This seems to be the week of folks doing their best brisket ever. Apparently Randy (
texomakid
) nailed one the other day and it looks fantastic!! Congrats Randy. Had a bit of a chat in a different thread that involved some of the SMF staff about creating a new sub-forum and there was mention made by me that BBQ (smoking meat) was the root of the forum. I've done some interesting stuff recently but it's time to get back to out roots 
This started last week. I said something to Tracy about it being time to get some friends together and put on a nice dinner. Told her I was gonna reach out to them and give some options for them to vote on as to what the meal would consist of. Here is how the dialog went between Tracy and I:
Tracy: What options?
Me: Brisket
Tracy: Brisket
Me: Prime rib
Tracy: Brisket
Me Tomahawk rib eyes
Tracy: Brisket
Now I don't claim to be the brightest person on the planet but I was kinda thinking that maybe she wants brisket. I do know that it's one of her absolute favorite things I make, so I guess we're doing brisket. Some of you may remember that massive stack of Certified Piedmontese Briskets on my kitchen island not too long ago. Finally time to cook one. Doesn't break my heart a bit!!
Brisket, fat cap up before trimming
Lean side
A generous dose of my beef rub. Wrap in foil and into the fridge. This is Thursday afternoon
Fast forward to 4:00 Saturday morning. Onto the Rec Tec
Made a batch of Greek yogurt ranch dressing for the slaw. I believe this was originally posted by John
SmokinVOLfan
last Spring. It is amazing!!
Got some bacon going for the mac & cheese
Cut up some jalapenos, also for the mac & cheese
Bacon done
Get the cheese sauce going for the mac & cheese
Cheese sauce ready
Boil the macaroni, mix the cheese sauce into it, then add the bacon and jalapenos
Into a baking dish to go onto the Rec Tec later
Brisket coming along nicely. At this point I put in in a baking pan, put in some broth/gravy, and covered with foil
Done. Into the house and wrap for a couple hour rest in the cooler
This is the gravy and drippings from the brisket. Will use this ILO of BBQ sauce. It is SO good!!
Time to get crazy on you all. This is a brie that was lightly warmed in the oven
This is where we really get crazy. Top with warmed bacon jam. Crazy yes, but insanely good served on club crackers!! Bacon jam came by way of Steve
Steve H
and it's out of this world!!
Here is the appetizer spread. Veggie plate with dip, the brie with bacon jam, a tub of purple cauliflower that one of our guests grew, and come crackers
Add more of the three different cheeses to the mac & cheese, ready to go on the Rec Tec
And we're off!!
Mix the dressing into the slaw
Unwrap the brisket and ready to slice. Look!! A real beer Nothing "light" about this one. It's a home brewed English Brown Ale
Brisket sliced. OMG!! This looks amazing...Just beautiful. Gorgeous smoke ring and very moist with lots of juiciness
The whole dinner spread. Only a few items but all were prepared with love
My first of a few plates of dinner
This is what it's all about!!
Dessert was lemon squares made by one of our guests from lemons he grew himself on a tree that he's been nurturing for years
Rick performing his mandatory post dinner concert. Here he is doing "We Don't Get Fooled Again" by The Who
Well folks, this was all so good. Typically there is one component that stands out as the star of the show. Not this time. Everything was just amazing. I couldn't have been happier. I've done every grade of brisket up to and including Wagyu but the flavor of this CPB beat them all hands down. I've had a few that were a bit more tender but not as flavorful. The slaw was just off the charts. When I saw this posted it was as a salad dressing but my first thought was that it'd make a great dressing for slaw. The mac & cheese was made with heavy cream, extra sharp cheddar, Pecorino Romano, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses. They all came together to create a flavor that I've never experienced in mac & cheese before. Most folks went back for seconds of the brisket but to a person, everybody went back for seconds of the slaw and mac & cheese. They all wanted the recipes for both. I've never been a big fan of slaw, but up till a couple years ago all that I'd had was commercially made. Decided one day that I wanted slaw but was going to make it my own, not some rendition of somebody else's. Put together my own recipe and we really liked it. Then this one came up and I threw the other one away. This is hands-down one of my favorite things in the world. The brie with the bacon jam was spectacular. Folks tore into that like a bunch of sharks on a feeding frenzy. I wound up having to warm up more bacon jam so folks could put that on crackers. It's great that way also but the addition of the brie is indescribable. I've actually been dreaming of doing this since the day I made the bacon jam. This was just the first opportunity and I took advantage of it. All in all a really good dinner.
Oh well....I've taken enough of your time and it's time to run to my little pub for a couple of pre-Superbowl adult libations. See y'all on the next one!!
Robert
texomakid
) nailed one the other day and it looks fantastic!! Congrats Randy. Had a bit of a chat in a different thread that involved some of the SMF staff about creating a new sub-forum and there was mention made by me that BBQ (smoking meat) was the root of the forum. I've done some interesting stuff recently but it's time to get back to out roots This started last week. I said something to Tracy about it being time to get some friends together and put on a nice dinner. Told her I was gonna reach out to them and give some options for them to vote on as to what the meal would consist of. Here is how the dialog went between Tracy and I:Tracy: What options?
Me: Brisket
Tracy: Brisket
Me: Prime rib
Tracy: Brisket
Me Tomahawk rib eyes
Tracy: Brisket
Now I don't claim to be the brightest person on the planet but I was kinda thinking that maybe she wants brisket. I do know that it's one of her absolute favorite things I make, so I guess we're doing brisket. Some of you may remember that massive stack of Certified Piedmontese Briskets on my kitchen island not too long ago. Finally time to cook one. Doesn't break my heart a bit!!
Brisket, fat cap up before trimming
Lean side
A generous dose of my beef rub. Wrap in foil and into the fridge. This is Thursday afternoon
Fast forward to 4:00 Saturday morning. Onto the Rec Tec
Made a batch of Greek yogurt ranch dressing for the slaw. I believe this was originally posted by John
SmokinVOLfan
last Spring. It is amazing!!
Got some bacon going for the mac & cheese
Cut up some jalapenos, also for the mac & cheese
Bacon done
Get the cheese sauce going for the mac & cheese
Cheese sauce ready
Boil the macaroni, mix the cheese sauce into it, then add the bacon and jalapenos
Into a baking dish to go onto the Rec Tec later
Brisket coming along nicely. At this point I put in in a baking pan, put in some broth/gravy, and covered with foil
Done. Into the house and wrap for a couple hour rest in the cooler
This is the gravy and drippings from the brisket. Will use this ILO of BBQ sauce. It is SO good!!
Time to get crazy on you all. This is a brie that was lightly warmed in the oven
This is where we really get crazy. Top with warmed bacon jam. Crazy yes, but insanely good served on club crackers!! Bacon jam came by way of Steve
Steve H
and it's out of this world!!
Here is the appetizer spread. Veggie plate with dip, the brie with bacon jam, a tub of purple cauliflower that one of our guests grew, and come crackers
Add more of the three different cheeses to the mac & cheese, ready to go on the Rec Tec
And we're off!!
Mix the dressing into the slaw
Unwrap the brisket and ready to slice. Look!! A real beer
Nothing "light" about this one. It's a home brewed English Brown Ale
Brisket sliced. OMG!! This looks amazing...Just beautiful. Gorgeous smoke ring and very moist with lots of juiciness
The whole dinner spread. Only a few items but all were prepared with love
My first of a few plates of dinner
This is what it's all about!!
Dessert was lemon squares made by one of our guests from lemons he grew himself on a tree that he's been nurturing for years
Rick performing his mandatory post dinner concert. Here he is doing "We Don't Get Fooled Again" by The Who
Well folks, this was all so good. Typically there is one component that stands out as the star of the show. Not this time. Everything was just amazing. I couldn't have been happier. I've done every grade of brisket up to and including Wagyu but the flavor of this CPB beat them all hands down. I've had a few that were a bit more tender but not as flavorful. The slaw was just off the charts. When I saw this posted it was as a salad dressing but my first thought was that it'd make a great dressing for slaw. The mac & cheese was made with heavy cream, extra sharp cheddar, Pecorino Romano, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses. They all came together to create a flavor that I've never experienced in mac & cheese before. Most folks went back for seconds of the brisket but to a person, everybody went back for seconds of the slaw and mac & cheese. They all wanted the recipes for both. I've never been a big fan of slaw, but up till a couple years ago all that I'd had was commercially made. Decided one day that I wanted slaw but was going to make it my own, not some rendition of somebody else's. Put together my own recipe and we really liked it. Then this one came up and I threw the other one away. This is hands-down one of my favorite things in the world. The brie with the bacon jam was spectacular. Folks tore into that like a bunch of sharks on a feeding frenzy. I wound up having to warm up more bacon jam so folks could put that on crackers. It's great that way also but the addition of the brie is indescribable. I've actually been dreaming of doing this since the day I made the bacon jam. This was just the first opportunity and I took advantage of it. All in all a really good dinner.
Oh well....I've taken enough of your time and it's time to run to my little pub for a couple of pre-Superbowl adult libations. See y'all on the next one!!
Robert
