True Texas Brisket

[ProblemAgain]

i saw this the other day and thought someone might like it...

True Texas Brisket

Cookstr May 23, 2014

There are a few things that are just so impressive when made from scratch, your friends will never stop talking about them. One is a DIY wedding cake. Another is the Momofuku bo ssäm And a third is Texas-style brisket.

Virgil’s Real Barbecue in NYC cooks a Texas brisket that transports New Yorkers from Times Square to the Lone Star State. In the recently released Virgil’s Barbecue Road Trip Cookbook, Neal Corman walks us through replicating the iconic dish at home.

True Texas Brisket

Photo credit: Alex Martinez

Neal says, “A brisket is a big cut of beef and just the thing for feeding a lot of hungry friends some real, honest-to- goodness quality barbecue. The cut is ringed with fat that makes it self- basting, and it’s usually prepared, as in this recipe, with a flavorful dry rub. The rub ensures the signature “bark,” a crusty layer that adds a distinctive texture and is just flat-out delicious. Follow the instructions here and use a nice fruit-wood for smoke, and you’ll give your meat the definitive smoke ring that sets great brisket apart from the merely good. Just be careful when cutting the brisket—you must cut across the grain to serve the meat at its most tender.”

Serves 12– 14 

2¹⁄2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
1 (11–15 pound) beef brisket, excess fat trimmed to within ¹⁄2 inch all around
2 cups Virgil’s Dry Rub  (see below)

Mix the salt and pepper and sprinkle evenly over the brisket. Follow with a coating of the dry rub, applied evenly all over. Enclose the brisket in a tightly covered container and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the smoker or grill to 240°F, and load with a generous amount of apple wood (or substitute other fruitwood, as desired) mixed with oak or hickory. Place the brisket to the side of the heat source and cook for 13 to 15 hours, or until tender. The brisket is properly cooked when the meat thermometer reads 185°F, and the meat provides little resistance to the probe.

Remove the brisket and allow it to rest for 45 minutes. Cut into thin slices, slicing against the grain.
Virgil’s Dry Rub

Every pitmaster has his own special rub recipe and this is ours (well one of them, anyway). It combines a real nice base of sweetness cut through with some fire to keep things interesting. The great thing about this rub is that it lets the flavor of the food come through, accenting rather than overpowering. We find that it’s an ideal rub for just about any food you might cook on a grill, and can even liven up pan-roasted dishes like pork loin.

Makes 5–5 1⁄2 cups

2 1⁄2 cups sweet paprika
1 cup granulated sugar
1⁄2 cup Texas-style chili powder
1⁄2 cup minced onion
1⁄2 cup granulated garlic
1⁄4 cup dried parsley flakes
6 tablespoons kosher salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together until completely incorporated. Transfer to a covered bowl with a tight-fitting lid. Store in a cool, dry place.
From VIRGIL’S BARBECUE ROAD TRIP COOKBOOK. Copyright © 2014 by Neal Corman with Chris Peterson, reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Press, LLC.

[crestofwaves]

The crusty outside looks soooooooooooooooooooooo good!

[Wayne Goodwin]

Fat makes it so good . I'd never trim ta fat . But I'm trying to srink down now . Been a while si c I eat some meat . Don't think I ever ate any brisket that I knw od ..

[crestofwaves]

Have you seen a difference in your weight, Wayne? Do you feel lighter?

[Lifesighs]

This looks a lot like a Santa Marie Tri-tip. We had that on Memorial Day. I had never heard of Tri-tip till I moved to CA its a very popular cut here. It was delicious.

[blithe spirit]

This where I get to confess to being a communist..not a fan of smoked meats at all..or barbecue sauce. I keep trying but just not my thing. I can do a steak or some chicken on the grill...that's about it for me.

[ProblemAgain]

that's ok..we won't hold it against you...it makes too much of a mess to do that and it gets lint and stuff all over the meat....

[P.A.]

If you are ever in Memphis get some Memphis Style barbecue. It will change your mind.

[dwalt]

Texas and Tennessee do have the best BBQ.

[dwalt]

Never had BBQ from KC but have heard it is good as well.

[dwalt]

Well the BBQ here sucks.....Bad.

[blithe spirit]

I have had it all I think, from everywhere. I got a sauce I got from my Mom that is pretty good..you cook it and reduce it..it's has a sweeter flavor...brown sugar with no vinegar in it...I take the country cut ribs and cook em in the oven and then dip em in the sauce....I know I know...a good waste of meat right?

I've was in the Memphis airport one time...and I could smell it when I got off the plane...smelled wonderful..but ehhhh.

[crestofwaves]

I love anything grilled. Not crazy about smoked,but pulled pork that is smoked is so light and airy.

Southern food sho is tasty.  Once at a Wendy's down south, the server brought us chicken fingers that we had to wait for and offered them to us as if they were gold saying, "Right up out the grease!"  Southerners even make greens fattening with bacon drippings and ham hocks and smoked turkey bits.