I’m humble enough to admit that my first brisket attempt was a complete disaster. I’ll also admit that learning how to cook this fickle cut of beef perfectly took me quite a bit of practice. The most important skill to master before attempting brisket is controlling the temperature of your smoker. If your smoker is too high or low during any point in the cook the texture of your meat could be vastly affected; which I learned the hard, not so economic way.
Franklin Barbecue: A Meat Manifesto is the book that motivated my partner and I to build our smoker and attempt to master this strategic cooking method (smoking). Aaron Franklin offers recipes, instruction on smoker construction/operation and the inspiring story about how this talented pit genius began his culinary career. Most importantly he guides you step by step through the proper brisket smoking procedure.
My brisket was inspired by the instruction provided in A Meat Manifesto and this recipe includes some of the steps mentioned in the book. However, my brisket preparation is vastly different from other brisket recipes. Most smokers (Franklin included) generally keep their brisket recipes simple because the meat itself is very flavorful and doesn’t require much to be delicious. I do respect this philosophy and I’ve made yummy briskets that only require salt, pepper, mustard and smoke; but the brisket that follows is the juiciest, most succulent brisket I’ve made so far. Also, the brine and stock/fat addition provide some insurance in case you have trouble maintaining the temperature of your smoker.
I started by submerging my four-pound brisket in a beer brine for 24 hours. I used a layer of garlic confit as the adhesive for my rub which enhanced the umami flavor of the meat. I smoked it at 220 degrees for 5 hours. Once my meat reached an internal temperature of 155, I pulled it off for wrapping. I added duck fat and stock to the bottom layer of foil which gave additional moisture to the meat farthest from the fat cap. The smoky stock recipe is provided in my previous Smokey Duck post and can be made with the bones of any animal (keep it legal). If you don’t have duck fat on hand substitute with a few bacon strips.
After slicing this delicious slab of beef, we couldn’t resist eating most of it immediately. However, I did save the “burnt ends” for some stewed okra that that was served with my smoky, crispy whole chicken which I will talk about later this week. If you don’t like okra try adding your burnt ends to stewed beans or a gratin.
Beer Brine:
1. 4-pound brisket
2. 9 cans of inexpensive beer
3. ¾ cup kosher salt
4. 8 sprigs thyme
In a large pot combine beer and salt. Stir until salt is thoroughly dissolved. Add thyme and brisket to brine. The brisket will float to the surface make sure the fat cap is facing up and all the meat is submerged. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Remove brisket from brine and pat dry.
Garlic Confit:
1. 7 garlic bulbs
2. 1 qt olive oil
Add oil and garlic bulbs to a saucepan and let simmer on low heat for 1 hour. Strain oil and store at room temperature. Squeeze the bulbs to remove the cooked garlic pulp from the skin. Discard skin a refrigerate pulp for up to a week.
The Rub:
1. Brined 4-pound brisket
2. 2 tbsp smoked paprika
3. 2 tbsp ancho chili
4. 1 tbsp black pepper
5. 1 tbsp of salt
6. ¼ cup garlic confit
In a small bowl combine paprika, salt, pepper and chili. Thoroughly rub garlic confit all over the surface of the brisket. Sprinkle the dry rub onto the brisket until it is completely coated.
The Smoke:
1. Dry rubbed 4-pound brisket
2. Probe thermometer
3. Spray bottle
4. 2 cans of inexpensive beer
5. 1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
6. 1 ½ hotel pan (can be purchased online)
7. 2 tbsp duck fat
8. ¼ cup smoky stock
Preheat smoker to 220 degrees. Fill the ½ pan with one and a half cans of beer and place pan in the smoker between the fire box and the spot that you plan to cook the brisket. Place brisket into the smoker, probe the thickest part of the meat with the thermometer. Fill the spray bottle with Worcestershire sauce and the remainder of the beer. Spray brisket every hour, let cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees.
Lay 2 layers of heavy duty foil (the layers should be 1 inch longer the the length of your brisket) onto the surface you will wrap the brisket on. Bend the edges of the foil upwards to prevent any cooking liquid from escaping. Pour stock and fat onto the foil. Once your brisket reaches 155 degrees spray once more and remove from smoker. Place on top of the stock / fat mixture. Put another layer of foil on top of the brisket fold the edges down over the edges of the bottom foil layer encasing your brisket as tightly as possible. Wrap another layer of foil around the entire brisket, from the bottom. Return the brisket to the smoker. Insert probe thermometer through the top of the brisket into the center (this prevents the loss of cooking liquid) and increase the smoker’s temperature to 275 degrees.
Smoke the brisket until it reaches an internal temperature of 205 degrees. Remove from smoker and let the brisket rest for 45 minutes. Slice the brisket and serve immediately, reserve the “burnt ends” for other smoky dishes.
Stewed Okra
1. 2 cups fresh okra, cut into qt inch pieces
2. ½ cup of cherry tomatoes, halved and smoked
3. ½ cup Brisket burnt ends
4. ½ white onion, small diced
5. 1 tbsp garlic confit, crushed
6. ¾ cup smoky stock
7. 1 tbsp butter
8. 1 tbsp flour
9. Juice of 1 lemon
10. Parsley, for garnish
In a saucepan sauté onions and garlic confit until onions appear translucent. Add okra and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in butter and flour until butter is completely melted. Add smoked tomatoes, stock and burnt ends. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Squeeze in lemon juice, garnish with parsley and serve.
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