Been waiting for this pandemic to come to an end so I could rationalize smoking a whole packer and invite some friends. It just doesn't make a ton of sense to cook 18# of meat for the two of us and a fat dog. Being that one of Tracy's favorite things in the world is brisket, she was getting impatient for me to smoke one and she decided that I need to regardless of the situation. Ok....I'll do that. We decided to invite one couple. They are a bit older than us, retired, and have been playing it safe since this whole mess started. They jumped on the opportunity to get out of the house AND eat some good brisket. This was a beautiful thing as the folks joining us are some of our best friends in the world.
Started with an 18# Certified Piedmontese whole packer
Trimmed it and seasoned with my beef rub and some On Point (or something like that) rub which was gifted to me by Zach
Misplaced Nebraskan
. That is some REALLY good stuff!!
About 3 hours in with the smoker running 300*
Made a big bowl of wasabi horseradish macaroni salad
Appetizer plate with homemade smoked Cajun sausage, smoked extra sharp cheddar, and club crackers
Brisket all done. I am thrilled with that bark!!
When the IT hit about 185 I put it in a large pan with beef broth, beef gravy, and bourbon then covered with foil. Took all the juices from the pan, added a bit of corn starch, and hit it with the immersion blender to make a gravy
Sliced. Needless to say, I'm a happy camper right about now.
Close up
The whole spread. Also had a pan of Susan's world famous Soppin' Beans. OMG those are so good!!
My first plate
I've managed to eat at some of the best BBQ joints in Texas. By default that means I've eaten at some of the best in the world, as have our friends. This was without doubt the absolute best brisket any of us have ever had. People were literally cutting it with a plastic fork it was so tender. Flavor was off the charts and juicy enough that we almost had to wear a bib. Total cook time was right at 8 hours. This is also the first time I've ever made gravy like this with the drippings. It was stellar and will be the go-to from now on. One of our guests likes a little BBQ sauce so I got out the SBR for her. She never even opened the bottle. All of us enjoyed that gravy in a way I'd never dreamed of. It went with the brisket in a way that I have never experienced before. Just incredibly good!! This is also the first time I've ever made wasabi horseradish macaroni salad. It doesn't take a lot of the horseradish to really impact the flavor so I was gentle about using it. Took folks a couple bites to realize what it was that made the macaroni different but that bowl was almost empty by the time we finished dinner. It was a huge hit. In summary, I will never spend an entire day cooking a brisket again. I'm 100% convinced that hot and fast is the way to go. I've seen it done a couple times with rave reviews so figured I'd give it a try, and I'm really happy that I did.
Thanks for dropping in,
Robert
Started with an 18# Certified Piedmontese whole packer
Trimmed it and seasoned with my beef rub and some On Point (or something like that) rub which was gifted to me by Zach
Misplaced Nebraskan
. That is some REALLY good stuff!!
About 3 hours in with the smoker running 300*
Made a big bowl of wasabi horseradish macaroni salad
Appetizer plate with homemade smoked Cajun sausage, smoked extra sharp cheddar, and club crackers
Brisket all done. I am thrilled with that bark!!
When the IT hit about 185 I put it in a large pan with beef broth, beef gravy, and bourbon then covered with foil. Took all the juices from the pan, added a bit of corn starch, and hit it with the immersion blender to make a gravy
Sliced. Needless to say, I'm a happy camper right about now.
Close up
The whole spread. Also had a pan of Susan's world famous Soppin' Beans. OMG those are so good!!
My first plate
I've managed to eat at some of the best BBQ joints in Texas. By default that means I've eaten at some of the best in the world, as have our friends. This was without doubt the absolute best brisket any of us have ever had. People were literally cutting it with a plastic fork it was so tender. Flavor was off the charts and juicy enough that we almost had to wear a bib. Total cook time was right at 8 hours. This is also the first time I've ever made gravy like this with the drippings. It was stellar and will be the go-to from now on. One of our guests likes a little BBQ sauce so I got out the SBR for her. She never even opened the bottle. All of us enjoyed that gravy in a way I'd never dreamed of. It went with the brisket in a way that I have never experienced before. Just incredibly good!! This is also the first time I've ever made wasabi horseradish macaroni salad. It doesn't take a lot of the horseradish to really impact the flavor so I was gentle about using it. Took folks a couple bites to realize what it was that made the macaroni different but that bowl was almost empty by the time we finished dinner. It was a huge hit. In summary, I will never spend an entire day cooking a brisket again. I'm 100% convinced that hot and fast is the way to go. I've seen it done a couple times with rave reviews so figured I'd give it a try, and I'm really happy that I did.
Thanks for dropping in,
Robert
