brisket. mmmmm.

I’ve been trying to actually *feed* Bryan the last few days, before he has to go suffer through 70 days of chow hall. I have never made a brisket before, but decided to attempt one. Bryan is after all, the VERY carnivorous one of the household.

I grew up on delicious, fall apart, smoked Texas briskets. This was not a true Texas brisket, a. because we do not have a smoker and b. because although I love Bryan immensely, I am NOT willing to brave the frigid temps outside. So, it was cooked in the oven. No less, for my very first brisket everyone in the house declared it a huge success. Jacey even had 2 helpings (and neither she nor I are big meat eaters).

Brisket – Lacey’s Way

The Meat
6 lbs beef brisket (with a 1/4-1/2 inch fat pad)

Dry Rub
4 Tbsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
16 grinds of pepper (I *think about 1/2-1 tsp or so)

Wet Marinade (braising liquid)
12 oz Coke
1/2 bottle Jack Daniels Original No. 7 Barbecue Sauce

Instructions
Mix together dry rub ingredients in a bowl. Liberally apply to all sides of brisket. Be sure to rub it in good, so the flavors permeate. Place fat side up in a glass or metal baking dish with at least 2 inch high sides. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight (12+ hours is better but I only did about 10).

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pull brisket out and place on the counter for at least 30 minutes, so the meat can start coming to room temperature. Mix together wet ingredients and pour over the brisket. Allow the liquid to fill the dish about halfway up the meat. Cover tightly with foil and place in the oven. Cook for about 5-7 hours (about 45 min – 1 hour per pound). When cooking time is coming to a close, open up the foil and check the meat right under the fat pad. If it shreds easily, it is done, if not recover and bake a bit longer.

Once done, pull out of the over and let rest 15 minutes. Remove the meat from the dish and place on a cutting board. Use a serrated knife to remove the fat pad. It should remove fairly effortlessly. Shred to make pulled beef brisket or slice perpendicular to the grain for sliced beef brisket. Can be served with the braising liquid or the remaining bottle of bbq sauce.

Storage tips – Slice/shred all the remaining meat and place in a dish. Strain the braising liquid and then chill so you can remove the layer of fat. Pour into the dish with the meat, cover tightly and refrigerate/freeze. I am not sure how long you can freeze it, but Google should be good for that :).

Recipe, my own. Inspiration, Pioneer Woman.