Smok La Homa Brisket Recipes

Steps:

• Note: Mr. Willrath starts smoking the brisket over a mixture of oak, pecan, and hickory, switching to apple wood halfway through; if you don't want to do that, just use oak.
• Trim the outer layer of fat on the brisket so only ¼ inch remains; if there is a pocket of fat between the flat and cap, cut it out and discard.
• Place brisket in a foil or ceramic roasting pan.
• To make the seasoning paste: add brown sugar, mustard, and garlic to a nonreactive mixing bowl; stir in enough apple juice to obtain a thick paste (how thick? like wallpaper paste).
• Spread half of the paste over both sides of the brisket using a rubber spatula.
• Let sit for 15 minutes; spread the remaining paste over the brisket (both sides) and let sit for another 15 minutes.
• To make the rub: Add all the rub ingredients to a small bowl; stir to mix or use your fingers to mix the rub.
• Sprinkle rub all over the brisket (both sides), patting it onto the meat with your fingers.
• Let the brisket cure in the refrigerator, covered, for 2-4 hours.
• To make the mop sauce: Add apple juice, vinegar, and salt to a large nonreactive bowl; whisk until salt dissolves.
• Set up grill for indirect grilling and preheat to low;**if using a gas grill, place all the wood chips in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and run the grill on high until you see smoke, then decrease heat to low; **if using a charcoal grill, place a large drip pan in the center, preheat the grill to low, the toss 1 cup of wood chips on the coals; **if using a smoker, fire it up according to manufacturer's instructions.
• When ready to cook, place the brisket in the center of the hot grate, fat side up, over the drip pan and away from the heat; cover the grill.
• Cook the brisket 3 ½-4 hours, until handsomely browned.
• Use an instant read thermometer to determine when it is time to wrap it in foil; internal temperature should be about 165°.
• Mop or baste the meat every hour with some of the mop sauce.
• **If using a charcoal grill, every hour you will need to add 12 fresh coals and ½ cup of wood chips to each side.
• Generously brush the brisket on both sides with the barbecue sauce and tightly wrap it in heavy duty foil; return the wrapped meat to the grate, cover the grill, and continue cooking the brisket until very tender, another 3 ½ to 4 hours, for a total of 7-8 hours.
• **This will be easy in a smoker, it is a little more challenging to maintain such a low heat in a gas or charcoal grill.
• Partially unwrap the brisket to test for doneness, taking care not to spill the juices; the meat should be very dark and very tender and have an internal temperature of about 190°.
• Open the foil wrapping at one end and pour the meat juices into a bowl.
• Transfer the brisket to a cutting board; let rest 20 minutes.
• Thinly slice the meat across the grain; spoon the reserved juices over the brisket; serve immediately.
• You may accompany the meat with your favorite bbq sauce, but serve it on the side.

Steps:

• Combine all the spices in a bowl, mix well. Pat the spice rub onto the meat, making sure to heavily season the entire surface area of the brisket. Cover or wrap the brisket and let it sit at room temperature while getting the smoker or charcoal grill fired up. Do not leave at room temperature for longer than 1 hour.
• The grill is ready when the charcoal has burned to a white ash. If using a grill instead of a smoker, arrange the coals on 1 side of the grill, leaving an area large enough for the brisket to cook indirectly with no coals directly underneath the meat.
• When the grill has reached 200 to 225 degrees F, scatter 1/4 of the wood chips over the coals, close the grate, put the brisket on the grill and close the lid.
• Maintain a 200 to 225 degree F cooking temperature inside the grill, adding coals every 2 hours or as necessary. Add wood chips and spray the brisket with apple juice every time you add new coals. Try not to lift the lid of the grill at any other time.
• When the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 165 to 170 degrees F on an instant read meat thermometer (after about 4 to 5 hours), remove it from the grill and double wrap in aluminum foil to keep the juices from leaking out. Return the brisket to the grill (or smoker) The brisket is finished cooking when it is very tender and reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees F, about another 1 to 2 hours. Let rest for 45 minutes, then unwrap and slice. Serve with BBQ sauce on the side.

Steps:

• 1 Order the brisket You'll have to special-order your brisket ahead of time (the brisket already sold at the meat counter is typically not whole). You should be able to do this at almost any butcher shop or at a grocery store meat counter. Ask for a brisket that is as evenly thick as possible, with the surrounding fat trimmed to 1/4" thick (this protects the meat from drying out while cooking).
• 2 Season the meat An hour before preparing the grill, place brisket on a rimmed baking sheet. Mix salt and pepper in a small bowl and season the meat all over (it should look like sand stuck to wet skin but without being cakey). Let meat sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
• 3 Prepare your grill Meanwhile, soak 6 cups wood chips in a bowl of water for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Leave in water throughout the cooking process. Keep remaining 2 cups chips dry. Light only 1 grill burner to medium (if using a 3-burner grill, light burner on either end). Make sure drip tray is empty, as a lot of fat will render. Place smoker box over the lit burner, add 1/2 cup soaked wood chips to box, and close grill. Adjust heat as needed to keep temperature at 225-250°F. We recommend using a stand-alone thermometer, even if your grill has one, to ensure an accurate reading. Stick it through the gap between the lid and base of the grill (or set it on the grill's upper shelf, though this is not ideal, as it requires opening the lid more frequently). The wood chips should begin to smolder and release a steady stream of smoke. How long this takes depends on how wet your chips are and the heat of your grill. To get more smoke without increasing grill heat, add a few dry chips to the soaked ones.
• 4 Maintain the heat Place brisket, fatty side up, on grill grate as far away from lit burner as possible. Cover grill and smoke meat, resisting the urge to open grill often, as this will cause the temperature to fluctuate. Adjust heat as needed to keep temperature steady at 225-250°F. Check wood chips every 45 minutes or so, and add soaked chips by 1/2-cupfuls as needed to keep smoke level constant.
• 5 Know when it's done Keep smoking the brisket, rotating every 3 hours and flipping as needed if top or bottom is coloring faster than the other, until meat is very tender but not falling apart and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of meat registers 195-205°F, 10-12 hours total.*
• *Need a cheat? If you just don't want to spend your whole day at the grill, here's a fail-safe, Aaron Franklin- endorsed alternate method that will deliver similarly glorious results: Smoke brisket on grill until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of meat registers 150-170°F, 5-6 hours. Wrap brisket in foil, place on a baking sheet, and cook in a 250°F oven until meat reaches the same 195-205°F internal temperature, 4-6 hours longer. What's important is getting that smoky flavor into the meat, and 5-6 hours on the grill should do it. After that point, you're simply getting the meat cooked through.
• DO AHEAD: Brisket is best shortly off the grill, but you can still get good results smoking it up to 3 days ahead. Let cool for an hour before wrapping in foil and chilling. To serve, reheat meat, still wrapped, in a 325°F oven until warmed through.
• 6 Dig in Transfer brisket to a carving board and let rest at least 30 minutes. Slice brisket against the grain 1/4" thick.
• Serve it with: Coleslaw, potato salad, and pinto beans.

Steps:

• Brush olive oil over brisket. Combine rub ingredients; rub over both sides of beef. Place brisket on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine mop sauce ingredients. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate until ready to grill., Soak hickory and mesquite chips or pellets; add to smoker according to manufacturer's directions. Heat to 225°. Uncover brisket. Place brisket in smoker fat side up; smoke 2 hours. Brush generously with mop sauce; turn meat. Smoke 2 more hours; brush generously with mop sauce again. Wrap brisket securely in heavy-duty aluminum foil; smoke until a thermometer inserted in beef reads 190°, 4-5 more hours., Let beef stand 20-30 minutes before slicing; cut diagonally across the grain into thin slices.