Beef Brisket Rub

Cost-Buster Cooking by Ellen Brown on combo cooking

If you’re like me it’s really exciting when barbecue is a noun rather than a verb. There’s nothing to compare with the smoky aroma and flavor of meat so succulent it is almost falling apart, topped with a flavorful barbecue sauce. It can be a sandwich or sliced on a plate. Either way it’s a treat, and for summer entertaining it’s great because it can be done in advance for a large number of people, and it’s subject to the vagaries of the weather gods.

The barbecue you get in restaurants is usually the result of up to sixteen hours of slow cooking in a commercial smoker.

But you can replicate the same tenderness and flavor by starting meat on your grill and then finishing it in either the oven or slow cooker. If the meat is small enough to fit in the slow cooker it’s always my preferred method because it doesn’t heat up the kitchen.

The key to the flavor is using about 2 cups of chips made from aromatic woods such as hickory, mesquite and apple, or some combination. For charcoal grills the secret is to soak the chips in water to cover for at least 30 minutes. When the coals just begin to form white ash, but are still somewhat red, drain the chips and scatter them over the charcoal.

Even though the smoky flavor is not as pronounced when using a gas grill, it’s still there. Place the dry chips in the center of a large (12-by-18-inch) piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bring up the foil on all sides and roll the ends together to seal the pouch. Poke several small holes in the top of the packet. Once the grill is hot, place the wood chip pouch under the grate across the burner shields. Smoke will eventually emerge from the holes.

For beef barbecue, use a brisket of beef or boneless chuck roast, and for pork barbecue use a boneless shoulder because it’s these inexpensive cuts that contain the fat needed for braising. The moist heat converts the collagen of the connective tissue to gelatin, thus tenderizing the food.

Rub the meat with salt and pepper, and some crushed garlic to suit your taste. Cook the meat on the grill, covered, for a total of 20 minutes, turning it occasionally. By the end of this time the meat will be both browned and aromatic. Then transfer it to either a 350 degree oven or to the slow cooker, and add about 2 cups of beef stock to the pan. If cooking it in the oven, it should be covered at all times.

Beef Brisket Rub – Strictly Cooking

I recently smoked two 12+lb beef briskets for a camping trip with 55 of my closest friends.  Along with the beef, we had two 8lb pork rumps that we smoked and made into pulled pork BBQ sandwiches.  Cooking for this many is a challenge in itself, but add to the challenge the fact this was the first time I had ever smoked anything!  I can’t take all the credit as I had the help of two of my closest friends, Joe and Darrell (last names and contact info left off to protect their privacy).  Joe is an amazing cook on the grill, and well, Darrell is an amazing cook. By “cook”, I mean that’s what he’s done for a living at some of the greatest restaurants in downtown Chicago.  To share the grill/smoker with these two fine gentlemen was an experience I will cherish for years to come.

Note: This recipe is for two very large beef briskets and makes about 4 cups of dry rub.  You can use the rub on any sort of grilled/smoked beef.  Go ahead and make this large batch and store it in Mason jars or any sort of plastic-ware until you want to use it.

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Marinades, Rubs, Brines, Cures and Glazes

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