OK Boys & Girls it’s Brisket time. BBQ beef brisket recipes are amazingly straightforward and simple.
In fact, as in most smoked brisket recipes and for almost any authentic bbq meats it is more about technique than any printed recipe.
So, this beef brisket recipe will be more of a guide than a step by step recipe.
Also, I am going to include some valuable tips concerning smoking brisket gleaned the hard way from years in the restaurant bidness.
Here we go.
First, you need to acquire a brisket. This is not the well-trimmed “plate” brisket used for braising and corning. Rather, you want to buy a “packer” brisket. This is the cheapest kind, largely untrimmed- which is exactly what you want.
I bought the brisket shown below at Walmart- a safe bet as they sell very cheap cuts and unusual cuts like tripe and oxtail. Note the amount of “fat cap” the top has. You always smoke the brisket with the fat side up and never turn it.
Next, you have to figure out how you are going to smoke this thing- considering it will take a minimum of 10 hours
(it takes more time, but I am going to give you a shortcut in a bit)
Is it just you smoking the meat by your lonesome? Considering that it takes quite some time, here are a couple of tips- a blasphemy to some, S.O.P. to many restaurants willing to admit it…
BBQ Beef Brisket Recipes Blasphemy #1
You want low and slow heat, right? Depending on your smoker set-up, a typical beef brisket recipe smokes at 200 degrees for at least 10 hours. This is for flavor.
Your brisket most likely will not be tender at this point. But, it will have flavor. So if you need to be somewhere else at this point, transfer the brisket, wrapped first in saran wrap, and then in heavy-duty aluminum foil to the oven set for 200-250 degrees. Finish cooking. (2-3 hours)
It is difficult here to go by internal temperature. The old 165-degree adage from the health department doesn’t necessarily apply as you might not have a tender enough specimen at this point.
The brisket is ready when there is no give back at all when you poke it with one of your digits. Of course, your fingers will go right through the fat, but once you get to the muscle, you should be able to poke it and just be able to push a bit through the meat.
BBQ Beef Brisket Recipes Blasphemy #2
The next day, at a rather leisurely pace, wrap the brisket in saran wrap first, and then heavy-duty foil.
Put in the oven at 300 degrees for about 3-4 hours.
You will be amazed at how juicy and tender the brisket is this way.
And yes, I guarantee it.
You will have time to make the appropriate iTunes playlist for your party, make the beverages- margaritas and beer for me-and fix the side dishes. Now that you’ve made your bbq beef brisket recipe, how do you serve it?