Barbecued Texas-Style Beef Brisket - Review

Labor Day 2009: Nate and I wake up craving the kind of smoked brisket we left behind in Texas when we moved to Colorado; slow-smoked, falling-apart tender, and with so much flavor that you only use barbecue sauce if you just like to have sauce. We woke up Monday morning with that hankering for a brisket, but first things first: we had to get a smoker! Off we ran to Walmart for a smoker, and, as it turns out, September is the month to buy all things summer on the cheap! We left Walmart with the smoker, charcoal, wood chips, and lighter fluid (Tim "The Toolman" Taylor's man-grunt comes to mind) and ready to embark on the flavorful journey of smoking our first brisket ever! We chose Emeril Lagasse's Barbecued Texas-Style Beef Brisket recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 (4-pound) beef brisket, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cayenne
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Mesquite wood chips

Set the brisket on a large sheet of plastic wrap. In a medium bowl combine the dark brown sugar, chili power, paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne, dry mustard, and cumin thoroughly. Rub the mixture onto the brisket and wrap tightly in the plastic wrap. Place on a baking sheet and let marinate refrigerated at least 6 hours or overnight. Remove the meat from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature.

Soak mesquite wood chips in a large bowl of water for 1 to 2 hours. Remove, drain and set aside.

Remove the meat from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature.

Prepare a smoker with charcoal and the wood chips according to the manufacturer's instructions to 180 to 200 degrees F. Place the water pan in the smoker and add water to the fill line, about 2/3 full. Place the unwrapped brisket on the lower rack off the direct heat, close the lid, and cook, regularly stoking the fire and adding additional chips, until an instant-read thermometer registers an internal temperature of 140 to 145 degrees F., about 4 to 5 hours. Remove the meat from the grill and let rest for 20 minutes before carving the meat against the grain.

(Alternately, prepare a stove-top smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Place the unwrapped brisket on the rack over low heat. Close the lid and smoke for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Remove the meat from the smoker and wrap in a large sheet of heavy aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet and roast until tender and an instant-read thermometer registers an internal temperature of 140 to 145 degrees F., about 2 to 3 hours. Remove the meat from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes before carving the meat against the grain.)

Serve with Barbecue Sauce on the side for dipping.

Fast forward 6 hours: I'm eating a phenomenal brisket, full of flavor from perfectly blended spices, meat, and smoke, and not even thinking about barbecue sauce. The flavors were amazing, and although it was a little overdone for my taste, it was tender and juicy and flavorful and completely satisfied my hankering for brisket!

A very productive Labor Day indeed!