Smoking a Brisket

I just got a new grill with a side fire box for Father's Day. So, I started a blog to share my adventures as someone who really has no idea what I am doing when it comes to smoking. But, I like fire; as most men do. And, I like a nice piece of hickory. And, I like food. And, I like to cook. Oh, and i like beer. Beer is what you drink when you are waiting on your meat to smoke. :-)

So let's begin...

Briskets, according to what I have read online, are one of the harder things to smoke. So why not start there!? I like a good challenge. So, let's get started.

Step 1 - Buy a charcoal grill. Preferably, with side fire box. A gas grill won't cut it. Gas grills are great for cooking hot dogs and hamburgers, but you can't get the taste you get from a charcoal grill. I got a Char-Griller Charcoal Grill with a Side Fire Box from Lowe's. Not top of the line, but, so far, it works pretty well. If you buy the same grill, or probably any grill for that matter, season it well. I seasoned the main grates with bacon grease in the oven for 3 hours (FYI - It smoked up the whole kitchen). The rest of the grill required two cans of spray canola oil and 3 hours of heat.

Step 2 - Buy a brisket. I bought a five pound pre-trimmed brisket from my local grocer.

Step 3 - Prepare the marinade. I decided to go with a wet mop type marinade. I just like the idea of an acidic liquid tenderizing the meat. After all, cooking is chemistry. I altered a marinade I found on the internet. (The non-altered recipe can be found here). The slightly tweaked marinade is as follows:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups red wine (I used a mid-grade cabernet sauvignon. Remember, if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup worcestershire
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon horseradish
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Preparation

Pour the marinade over the brisket and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. Be sure to turn the brisket over every few hours to allow both sides to soak up the marinade.

Fire Time

Requirements

• Quality charcoal briquettes
• Large hickory chunks
• Lighter fluid or a charcoal starter chimney
• Fire

Time to fire up the grill! Here is how I do it.

In the main grill area, I use a large disposable aluminum foil roasting pan. I fill it with about 4 cups water and a 1 cup of red wine (Or, 5 cups water and drink the red wine. I'm not sure how much of the difference the wine really makes in your drip/steam pan). Remove the grates of the main grill and put the water pan where you would normally place your charcoal. Replace the grates and close the lid of the main grill area.

In the side fire box, add quite a bit of charcoal. Shape the charcoal into a pyramid and add lighter fluid. Let the fluid soak into the charcoal for around one minute. Light the charcoal from a few sides of the pyramid. You can also use a charcoal starter chimney; no lighter fluid required and it should provide a better taste.

Once the fire goes out and the charcoal has white edges on most of the briquettes, spread the charcoal around as much as possible. Close the lid of the side fire box. Adjust the draft of the side fire box to about half open. Open the chimney on the main grille to about a quarter open.Wait for the temperature of the main grill area to reach 225 degrees F. Once the grill is at 225 degrees, open the side fire box and add four to five chunks of hickory. Close the side fire box.

Go ahead and retrieve the brisket from the refrigerator. Keep the marinade, you will use that later. Open the main grill area and place the brisket on the grates in the center of the grill with the side of the brisket that has the most fat facing up. Push the brisket together from all sides so you do not have any thin pieces. Close the lid and let the smoking begin.

Take the leftover marinade and pour it into a saucepan. Bring the marinade to a slow boil and let cook for 5 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep your boiled marinade handy, as you will use it as a wet mop for your brisket.

A few minutes after you add your first hickory chunks, you should see smoke billowing out of grill. Time to grab some beer! This will take a little time.

Here is how the next few hours work. Every fifteen (15) minutes, check the temperature of the grill. You are trying to keep a steady 225 degrees. It can fluctuate a little. That's okay. But on average, try to stay around 225 degrees. If the grill is too hot, close the chimney and the side draft a little. If it is too cool, open the chimney and side draft a little. Air is what determines the temperature. The more air, the more heat.

Every thirty minutes, or when the smoke stops billowing, add three or four more chunks of hickory to the fire. The first hour or two are the most important as far as smoke goes. You want a constant billowing smoke.

Every hour, open the main grill and use a large marinade brush to liberally apply your leftover marinade to the brisket. During this process, your hickory tends to flare up and starts burning. This tends to increase the temperature of the grill quickly. I will usually close the side draft and chimney to snuff out the fire after I close the lid of the grill. Once I see smoke coming out the grill again, I will open the the chimney and side draft again.

Half way through the smoking process, flip your brisket over. This allows for an even cooking of the meat.

At 225 degrees, a good rule of thumb is an hour of smoking per pound of meat. I smoked my brisket for five hours since it was a five pound brisket. After five hours, I wrapped it in aluminum foil and completely closed the chimney and side damper. I let it rest in the grill for another thirty minutes to be sure it was completely cooked. I did check the brisket with a meat thermometer during the smoking process. For whatever reason, perhaps its because I really have never done this before, I never got what appeared to be an accurate reading. I'm kind of wondering if my thermometer is a little defective.

After letting the brisket rest in the grill for thirty minutes, I removed the brisket and set it on a cutting board. I carved it into 1/4 inch thick slices of deliciousness. As a side, I made roasted rosemary and garlic potatoes as well as some killer smoked beans (Recipes to be published soon). I have been working on a Kansas City style BBQ sauce which I still have not perfected (I am getting close). As soon as it is the best BBQ sauce I have ever tasted, I will publish the recipe.

That's it for now. Let me know if you have any specific questions about the process. I am not an expert, but I have learned a lot over the last few weeks. Remember to, "smoke'em if you got'em"!