But today my plans got rained out and I said screw it…I’m gonna work the pit. I had a hankering for some leftover brisket on nachos, so I decided that even though I was getting a late start, brisket it would be.
Meat: I ran over to the store and bought a 7.5lb brisket flat (I usually buy much larger packers that take much, much longer to smoke). This flat had a decent flat cap, so I wasn’t to worried about it drying out.
Rinsed, Rubbed, and Ready for the Pit
This time I didn’t stress over the prep, I didn’t even trim, I simply rinsed it, rubbed it, and put it on the smoker.
Rub: I used [easyazon_link identifier=”B00L4MU288″ locale=”US” tag=”backyardmov05-20″]Trader Joe’s BBQ Rub and Seasoning with Coffee & Garlic.[/easyazon_link] This is a bold rub that can stand up to a smoky beef. This rub is also pretty good on pork ribs, but I don’t think I would use it on something more delicate like chicken.
Wood: I had originally planned to smoke a pork shoulder and a brisket at the same time, so I had purchased apple. The lump charcoal I use is a mesquite, so the apple wood combined with the lump resulted in a smoke flavor that could stand up to the brisket.
Brisket on the Kamado
The Cook: I was targeting 250F for my cook using my Tip Top Temp to maintain temperature. The weather was a little weird yesterday, cold and raining on and off. For whatever reason, the smoker ran a little hot (300+F dome temp) throughout and I didn’t try to correct it. I waited until the meat had an internal temp (IT) of 170F on my thermoworks pen thermometer, then I pulled it and wrapped it. In the beginning I refused to wrap my brisket, but after a few truly ridiculous stalls, I started wrapping my meat with foil. After visiting Franklin BBQ in Austin, I saw that Mr. Aaron Franklin uses pink butcher paper. I ordered some pink butcher paper and this was my first time using it to wrap. After wrapping, I left it on the grill and checked on it about an hour and half later or so and caught it while the internal temp was 202F. I pulled the meat immediately and put it in a cooler and let it rest for 90 minutes or so. Total cook time ended up being around 5.5 hours, which was blazing fast from my previous brisket cooking experiences.
The Verdict: I crushed it! Absolutely amazing, best brisket I have made in a long, long time. I think the lesson from this cook is sometimes you just have to relax and go for it. When I have smoked brisket in the past, I would do a huge packer because it was so much work. What I didn’t realize was it was so much work, because it was so large! The smaller flat was easier, faster and just as tasty. Even at 7.5lbs I could still feed quite a few people for a small backyard movie gathering.
If you have been missing your grill or smoker, throw caution to the wind and go for it. I know for me it definitely feels good to be back!
[easyazon_infoblock align=”none” identifier=”B00L4MU288″ locale=”US” tag=”backyardmov05-20″]
Delicious!
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