ground instant coffee
1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp oregano 1/2 tsp black pepper
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Dan ’ s Smoked Brisket
Ingredients
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Dan’s Brisket Rub
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Brisket (full packer)
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2 cups beef broth
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1 cup apple juice
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Wood: white oak and pecan
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Time: 10–12 hours
Directions 1. I start by rinsing my brisket. Coat the surface of the brisket with either butter or olive oil. This will give you an extra bit of flavor and give the rub something good to stick to. Then add your rub! As mentioned in the rub recipe, you can add the rub the night before to let the flavor really set in. This is optional. 2. Once your brisket is ready, place it in a foil pan fat side down and with the two cups of broth. I use a large turkey pan. The end of your brisket may go over the side of the pan, but I find that while smoking, the brisket will shrink up and fit just right. Make sure it’s the thicker end of the brisket that hangs over. The thicker end takes longer to cook and will be exposed to more heat. 3. Next, get your smoker ready. My wood of choice is white oak and pecan. My smoker of choice is the Char-Broil Offset Smoker, but if you have something different, that’s okay. You’re looking for a smoker temperature of 250 F. You want to smoke the brisket at 90 minutes per pound at 250 F.
forming on the brisket. It only takes a few seconds to open the smoker, spritz, and close the smoker to keep the temperature consistent. If you do end up smoking at a higher temp, you need to spritz more frequently, about every 30–40 minutes. 5. Once the internal temperature of the meat reaches 160 F, I take the brisket out of the pan and wrap it in two layers of butcher paper. Then, I place the wrapped brisket back in the smoker until it hits an internal temp of 190 F. This is just right for slicing. If you’re pulling, you can leave it in the smoker until it hits 208 F. When it hits that perfect temp, pull it, and get ready for one tasty meal! 6. One more thing: Don’t forget about the drippings in the pan. The fat, juices, and the remaining broth make for one heck of an au jus. Use it for dipping a brisket sandwich, or add the au jus back as you smoke or after you pull. It’s a flavor you don’t want to miss!
4. I keep a spritz bottle with apple juice nearby during the entire smoke. I spritz about once an hour as I see a crust
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
1180 N. Town Center Dr. Suite 100 Las Vegas, NV 89144
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The Ultimate Brisket!
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Take Your Brisket Flavor to the Next Level!
One Brisket Recipe You Don’t Want to Miss!
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Grill Giveaway and Live Session Dates
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GRILL Giveaway
SMOKED BRISKET Challenge
“Ask a PRO” LIVE Sessions • LIVE“Ask a PRO”SessionNo. 1 TOPIC: Smoked Brisket No. 1 Sunday, June 9, 2019 5 p.m. Central StandardTime • LIVE“Ask a PRO”SessionNo. 2 TOPIC: Smoked Brisket No. 2 Sunday, June 24, 2019 5 p.m. Central StandardTime Go to gsa.life/2019june for instructions on how to access these LIVE sessions.
Are you ready to put your grilling and smoking skills to the test? Take the Smoked Brisket Challenge and you could WIN up to $500 in grilling and meat-smoking prizes! Wanna knowmore? Head over to gsa.life/2019june for all the details on how to enter. Good luck, and we look forward to seeing what you cook up!
Horizontal Offset Smoker gsa.life/2019june
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