Goodness Me! BBQ Brisket

I love to slow cook. All summer I use my BBQ to keep the heat out of the house but in the winter I’ll often slow cook inside with pot roasts, braises or trying to emulate BBQ cooking.

The most important part I have found to a successful slow cook is managing the meats internal temperature. For this recipe I let the brisket (it will also work with beef rib and pork butt) cook and colour which develops good deep flavours. Then I wrap in tinfoil so it can steam in its juices for a while. This increases the internal temperature to a range that lets the connective tissues soften to get that melt in the mouth texture we all look for.

In smoke house terms there is also “dry”, “medium", or “wet” which refers to fattiness not so much actual moisture. The thin edges of a brisket will get quite dry and chewy.  I pull and mix them with some fattier bits so it all balances out. Often smoke houses will sell the thinner bits as “burn ends” which people love for the strong flavour and almost beef jerky like texture.

1. Preheat an oven or gas barbecue to 275°F.
   For a charcoal barbecue, similarly, set the coal to one side and place the oven opposite. Control the temp by closing the top vent 90% shut and a just the bottom vent to maintain 275°F.
2. Trim most of the exterior fat off the meat. Lay the brisket in a dutch oven or similar and sprinkle liberally with BBQ Rub seasoning until well coated. Cover with tin foil or a lid and cook in oven, or on a barbecue on the other side to avoid direct heat, and cook as oven recipe maintaining 275°F. *If the barbeque lid doesn’t close, try a shallower oven proof pot. 
3. After 2 hours, remove from Dutch oven from oven or barbecue, and wrap the brisket completely tinfoil. Do not discard pan juices. Return the brisket to the pan and continue to cook for 2 more hours until an internal temp of 180°F to 200°F.
4. For pulled brisket: remove from oven and allow to cool until able to handle. remove any oil from the cooking juices and set them aside.  Cut into slices and crumble well.  Mix crumble with 1/2 of the reserved cooking juices. Cool completely, label and store.
5. If using sliced allow the brisket to cool completely and let stand in a fridge overnight.  This helps the meat keep moist.
6. Warm wrapped as needed.

Goodness Me! BBQ Rub

Ingredients:

• ½ cup cane sugar
• ½ cup sea salt
• ¼ cup paprika
• 1 tbsp chipotle, ground
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp coriander
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp black pepper, ground
• 2 tbsp oregano
• ¼ cup dry mustard (optional)

Mix and store in an airtight container, in a cool dark place.