Dining, Recipes

Brisket accomplished

7/3/2011 Brisket BBQ perfectedI got up later than planned on Saturday, around 8am. Which set me back on time to do the brisket bbq. I needed to stop by Home Depot to pick up a temperature gauge for our trusty old Weber kettle…and it was a purchase that paid off.

Initially, we were out of smaller options of untrimmed whole brisket at the supermarket, so the honey brought home a 14lb slab of beef. He seasoned it the previous night; I sliced it apart the next morning and reseasoned it. At 10:30am I put the point end (about 7 to 9lbs of fatty brisket) over some hot hickory coals and began barbecuing.

It wasn’t really until after 11am that I achieved desired temperature. The coals had burned too high (from 450F down to 350F) at the start and since I was frustrated with the process of going out in the midday heat every 10 minutes to check on the temps, I finally killed one of the banks. That got me below the 300F degree mark sometime after 12 noon and we were finally on our way.

The intent was to keep ambient temps in the grill between 200F to 250F. We worked out a system to refill with coals about every hour for about 10.5 hours. We watched movies all afternoon to keep us occupied while we waited on the brisket to finish, snacking on grilled sausages and potato salad in the mean time. Internal temps stayed around 160F in the later part of the day until I decided to add a small amount coals to the second bank to generate some heat and help speed up the bark-making process. At 9:30pm at 175F-180F we pulled the brisket off the grill and let it sit for another half hour. The honey grilled up some super sweet corn; then we sat down to eat.

It was truly the most sublime piece of meat that I had ever barbecued. Silky soft slabs of glistening beef fell apart as I sliced it. The slow cooking process achieved what we wanted; a rendering process that broke down the channels of fat in the meat to moisten and tenderize it. The honey declared it the best brisket we ever bbq’d–better even than Rudy’s.

And that’s how 2011 July 2 became the date of brisket accomplished.

Ye Olde Garden

Warning: hot July days ahead

This week has been a string of 100+ temperature days. Even the early mornings (by early, I regard 6am-8am early) tend to be muggy. I haven’t gotten out to tend the garden, like weed, prune, or take pictures because of the heat. Earlier in the week I had pruned back one of the purple salvias in the purple bed–hard pruned by 50%. It had gotten so happy in its spot that I was afraid that it might choke the rose out, or seriously affect circulation. Of course, the rose contradicted me by putting out new buds, and one even bloomed yesterday. Pic forthcoming.

If I spend any time outdoors, it’s in 15-30 minute increments…doing little stuff like putting seedlings and starts into the planters for their own protection. A few days ago, I even put the tricolor sage into the ground–it had been sitting in a 4″ pot for long, and one of the clones died from the heat, so it was about time. The other sage clone seems to be doing fine. I added the golden oregano into the trough where I’ve sunk the Sea Breeze salvia, which incidentally are such slow growers right now. Like all salvias, they seem to prefer a lot of room to spread their roots and hate pots. With this in mind, I even got the rest of the Lady in Red salvia starts out in the tree ring.

I drench all the pots and planters before I go into work–when I remember. Yesterday, I noted that the salvia bed wasn’t looking hot, and it had gone 3-4 days without water. So, for at least an hour before work, I just let the sprinkler water the bed. This morning, the salvias greeted me with a mass of blooms. Sometimes they can be instant gratification shrubs. Again, pic forthcoming.

The bell pepper wilt hasn’t been resolved yet. I’ll probably try the peroxide-spray method next, and probably get a bag of cornmeal this weekend to amend the bed. But beyond that, next year’s pepper crop will have to be potted.

Oh, hey, I found a source online for bhut jolokia seeds. I still have time to start the fall pepper plantings.

Ye Olde Garden

Pepper wilt again

Yesterday, I kept the water on all morning to spray the courtyard gardens, including the pepper/herb garden. Today, I observed another bell pepper succumbing to wilt, and I’m now convinced that it’s a fungus that has infected both soil and plant. I’m not sure if it’s already too late but I’ve dumped a cup of water with some hydrogen peroxide on it to see if it can be rescued. I’ve also noticed that the Thai chili pepper is starting to display yellowing leaves on the lower extremities. I gave it a dose of peroxide water as well. Only time will tell if the treatment works. I’m considering spraying a peroxide solution too but given the heat, I’m afraid of burning the leaves.

Dining, Recipes

Brisket challenge 2011

For the past several weekends, perfectly smoked brisket continues to elude us. Regardless of cut or size, we still undercook or cook the brisket too fast. This current weekend we purchased a whole, untrimmed brisket from Kroger’s at 1.99/lb. Weighing in at under 10lbs, we put the behemoth (our biggest attempt yet out of 5 or 6) into our black kettle. Starting with two banks of coals, we eventually had to foil up the monster at the 3 hour mark.

Here’s our dilemma: we get too impatient and don’t let the brisket smoke long enough. Obviously, internet literature suggests at the minimum 90 minutes per pound if cooking in the 200-250 temperature range. At this rate, a 9-10lb brisket should cook for 13-15 hours. We haven’t been able to sit still long enough to cook a brisket all day. I’m minded to go back to the smaller cuts and keep an eye on the temperatures better.  However, further reading reveals that competition bbq can be cooked up to 350F at a faster rate, then wrapped and put into a cooler to cook at rest. 

I’m fairly certain that our Weber 22″ kettle isn’t at fault here (Alton Brown used terracotta flower pots for heaven’s sake!), though managing steady temperatures is certainly key. I have already bought a meat thermometer to keep an eye on the brisket, but perhaps a temperature gauge on the kettle itself might prove crucial to turning out a perfectly smoked brisket. Other adaptations we have made is resorting to rosemary branches to double as an apple juice mop. Cheap and disposable.

I believe my brisket rub is near perfect. I bottled up one of my concoctions a few weeks ago, and we have been using it consistently on beef. It is simply a mixture of paprika, garlic powder, salt, ground black pepper, onion powder and brown sugar with some dried basil and hot pepper flakes thrown in.The taste is nearly perfect, though I think it could use a touch more sweetness. For this large brisket, I added more salt.

What we lacked aside from doneness on this current test slab was a good bark. Methinks our generous mopping was defeating the bark formation as well. At the 3 hour mark, only very small bits of end were blackened…of course foiling up the beast pretty much ensured no more bark formation. When I cut into the flat end at the 6 hour mark, unrendered fat formed a rind along the bottom cap, but boy it was still tasty. Personal note: DO NOT MOP until 2-3 hours in! A very generous smoke ring was evident in all the cuts we made. We did separate part of the flat from the point end, and at this stage, the meat steamed when cut. We got our tough chewy (but extremely flavorful) dinner bits, then wrapped up the remainder and set it into the oven to rest overnight.

Some good practices we have been following is to rub the brisket prior the day of cooking, then make sure the slab of meat is at room temperature before placing on the grill. We’ve also been using liquid-filled drip pans in the kettle, usually water or apple juice–though I’m highly skeptical that the apple juice steam imparts any flavor to the meat. 

Things we should apply but haven’t done: COOK TO TEMPERATURE, not time. (Anywhere between 180 to 200 internal temp is the general consensus.) Get a temperature gauge for the kettle. Get a remote temperature gauge for the meat. Don’t mop until a bark has successfully formed, sometime between the first hour and third hour. Test for tenderness: insertion and pulling out should be little to no resistance; if there is resistance, then it’s not tender-ready. When to foil? Anytime after the first half or only at the end to rest for 20 minutes. Keep the brisket as far away from the fire as possible–tough to do if you’re limited on rack space. Try mustard as a medium for applying the rub to. And finally, start early morning and expect to end late–especially for any brisked sized over 3lbs.

Despite our setbacks with smoking brisket, my potato salad recipe is nearly perfected. More on that later.