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Brisket rub or marinate?

post #1 of 11
6/18/07 at 10:39am
Thread Starter 
Does anyone have a killer recipe for a brisket rub or marinate? My husband got a new smoker for Father’s Day and we are having company next weekend and he would like to break it in.
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post #2 of 11
6/18/07 at 2:01pm
As a Texas purest...there is no substitute for a good brisket. The right mix of smoke and a low heat over a long period of time. We get the biggest brisket we can find. We don't even season the meat. Sometimes, we salt the fat side with kosher salt. Then we stick it on the pit with great hard wood smoke (usually a mix of hickory and pecan wood) that is alternated with charcoal from hard wood charcoal. We do not trim anything, the fatter the better!!!!! Because over a period of 16 hours at 250 to 300 degrees, it is melt in your mouth tender and the fat is rendered and caramellized in a great crust. The inside is moist and delicious.

We then make a secret sauce (it's Sonny Bryan's secret recipe ;) ) and we serve the sauce on the side for anyone who wants it. It's to die for and worth slappin your mama! So if you're goin for authentic Texas brisket, remember, don't marinate or season...just salt. Then make the best recipe of sauce you can possibly come up with and cook it for a long period of time. (Don't forget to put a pan down to catch those meat drippings!) Cuz the meat drippings really make the sauce in my opinion!!!

Good luck and don't expect perfection the first time. If it was easy...there wouldn't be so many journeymen q-ers out there!
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post #3 of 11
6/18/07 at 2:03pm

Try This

4 tbls coarse salt
1 tbls celery salt
2 tbls black pepper
2 tbls ancho chili powder
1/2 tbls cayenne
1/2 tbls white pepper
3 tbls smoked paprika
1/2 tbls garlic powder
1/2 tbls dried citrus peel
1 tbls dry mustard

Mix together and store in a tightly sealed container. Sprinkle generously the the brisket and let sit at least an hour at room temperature. Then place in the smoker.
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post #4 of 11
6/18/07 at 2:07pm
Now that you have a smoker, you can make some smoked seasonings of your own for rubs later on.

Salt is the most reliable. Spread some coarse salt out in a shallow heatproof container. Put it in the smoker where it won't get dripped on or basted and let it smoke for a few hours. Keep tightly capped. This isn't a strong flavor of smoke but makes a nice addition to rubs for the smoker or for seasoning a steak or burger or anything else on the grill.

I haven't tried paprika though I think it would work about the same.
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post #5 of 11
6/18/07 at 7:22pm
Oops- double post!
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post #6 of 11
6/18/07 at 7:23pm
I don't have a smoker- just a gas grill. But I love the rub I threw together. I have no idea how much you'd need for a brisket, but for four rib pork chops I use:

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or a little less if they're going to sit a long time)
Plenty of ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
Dash of cayenne pepper
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post #7 of 11
6/19/07 at 12:06pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks everyone I really appreciate the help.

I love a great smoked brisket and now that you mention it Bluezebra some of the best brisket that I have ever had was just smoked with nothing on it. I’m thinking that’s how we will do ours, just long and low with a little salt.

Thanks again for all the help.
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post #8 of 11
6/19/07 at 12:24pm
Add some kind of dark beer and a little water to the pan you're using to catch the drippings. I always do that - I don't know if it helps, but using beer for something just makes me feel better!
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post #9 of 11
6/19/07 at 3:17pm
Thread Starter 
LOL - I'll do that! How about some Shiner Bock? Do you get Bock in Oklahoma? That's hubby's favorite beer.
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post #10 of 11
6/19/07 at 5:49pm
Hi Betty! I think you will like it with the right wood and a bit of salt. Don't forget the great sauce on the side! Don't skimp and no store bought! Homemade is a cinch to make!

One other bit of unsolicited advice. We use a barrel pit and smoke on indirect heat from a fire box. There is a thermometer to help show where the temp is...it's very low tech! We've always been "against" adding a bowl of water the reason why is because you want your meat to stay dry so it can create a fat crust from the rendering. You don't want to steam your meat or "braise" it like you get when you have a moist atmosphere. It's critical to get that fat rendered and sealed.

When you take it off the smoker to "rest" is when you "steam" it. Meaning the foil wrapping keeps the moisture and heat in the meat and allow the muscles to relax.

Again, totally unsolicited but we've always found that when barbequeing we didn't need "no stinkin' water"! After all, we had beer! And we had pretty good use for our beer beyond adding it to the dripping tray! ;)

Have fun! You also need the cd to listen to from Robert Earl Keen called Gringo Honeymoon. It has a the quenticential barbeque song on it! The whole cd rocks!
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post #11 of 11
6/21/07 at 10:20am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the help!!

Our new smoker is a barrel smoker and has a firebox on the side, this weekend will be it's maiden voyage and I'll let you know how it turned out.
Betty
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