Braggin’ Rights Smoked Brisket

There’s an art to smoking meat. The perfect spices for rubbing the meat, a good cut of meat, and most important – smoke. Which wood to choose? How long to smoke? How big does my smoker need to be? Yeah, there’s a lot to learn when you want to take on the challenge of smoking, but I’m here to tell you, don’t let any of that bother you. It’s easy.

Smoking meat is an art, but an easy one. Choose a nice cut of meat, lather it with some rub (store bought it necessary) and pop it in the smoker. Don’t over think it! Even on my worst days, I still get an amazing meal when I use my smoker. Sure, the smoke ring may not be perfect, them temp may have been a little off, but the only way to get better at smoking food is to keep trying!

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Braggin’ Rights Brisket

from Smoke & Spice 

Ingredients:

• Wild Willy’s Number One-derful Rub*
• 8 – 12 lbs packer-trimmed beef brisket
• Basic Beer Mop**
• Struttin’ BBQ Sauce***

Preparation:

The night before you plan to smoker the brisket, apply the rub evenly over the brisket (you won’t use all of it). Make sure to massage the rub into every nook and cranny, coating every side well. Wrap the brisket in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.

The next day, remove the brisket from the refrigerator 45 minutes before barbecuing. Meanwhile, prepare your smoker, getting the temperature between 200 and 220 degrees F.

Transfer the brisket to the coolest part of the smoker, fat side up, so as it cooks, the juices baste the meat. Cook the brisket until well done, and tender, 1 to 1 1/4 hours per pound. Every hour or so, baste the meat with the mop.

When the meat is done cooking, remove it from the smoker and wrap it loosely in foil. Let it rest for at least 20 minutes. Cut off the fatty top and discard. Trim the smoked brisket thinly against the grain.

 Wild Willy’s Number One-derful Rub*

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup paprika
• 1/4 cup ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup coarse salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbs chili powder
• 2 tbs garlic powder
• 2 tbs onion powder
• 2 teas cayenne pepper

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a resealable container, like Tupperware.

To avoid contamination, or wasted spices, spoon out what you need before coating anything and reseal to insure no utensils that have touched raw meat mingle with your spice reserve.

Basic Beer Mop**

Ingredients:

• 12 oz beer
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbs Wild Willy’s Number One-derful Rub

Preparation:

In a saucepan, combine all mop ingredients over low heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Strain into a squirt bottle or bowl to use for basting.

Struttin’ BBQ Sauce***

Ingredients:

•  1 tbs vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 3/4 cup cider vinegar
• 6 tbs packed brown sugar
• 4 – 6 tbs chili powder
• 1/4 tomato paste
• 3 tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 3 – 4 teas celery salt
• 1 tbs yellow mustard
• 1 tbs ground black pepper
• 1 tbs corn syrup
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tbs liquid smoke (optional)

Preparation:

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, saute about 5 minutes, until softened. Mix in the remaining ingredients, reduce heat to low, and cook the mixture until it thickens, about 30 minutes. If it gets too thick, add more water.

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