All posts tagged lump charcoal

I didn’t want to get to far away from my brisket posts, so here is an outline of the technique I used. First, I have bbq’d briskets for several years. It certainly is not my specialty. Briskets are not what a native born Michigander typically barbecues. However, as a required category in the KCBS circuit, I will do a half dozen every year.

My preferred piece of equipment for a brisket is a Big Green Egg or Hasty Bake. The Egg is perfect because of it’s ability to maintain a steady temperature “forever”. The Egg is also a high moisture grill, so I don’t worry about drying out the meat.

With that said, I have been focusing on simplifying my bbq style. I wanted to be able compete (and win) with the basics…which led me to adapt all my recipes to a basic Weber kettle.

I have always tried to do my briskets at 2 hours per pound. Grill temp at around 225 degrees +/-. The kettle is an imperfect piece of equipment. Stripped down to fuel, grate and vents. More of an art form. No thermostaticly controlled pellet auger   I also have three young kids at home. Long cooks are almost out of the question. My challenge became, how can I do a brisket in the shortest possible time, but still get it fork tender and moist.

My “aha”moment for brisket came in reading a recipe for beef short ribs. Basically braised in a beef broth, wine and bbq sauce solution. Cooked in the oven at low temps. I tried the recipe and it was great. Now how to adapt for a Weber.

This is what I ended up with. A six pound brisket, seasoned with the rub posted earlier. A Weber kettle, lump charcoal banked on both sides. Four chunks of pecan wood. Once the coals were hot, I placed the brisket in the middle, directly on the grates and added the chunks to the coal. Vents open. Four chunks of pecan create a heavy smudge in a kettle…very heavy. After two hours, I opened the lid. The brisket looked like a meteorite. Burnt in it’s descension to earth. In other words, perfect.

At that point, I layed the brisket out on a piece of heavy duty foil. Big enough to wrap twice. I then poured on a concoction made of beef broth, spicy bbq sauce (Orgasmic Slabs brand) and a bottle of Harp beer. ( I bagged the wine from the original recipe). I crimped the foil lightly, allowing for some steam to escape and placed back on the grill. I did not add any more fuel. Closed the vents slightly and walked away. About 3.5 hours later I returned and closed off the vents. 45 minutes later pulled the brisket and let rest. 30 minutes later, sliced and served.

The words to describe it: moist, flavorful, smokey, and beautiful. A six pound brisket, in just over six hours, that kicked some serious .ss! I have duplicated this several times.