Flyover Brisket

[Truman]

It ain't Memorial Day without barbecue. Rack Rumps and Carson for the ribs - I got the brisket!

First, we gotta have a little rub:



I posted this over in the Marinade thread, and didn't change it much...

Oklahoma Joe's Brisket Rub
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons Spanish paprika
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

Next, we gotta have a good chunk o' meat:



Quick rub down, wrap that dude tight, and it's off to the fridge for the night...



The next morning: Smoker prep, and it's on baby! 8:45 AM...



Sunday, Bloody Sunday!



About four and six hours deep, respectively. I started hitting the brisket with apple juice about 12:45, and about once an hour until she was finished...



Added more lump charcoal and a chunk-or-two of hickory throughout the process. Too much hickory can turn the meat bitter.



Gettin' there. Meat thermometer reading in the low 180s. Barbecue can be thirsty work!



Time to get the corn on...



Friggin' perfect, 6:30 PM, Flyover Daylight Savings! Internal temperature reading about of 192 degrees...



Now the line up: Van once commented that Kansas City barbecue was all about its sauce. Couldn't be further from the truth. Oh, a great sauce will certainly complement the effort - but the secret to our 'cue is in the way we make it!



What a feast! New potato salad with fresh chives and dill, tortellini pasta salad made with fresh basil pesto, roasted corn, and of course, barbecue brisket! Lets eat!

[War Wagon]

Looks awesome, Tru.

I grilled some rib-eyes yesterday that were some of the best steaks I've ever had, home or away. I usually go with T-bones but when I saw these babies, they called out. Glad I listened.

Just gonna' go with burgers and brats today.

[Mikey]

I'm pretty fuckin' hungry right now and that brisket isn't helping...

Grilled some Copper River coho salmon on Saturday and some awesome carne asada last night.

Spent the day today moving furniture and painting the living room - ceiling and walls two different colors. That was a large job. The room is about 26x15 with 8 foot walls on one side and 12 feet on the other. Gonna be sore tomorrow. We're getting ready to go out to dinner.

[R-Jack]

How long did you let it rest?

[Truman]

Ten minutes or so, Jack. I didn't count, and I was hungry from looking at the damn thing all day. It would take that long for it to cool enough to handle anyway - at 190+ degrees, it's hotter than a motherfucker on the ol' fingers.

I smoked it fat side up, and never once turned it. As the fat caramelizes, it release its juices into the meat. That, combined with the humidity created by the water pan and the hourly spritzes of apple juice, helped keep the meat moist and tender, but certainly not juicy like a good steak. Dried-out brisket tastes like smoked chuck roast, and it sucks.

[mvscal]

Dried-out brisket tastes like smoked chuck roast, and it sucks.

It's sorta like bad pizza....just add more beer and and a tasty sauce and you can get it down.

Brisket can easily dry out despite dozens of "foolproof" methods of preparation but, when done properly, it is the crown jewel of quality 'Q. There isn't a close second. This looks good enough for Texas brisket. Good job.

[Truman]

Brisket can easily dry out despite dozens of "foolproof" methods of preparation but, when done properly, it is the crown jewel of quality 'Q. There isn't a close second. This looks good enough for Texas brisket. Good job.

Almost, but I'll take the props anyway.

That brisket was kissed by Ozark hickory. No self-respecting Texan I've ever encountered will barbecue with much of anything other than their native mesquite ('sup Indy).

Regardless, I agree with you: It's pretty hard to beat a brisket done right. And I don't care who smokes it...

[mvscal]

No self-respecting Texan I've ever encountered will barbecue with much of anything other than their native mesquite ('sup Indy).

Central Texas is the epicenter of Texas 'Q and I'd say pecan is probably the most common wood used there due to the fact that there are metric shitloads of pecan trees in the region. From what I've been told, mesquite has a lot of the same liabilities as hickory.

[Truman]

Wouldn't surprise me. Mesquite burns hotter than a motherfucker, and I could easily imagine a steady diet of that stuff fed into a smoker would turn a good chunk of meat every bit as acrid as hickory.

Pecan IS the shit... As are most any nutwoods. I smoke an average of five turkeys a year and have been doing so for over 20 years, but the BEST turkey I ever smoked came out of a fire flavored by walnut.

Brisket smoked over pecan is simply indescribably good...

[Mikey]

Ever smoked anything using citrus?

We have a navel orange tree on the back 40 that reverted mostly to its wild citrus root stock. I removed a 3 or 4 inch diameter trunk from the wild part and saved the wood, thinking it might make for an interesting smoke.

(that thing had some NASTY thorns growing on its branches)

[Truman]

Ever smoked anything using citrus?

We have a navel orange tree on the back 40 that reverted mostly to its wild citrus root stock. I removed a 3 or 4 inch diameter trunk from the wild part and saved the wood, thinking it might make for an interesting smoke.

(that thing had some NASTY thorns growing on its branches)

We'd have to import it to use it... But I'd love to try it. Citrus, unfortunately, doesn't take kindly to the Flyover.

Closest to it, I suppose, is grapevine. I've also used pear wood several times (pear trees don't fare all that well in the 70 mph winds that occasion these parts, either), but never orange or lemon wood. To acidic maybe? I'd be fascinated to hear the results.

*Edit* I'm thinking poultry or pork loin would rock on that stuff. Let us know, Mikey...

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

I've had nothing but a light lunch today and a couple beers, then I opened up this thread. :brad:

Nice looking spread, Tru.

[Carson]

I smoked a six-pounder yesterday, tossing in a handful of hickory chips every hour for the first four hours.

Tried to get the meat to 190+ internal temp but ran out of wood charcoal. It stayed at 185 for the last hour or so. Total cook time was 6.5 hours.

We cut up the outside slices using a fork, pretty tender beef. Next time I will have enough charcoal for eight hours just to see if I can get it fork-tender all the way through.