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Texas Barbecued Beef Brisket
* Exported from MasterCook *
Texas Barbecued Beef Brisket
Recipe By :=20
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Barbecue Thrill Of T
Meats
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
10 pounds Beef brisket
2 cups All-south barbecue rub -- see
2 cups Basic all-american bbq sauce
Recipe by: The Thrill of the Grill by Chris Schlesinger 1. Rub the brisket=
thoroughly on all its sides with the barbecue rub, and allow it to come to=
room temperature.
2. In the pit of a covered grill, build a very small fire on one side as=
far up against one wall as possible. Place the brisket on the grill on the=
side opposite from the fire so that none of the brisket is directly over=
the flame. Put the top on the cooker, pull up a chair, and grab the cooler.
This is where a person learns about the Zen of Barbecue. You gotta keep the=
fire going, but very quietly. If you've got a thermometer on your covered=
grill, you want to keep the temperature between 180 and 220 F. Remer, "Slow=
and low is the way to go." You have to figure out your own personal=
refueling policy. The one I like is one handful of coals or wood chunks to=
every beer.
This goes on for about 8 to 10 hours or however long you can make it, the=
longer the better. Don't be scared by the darkening of the exterior, the=
outside of the brisket will be superdark--my personal favorite part.
3. Upon completion, pull the brisket out, trim off any excess fat, and=
slice it thin. Serve with barbecue sauce on the side--no pro would ever=
cover properly cooked brisket with sauce, he'd just dab on a touch.
Obviously the key here is a tremendous amount of patience and a day when=
you want to do nothing but sit around. But the end product is one of those=
great culinary events that results from spending a lot of time doing=
something that is relaxing and enjoyable. Make sure you have plenty of tall=
boys for eating this.
-Accompanying commentary=20
In my estimation, beef brisket just might be why the barbecue process was=
invented. My research, sketchy as it is, shows that there was a strong=
German immigrant communitu in Texas around the turn of the century. It has=
some of these Germans working in the booming Texas cattle industry, and=
others working in butcher shops, what with their strong background in=
butchering and charcuterie. It being common knowledge that butchers are=
constantly trying to turn tough or inexpensive cuts of meat into a usable=
product that brings a higher cost (witness sausages and pates), it has=
these German butchers faced with the brisket. This cut of beef is=
particularly unwanted because of the huge percentage of fat that runs ont=
only on the surface, but throughout the cut. Traditional technique would=
braise or pickle this cut to tenderize it, but the brisket also has a lot=
of beef flavor. In my personal opinion, a vey smart German butcher who ws=
looking for a way to market this cut barbecued it. We're not talking here=
about the open-pit roasting that was already popular in this area, but=
rather closed-pit cooking, in which the cooking is done by convection=
ratherr than conduction. It is similar to braising in theory, with the=
smoke replacing the water. It is cooked at very low heat for a long period=
of time, and the high fat content protects the meat from drying out but=
also disappears through the 10 - 18 hour cooking process. What you are left=
with is very tender meat with little or no fat and a tremendous smoky beef=
flavor. I think the meat and the process were literally invented for each=
other.
Now, I don't think that you will get any disagreement from the professional=
barbecue industry when I say that brisket is the hardest to master--but,=
hey, learning is half the fun. And, in the words of Remus Powers, famous=
barbecue aficianado, "The best barbecue I ever had is the one on the plate=
in front of me."=20
These are guidelines for the closed-pit barbecuing of brisket, a basic=
technique with many variables which is wide open for personal=
interpretations.
Chris Schlesinger
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