Low and Slow!

“Low and Slow”

Allow me to take the mystery out of bar-b-que.

First of all, there is no mystery. Time, technique and patience is all there is.

The way to make your bar-b-que really special is to gain inspiration from your ingredients, other chefs and time to make your recipes speak to you. When drawing inspiration for my cooking, I look to ‘Bar-B-Que Guru” @ http://www.thebbqguru.net/competition%20ribs.html .  

I’ve use some of his techniques in the past when I was competing regularly on the BBQ circuit. I still get out there when I have the time. I am part of the BBQ competition team called “Risky Brisket”, where we have won 1^st place in our ribs and brisket and 3^rd place in our pulled pork. 

Today, we are smoking some beef brisket – here’s what we’re going to do:

Ingredients:

-          USDA “Choice” Beef Brisket (whole piece)

-          Your favorite BBQ rub

-          Grilling wood chips

-          Charcoal grill (gas will also work; if using a gas grill, no wood chips are needed)

Take your brisket, and with the fat side up, make shallow incisions along the whole top. Repeat this process until you have at least six cuts across.

Turn the brisket over and you will see a fat pocket that separates the briskets two main muscles, the “flat” and the “point”. Trim part of this away, not much, because the fat will add flavor to the meat.  

We are trimming because we want to allow the brisket rub to get deep into the meat. With that said, take your favorite BBQ rub (mine to follow) and sprinkle liberally on both sides. Then massage the rub into the brisket well.  

What I like to do then is wrap the brisket in plastic wrap and allow it to sit at room temperature for at least four hours before unwrapping and placing it on the grill. If you get your brisket early enough before your event, I recommend you put it in your fridge overnight. This allows the salt in the rub pull the moisture from the meat and mix in with the rest of the spices in the rub to meld together just to be drawn back into the meat. Not only does this tenderize this tough cut of meat be will allow you to impart some serious flavor there all well.

On to your smoker -- whether it’s gas or charcoal the principals are the same. I personally prefer to use charcoal. Why, you ask? Because I enjoy the smoky flavor that comes with hardwood lump charcoal and a few chunks of Hickory wood.

Indirect heat is the only way to cook brisket. That is; your heat source is away from the meat. You allow the brisket to cook from the heat from the charcoal as well as the wood used that will impart the flavor.

After your coals have turned white and also depending on the size of your grill, you can either use split logs of wood or wood chunks. Soak your wood for a minimum or 30 minutes prior to add them to your fire. This will allow the more smoke to be released from the wood prior to it burning off. 

At this time you want to put your brisket in away from the fire with the fat side up. It is EXTREMELY important that the temperature of the grill stays at 250* F. +/- 10 degrees variable. Because the brisket is such a tough cut of meat it will take 10 to 12 hours at 250 degrees for it nice and tender, Hence the title “Low and Slow”.

So now this is the time you go and get your favorite beverage and relax. Remember, you still have to tend the fire; you don’t want it to go out!

At around your 6^th hour you can pull the briskets and wrap them in aluminum foil and then put them back on the grill for the remainder 4 hours.  This will save you on time and help keep the brisket moist.

Pull the brisket when the internal temperature at its thickest point at 180* F. Allow the brisket to rest for 15 minutes before cutting into it. (You’ve been extremely patient so far, another 15 minutes won’t hurt). This process allows the juices to settle down and re-disperse within the brisket.

To carve: Place the brisket in front facing horizontally with fat side up, cut directly in half and turn cut side away from you. This is the direction you want to slice. Always cut against the grain. If you cut with the grain of the meat, all the hard work that you’ve invested will have gone to waste because it will tough and chewy. So make sure you cut with the grain and enjoy!

Bon Appetite,

Chef Richard B. Green

Restaurant Chef de Cuisine

Artisan Table