The weekend was a success!
My first attempt to cook a brisket ended in four people devouring the 5.5 lbs of meat in 2 meals. I got rave reviews - three 10 out of 10's and one 20 out of 10 (from my sister-in-law)! My sister-in-law was convinced it was the nicest meal she'd ever had.
I must admit I was nervous during the first 4 or 5 hours of the 8 1/2 total hours of cooking. I was maintaining a cooking temperature of 200 - 220F in my BBQ and it didn't seem like much of anything was happening. The core temperature of the brisket wasn't climbing higher than 120F and it seemed I would be waiting a good amount of time before I reached the 190F the cookbook said. So, I raised the stakes.
I decided to maintain a larger fire, so I added more coals. When this would only really bring me to 250F. After another hour-and-a-half at this temperature (now just over 6 hours in total), I decided to augment things with the BBQ's natural gas burner - the one underneath the coals. This was a huge success, as the temperature reached (and held) 300F for the remainding 2-ish hours of cooking.
When I took the temperature of the brisket, in the thickest part, it never got over 160F - medium. I decided, after 8 1/2 hours, that that was sufficient. Ten minutes sitting on the cutting board should raise the internal temperature another 5F, or so.
When I went to cut the brisket, I discovered it was PERFECTLY cooked throughout!!!!!! The rub I had used from the cookbook - How to Grill by Steve Raichlen - was absolutely spectacular. Just the right amount of flavouring across the entire spectrum. The mop that I used - found on the Internet at BBQ Baffle - and applied once every hour, added another layer of flavour that complimented the rub. The final layer of flavour was using hickory chips to infuse the brisket with a smokey flavour.
All flavours combined to make a wonderful taste sensation.
Our meal was finished off with a spectacular homemade potato salad (made by my wonderful wife), Indian Nan bread, and fresh, sweet corn-on-the-cob. Desert was NY-styled cheesecake with fresh fruit - blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries.
Here are a few pictures of the brisket and brisket preparations.
My first attempt to cook a brisket ended in four people devouring the 5.5 lbs of meat in 2 meals. I got rave reviews - three 10 out of 10's and one 20 out of 10 (from my sister-in-law)! My sister-in-law was convinced it was the nicest meal she'd ever had.
I must admit I was nervous during the first 4 or 5 hours of the 8 1/2 total hours of cooking. I was maintaining a cooking temperature of 200 - 220F in my BBQ and it didn't seem like much of anything was happening. The core temperature of the brisket wasn't climbing higher than 120F and it seemed I would be waiting a good amount of time before I reached the 190F the cookbook said. So, I raised the stakes.
I decided to maintain a larger fire, so I added more coals. When this would only really bring me to 250F. After another hour-and-a-half at this temperature (now just over 6 hours in total), I decided to augment things with the BBQ's natural gas burner - the one underneath the coals. This was a huge success, as the temperature reached (and held) 300F for the remainding 2-ish hours of cooking.
When I took the temperature of the brisket, in the thickest part, it never got over 160F - medium. I decided, after 8 1/2 hours, that that was sufficient. Ten minutes sitting on the cutting board should raise the internal temperature another 5F, or so.
When I went to cut the brisket, I discovered it was PERFECTLY cooked throughout!!!!!! The rub I had used from the cookbook - How to Grill by Steve Raichlen - was absolutely spectacular. Just the right amount of flavouring across the entire spectrum. The mop that I used - found on the Internet at BBQ Baffle - and applied once every hour, added another layer of flavour that complimented the rub. The final layer of flavour was using hickory chips to infuse the brisket with a smokey flavour.
All flavours combined to make a wonderful taste sensation.
Our meal was finished off with a spectacular homemade potato salad (made by my wonderful wife), Indian Nan bread, and fresh, sweet corn-on-the-cob. Desert was NY-styled cheesecake with fresh fruit - blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries.
Here are a few pictures of the brisket and brisket preparations.
The Mop Sauce
The Brisket with Rub
The Cooked Brisket
Slicing the Brisket
I'm not sure how adventurous I'm going to be for my next major foray, but I might try a Leg of Lamb ... ;-)
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