BBQ Smoked Brisket

My husband wanted a good BBQ brisket but we don’t have a smoker. I told him to try making a brisket without it. He looked at me perplexed. I told him I had read about it a few times before, but never tried it and that he should. He dismissed it. I sent him a link and waited. About an hour later I noticed a purchase from Amazon, various grill accessories for smoking meat the article had referenced. Game on.

My husband, who is an attorney, also loves food and enjoys cooking “at times“, but not often. When he does cook, it’s somewhat random and almost always involved. But to his credit, the end product is almost always fantastic. This is exactly how two of my favorite recipes, Neal’s Kreplach and Venezuelan beef, came about. I looked forward to the brisket.

I should preface this story by telling you smoking your brisket is not quick by any means. Smoking any meat is a project that requires, patience and careful monitoring; two skills my guy has in abundance.

Below are excerpts from the Bon Appetite article titled “How To Make A Texas-Style Smoked Brisket On A Gas Grill” I sent my husband, it was spot on and the brisket my husband made was truly outstanding.

Step 1: Gather your equipment:

• An hour before preparing the grill, place brisket on a rimmed baking sheet. Mix salt and pepper in a small bowl and season the meat all over (it should look like sand stuck to wet skin but without being cakey). Let meat sit at room temperature for 1 hour
• Smoker box, Weber universal stainless steel smoker box is the one we used.
• Smoking chips: hickory, oak, and applewood (my favorite) are all great.
• A grill or analog thermometer.

Step 4:  Prep your grill. Soak 6 cups of wood chips in a bowl of water for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Leave in water throughout the cooking process. Keep the remaining 2 cups of chips dry. Light only 1 grill burner to medium (if using a 3-burner grill, light burner on either end). Make sure the drip tray is empty, as a lot of fat will render. Place the smoker box over the lit burner, add 1/2 cup of soaked wood chips to the box, and close the grill. Adjust heat as needed to keep the temperature at 225-250 degrees. Stick it through the gap between the lid and the base of the grill. The wood chips should begin to smolder and release a steady stream of smoke  To get more smoke without increasing grill heat, add a few dry chips to the soaked ones.

Step 5: Maintain the heat. Place brisket, fatty side up, on the grill grate as far away from the lit burner as possible Cover the grill and smoke meat, resisting the urge to open the grill often, as this will cause the temperature to fluctuate. Adjust heat as needed to keep the temperature steady at 225-250 degrees. Check wood chips every 45 minutes or so, and add soaked chips by 1/2 cupfuls as needed to keep the smoke level constant.

Step 6: Know when it’s done. Keep smoking the brisket, rotating every 3 hours and flipping as needed if the top or bottom is coloring faster than the other until meat is very tender but not falling apart and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of meat registers 195-205 degrees, 10-12 hours total.