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"Bar-B-Que Adventures"

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Brisket & Burnt Ends

Hello Bloggers!
It has been a busy summer for Whyldfire Bar-B-Que Catering & Concessions. Fairs, Festivals & Catering has kept us busy...  hardly had any computer time lately. Things are slowing a bit so i thought i`d cook up a brisket and share how i "do it".
First off i decided to fire up my Ugly Drum Smoker because i was cooking brisket, which for this cut of meat i feel that cooking over the coals the way the Drum is set up... just plain makes the best brisket.
I loaded the coal basket with lump charcoal and a few chunks of apricot wood. Fired it up with my trusty weed burner to get it going.
While the drum was coming up to temp. I went inside & took the brisket from the fridge, which was a choice cut of brisket. Trimmed some of the large hunks of the fat cap. I applied a layer of Worcestershire sauce to all sides of the meat. This will act as a "glue" if you will for the seasoning which i will rub into the meat.

Now don't tell no one but here is the secret to great tasting brisket..... season it with Salt, Pepper & Garlic Salt !
That`s it nothing else required! That old saying "some times simple is best" applies to brisket. Although i have had some fine tasting brisket which i`m sure was rubbed with a cupboard full of seasonings. But after years of research, trial & error... simple is best! I use fresh ground Mediterranean sea salt, fresh cracked multicolored peppercorns & a light dusting of garlic salt.


Once this ole hunk of meat was seasoned i went out & checked the temp on the Drum & it was right at 250. Perfect for me. I like to cook in a temperature range of 250-275, not exactly real low temp cooking but fine for this brisket. Cooking tuff cuts of meat at a little bit of a higher temp is just fine. Still cooking at a low temp but just jacked up a bit to cut the long cooking time.

Once the brisket reached 165-170 internal temp i removed the meat from the Drum and separated the point from the flat. Why you ask... Well i want to make some "burnt ends" and wrap the flat in foil. Whats Burnt Ends ? That`s the point section of the brisket removed and cut into one inch square pieces, re-seasoned with a sweet rub and a light glaze of sticky sweet BBQ sauce, placed in a foil pan and back on the smoker to caramelize and get tender. Best thing since sliced bread i tell ya what! Also wrapping the flat in foil makes it super tender and juicy.


Back on the Drum we go for another 2 hours or so. I checked the wrapped flat after an hour & it was at the perfect temp for slicing... 190 degrees. I removed the flat & placed it on a cookie sheet and covered it with a towel to rest and stay warm while the point was finishing up. After another hour i removed the finished Burnt Ends. Sliced the brisket flat & plated it all up with some of them heavenly burnt ends, some smashed tators & sweet corn. Here is the finished product all ready to dig in!


Well that`s about it for this adventure. I could go into a lot more "why`s" and "how comes" but we will save that for a later date. The summer isn't over yet folks... grab the family and cook ya up some BBQ! Spending time with family and friends is what it`s all about! Thanks for stopping by and seeing "whats cooking at home".