With only two of us here it doesn't make a lot of sense to cook a packer brisket so I went for a small ( 2 3/4 pound) flat...
Slathered with CYM and liberally coated with my brisket rub...
Onto the Yoder... 225 degrees F. for a few hours until it got to about 190 degrees F.
Made a batch of table sauce to go with the brisket
Sliced and ready to plate
Here's the recipe...
Brisket is cut from the underside chest area of a cow or steer and is layered with fat and collagen. The mus¬cle gets a lot of exercise so it’s a very tough piece of meat that needs long cooking to become tender. As collagen cooks it turns into a gelatin and dissolves into the meat. The collagen and the fat help to keep the brisket from drying out.
A good rub and the right use of wood will complement your brisket in the quest to meat perfec-tion. Rubs, like other seasonings and sauces, shouldn’t overpower the flavor of the meat.
Get a brisket with good marbling, white fat and a deep color in the meat. When smoking you will want the brisket to cook fat side up so that the melting fat will run over the brisket and keep it moist. It’s your choice whether you want to cook a whole “packer trimmed” brisket or just the brisket flat. For small gatherings, a flat is usually a good size.
Patience is the secret to a perfectly smoked brisket. Plan on 1 1/2 to two hours per pound for a full “packer” which includes both the point and the flat… that means a 10-pound brisket could take 15 to 20 hours to cook. I generally plan on one hour per pound as a starting point for flats. Brisket is not a quick steak on the grill!
The brisket needs to be rinsed in cold water and patted dry with paper towels before smoking. If you are going to apply a rub it should be done at least an hour before the brisket goes in the smoker.
Wood: Since brisket is smoked for a very long time, avoid a strong or bitter smoke. (Mesquite, the traditional wood for smoking in Texas, can be very bitter if over-used.) My preference is a mixture of 50% sugar maple, 20% hickory and 30% apple.
Rubs: Any seasonings you like will generally make a great rub for brisket. Rubs should com-plement the sauce, if used, and the sauce should enhance the rub flavors. To achieve this, use similar spices and herbs in the sauce that are used in the rub.
Sauces: My choice for brisket is a finishing sauce, one that is brushed on at the very end of the cooking or served at the table as a dipping sauce. Most Texas-style sauces use tomato as a base but the choice is yours.
With the brisket ready, get the smoker ready. The target temperature is 225 degrees F. Once the smoker is stabilized at that temperature, it’s ready for the brisket. Place the brisket, fat side up, in the center of the cooking grate and insert a remote reading ther¬mometer probe in the thickest portion of the brisket. (I also use a second probe to monitor the temperature at the cooking grate.)
Smoked Brisket
1 (2 3/4-pound) brisket flat (aka first cut)
6 cups mixed wood chips (3 cups sugar maple, 1 cup hickory and 2 cups apple)
1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard
Brisket rub (see recipe)
Rinse the brisket and pat dry. Score the fat pad into a diamond pattern (similar to a ham) but do not trim. Brush lightly with prepared mustard. Liberally sprinkle the rub on the fat pad and press in with your hand. Flip the brisket over and repeat. Wrap the brisket with food film and refrigerate overnight.
Prepare the smoker/ grill: Fill a charcoal chimney with lump charcoal and light. When the coals in the chimney are ash-covered, carefully pour the lit coals on one side of the smoker/ grill. When the temperature stabilizes at 225 degrees F. add three cups of wood chips to the coals.
Place the brisket, fat side up, on the cooler side of the smoker/ grill. Insert a remote reading thermometer probe in the thickest part of the brisket avoiding any fat pockets.
Close the cooker and maintain the 225 degrees F. temperature for two hours, adding more pre-lit coals if necessary. After two hours, spray the brisket with your favorite mop or apple juice. Add more chips and preheated coals as needed and continue cooking. After another hour, spray the brisket again and continue cooking spraying with apple juice (or your favorite mop) every hour or so until the brisket reaches 190 degrees F. (If you want to pull the brisket instead of slicing, cook it to an internal temperature of 205 to 210 degrees F.)
When the brisket is done, remove it from the smoker and let it rest for about 20 minutes, tented with aluminum foil, before carving. Carve the brisket across the grain into 1/4-inch slices.
The finished weight of this flat was 1 3/4 pounds.
Brisket Rub
2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon hot Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir well to mix.
Brisket Sauce
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons clover or orange blossom honey
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the ingredients and whisk until blended. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
