Recipe contributed by Brian Cook, a valued Butcher Box customer and BBQ enthusiast.
Brisket is full of beefy flavour and is a staple in smoked BBQ. Best cooked at a low temperature, it can take many hours to cook - but it is totally worth the time and effort. Plan on 60-90 minutes of cook time per 500g of brisket. Using an internal meat thermometer is highly recommended.
Tools To Have On Hand
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Meat thermometer
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Butcher paper or aluminium foil
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Spray bottle
Ingredients
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1 x full-size brisket
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1 cup kosher salt
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1 cup coarse ground pepper
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American-style yellow mustard
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50% cider vinegar / 50% water spritz
Prep the Brisket
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Trim the brisket of excess fat, leaving about 1/4 cm. Don't stress about perfection - unless it's for competition. The fat will render during a long cook. Aaron Franklin has a great YouTube video on brisket trimming if you want to be precise.
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Lightly coat the brisket with yellow mustard. This won't add flavour but acts as a binder for the rub.
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Season generously on all sides (starting with the bottom) using a 50/50 mix of kosher salt and coarse black pepper. Do not rub it in - just shake it on and let it stick to the mustard. A shaker helps, but is not essential.
Pre-Heat the BBQ to 120°C (250°F)
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Open both the top and bottom vents fully.
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Fill the charcoal basket with natural wood lump or coconut charcoal.
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Light a tennis ball-sized spot on top of the charcoal pile with a fire starter or torch - let it burn from the top down.
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Place a heat deflector above the charcoal.
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Close the lid. Let the vents stay fully open for 20-30 minutes to ensure the fire is established.
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As temperature approaches 90°C, reduce the top vent to about 1/8 open. Keep the bottom vent fully open. Adjust the top vent only to control temperature, or use a controller like FireBoard Drive 2.
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Monitor and adjust over the next hour to stabilise at 120°C.
Cook the Brisket
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30 minutes before placing the brisket on the BBQ, add 1-2 chunks of smoking wood. Oak is commonly used, sometimes paired with a fruit wood like cherry.
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Wait for the smoke to clear. You want a thin, clean smoke - not thick and white. Dirty smoke will make the meat taste bitter.
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Place the brisket directly on the main grate above the heat deflector.
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Cook until the internal temperature reaches 74°C, spritzing every 30 minutes with the vinegar-water spray.
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At 74°C, the brisket will hit "the stall" and stop rising in temperature. To push through, remove it, spritz again, and wrap it tightly in butcher paper or foil.
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Continue cooking until it reaches 95°C and feels soft and probe-tender.
Rest
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Remove the brisket and vent the foil or paper to stop the cooking. Rest for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour.
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For longer rests, place the wrapped brisket in a cooler or esky. "Burp" the cooler every 30 minutes or open the drain plug to let excess heat escape.
Serve
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Brisket consists of two muscles - the point (thicker, more marbled end) and the flat (leaner, thinner end).
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Separate the point from the flat and slice each against the grain.
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Slice brisket pieces to the thickness of a pencil or ink pen.
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YouTube is a great reference if you need a visual guide for slicing.
Thanks again to Brian Cook for generously sharing his knowledge and BBQ skills with the Butcher Box community. Got a recipe of your own? We'd love to hear from you!
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