How to cook a brisket???

[TennJane]

Does anyone have experience cooking a brisket on the grill? My hubby wants to try one and I've heard they can be tricky to cook and have come out right. Any tips or experience you can share are greatly appreciated!!
Thanks!

[KarenS]

Brisket tends to require slower cooking or it can come out tough. We have a couple of family recipes that we use on ours - either in the oven or the smoker. Both require a minimum of 5 hours of cooking.

I did pull out DH's copy of Steve Raichlen's "How to Grill" (DH calls it his "bible"), and found the following for grilling brisket:

Lean and Mean Texas Barbecued Brisket

6 cups of wood chips soaked in water

1 brisket (5 - 6 lbs with a layer of fat at least 1/4" thick)
3 T chili powder
1 T coarse salt
2 t black pepper
1.5 t brown sugar
1.5 t garlic salt
1.5 t onion powder
1 t ground cumin
1 t oregano
1/2 t cayenne pepper

For the sauce
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup beer
1 T garlic salt
1 T brown sugar
1 t red pepper flakes
1 t black pepper.

Rinse the brisket under cold running water and blot dry with paper towels. Combine all the ingredients for the rum in a bowl and stir to mix Rub the mixture onto the brisket on all sides. If you have the time, leave the brisket in the fridge, covered for 4-6 hours.

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce and stir until everything is dissolved.

Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to low. On a gas grill, preheat to high with the chips in a wood box or smoker box until you see smoke, then turn to low. If using a charcoal grill, put about 1 cup of chips on the coals when you start to cook.

Place the brisket, fat side up, in an aluminium foil pan and place in the center of the grate, away from the heat. Cover the grill and cook the brisket for about 6 hours. Baste or mop with the sauce once an hour for the 1st 4 hours. On a charcoal grill, you'll need to add 12 fresh coals and 1/2 cup wood chips every hour.

When done the brisket should read 190 deg on a meat thermometer. Move to a cutting board and let the brisket sit for 10-15 mins to redistribute the juices. This is a crucial step - do not leave it out and do not cut the brisket before it's rested. Thinly slice across the grain to serve.

Karen

[TennJane]

Thanks Karen! I've also heard that brisket can be tough if not cooked correctly. The recipe you posted sounds great - maybe we'll give it a try this weekend :)

[paiger]

Can you cook brisket like a roast in the crockpot? I got one on major 'today only' special at the grocery and that's what I was planning on doing. This makes me nervous b/c we don't have a wood chip type grilling option.

[KarenS]

Here's my DH's family recipe for cooking brisket. No grilling or smoking required. It always turns out GREAT.

You can do this in a crock pot or in a conventional oven (we always use the oven, but I know people who have made it in the crock pot). If you do this in the oven, you need a 9x13 pan or the equivalent and 2 pieces of heavy duty aluminium foil. Join the two pieces of foil together lengthwise to make one wide piece. Triple fold the seam so it doesn't leak. Lay the foil in the pan and mold it to the contours of the pan. DO NOT TEAR THE FOIL. If you tear the foil, then start over with fresh foil. There should be enough overlap to fold over the brisket and make a slight dome. The idea here is that you want room for steam to form. Do not mold the foil onto the meat. Again, triple fold the edges so that there is no leakage. Preheat the oven to 250 *or* set your crockpot on low.

1 3-4 lb brisket, trimmed.
1 pkg Lipton Onion Soup mix
1 bottle/can of beer (preferrably a good quality beer and NOT light beer)

Put brisket, fat side up, in the pan or pot. Sprinkle the contents of the soup mix over the brisket. Pour the beer over and around the brisket, but don't wash off all the soup mix. Seal the foil as described above or put the lid tightly on the crockpot. If your crockpot lid doesn't fit tightly, place something heavy wrapped in a dishtowel on top of it to hold it tight to the crock.

Cook on low/at 250 for 5-6 hours. Add 30 mins for every pound of brisket over 4.

If cooking in a crock pot, do NOT remove the lid at any time during the cooking.

When the meat is cooked, remove from the pot and place on a cutting board to rest for 10-15 minutes. While the meat is resting, strain the juice in the bottom of the pan to remove the onion bits. This is *fantastic* gravy. Slice the meat across the grain. Serve hot or cold. The brisket makes great sandwiches the next day.

Karen

[paiger]

Thanks Karen! I was going to try your other recipe anyway, but this one looks even easier. I'll use your other beer roast recipe for the other roast I got on 'buy today' sale. I really love those sales!!! :)

[mrsfromage]

My husband made a great one for Passover one year from Emeril's recipe but it did take awhile so set aside some time! Happy cooking.

[Pink_Converse]

KarenS-We made your recipe for brisket (Lean and Mean Texas Barbecued Brisket) this weekend and it came out great. Thanks for posting it! We had attempted brisket one other time and it turned out like a potroast for some reason. I think because we put it in foil for the whole time. We LIVE in Texas, it's about ime we learned to cook one :D ! DH is even going to make one this weekend to enter into his company's annual cook off.