Slow-Smoked Beef Brisket
The following brisket recipe was developed over a period of three years specifically for cooking competitions. It began after learning the requirements of the Kansas City Barbecue Association’s competition cooking circuit. I made a trip to my favorite Alabama butcher and asked to see the beef brisket. He proudly told me he had the largest selection of that particular cut in the area. The four varieties of corned beef looked good, but they were not exactly what I was looking for. It seemed we both had a little to learn about barbecue beef brisket. Many years and tears later I fell in love with the rich beef flavor of this recipe. In the restaurant we serve our brisket as thin slices with the juices drizzled over the fresh cuts of beef, but in competitions we separate the flat from the point and reserve the cooked point to make burnt ends (see page 86). Brisket has become one of our most consistent categories in cooking competitions, including wins at the American Royal Invitational Contest in Kansas City, Missouri, and the Best of the Best Invitational BBQ Cook-off in Douglas, Georgia.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 10 to 14
Ingredients
Wet Rub
Dry Rub
Preparation
Step 1
Build a fire (wood or a combination of charcoal and wood) for indirect cooking by situating the coals on only one side of the grill, leaving the other side void.
Step 2
Crush the beef bouillon cubes in a small bowl and mix with the Worcestershire. Cover the entire brisket with the wet rub. In a small bowl, mix the dry rub ingredients, then coat the brisket with the dry rub.
Step 3
When the cooker reaches 225°F, place the beef brisket, with the fat side up, on the void side of the grill and close the lid. Cook for 7 to 8 hours, until the internal temperature of the brisket reaches 160 to 170°F. Two small wood chunks should be added every hour to increase the smoke flavor.
Step 4
Fold a large piece of aluminum foil in half and place the brisket in the center, fat side down. Pour 1 cup of water over the brisket while lifting the edges of the foil to trap the water. Bring the foil edges together and fold, wrapping the entire brisket tight, and place in the cooker for an additional 2 hours, until the internal temperature of the brisket reaches 185 to 190°F.
Step 5
Let the meat rest in the foil undisturbed for 1 to 2 hours. Remove the brisket from the foil and slice across the grain. Save the beef juices collected in the foil to drizzle over the brisket slices.
Cooking Method
Step 6
Indirect heat
Suggested Wood
Step 7
Hickory, Oak, Mesquite
