I actually found a store shelf marinade/wet rub that seems to work really well.
Allegro Gold Buckle Brisket Sauce. I searched to see if anyone wrote it up here but they didn't.
I marinate the brisket or shoulder for 20-24 hours in the fridge.
The reason I even chose it was it included all of the ingredients I would use in a marinade and rub. What I discovered is it softens the meat even more, adds more smokey flavor than just the hickory (so the mesquite smoke inside it and the hickory give it a nice complex flavor) and it leaves behind a rub on the outside of the meat after it is marinated that sticks well.
Here are the ingredients from the bottle (blasphemy!):
WATER, VINEGAR, BROWN SUGAR, SALT, MESQUITE LIQUID SMOKE, SOY SAUCE, BLACK PEPPER, CARAMEL COLORING, SPICES, TOMATO POWDER.
Here is their site:
http://www.allegromarinade.com/brisket.html
My only complaint--Caramel Coloring and that the Soy Sauce has corn syrup in it.
I'm going to create my own marinade modification of this using Malt Vinegar, Brown Sugar, Cane Sugar (sugar in the raw), black pepper, spices, some tomato juice and liquid smoke. I'll use some paprika (sweet hungarian) but the secret spice will be....
Peri Peri (or Piri Piri or Pere Pere) or African birdseye (or African devil or African red devil) pepper....this is a hot spicy pepper (with an American equivalent in the Birdseye) that is just below the Habanero on the Scoville Scale for measuring the hotness of peppers. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 175,000 (Habenero are around 200,000~300,000, Jalepeno is just 3,500-4,000).
Peri Peri is an Portuguese spice that is common in southern Africa (thanks to Mozambique). There are pre-mixed and it is usually used for chicken and fish, but I like beef with peppers so I'm going to do it.
With a marinade that includes sugars and sweet paprika as well as black pepper, the strong flavor will come through but the bite will be mellowed by the malt and the long marinating time and smoking of the meat.
I'll let you all know how it comes out in a brisket.
I also plan to do some BBQ or smoking with some Peri Peri spiced Chicken. I plan to smoke it first, then rub it with Peri Peri and finish it on the grill to crisp up the skin. Or maybe I'll crisp the skin first, smoke second.
In any event, we'll see...and taste!
Good smoking,
Michael