The Pinnacle of Barbecue
Kezza Packer – BBQ Writer
Low ‘n slow beef brisket is somewhat heralded as the pinnacle of barbecue.
In its raw form brisket has all the endearing qualities of an old tough
boot that needs to be treated with a decent amount of respect to create something even remotely edible. Perfecting brisket on a barbecue takes the right trim, rub, temperatures, smoke and above all else, aroha!
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook time: approx. 8 hours
Difficulty: Medium
Ingredients:
- 4-5kg Beef Brisket (point & flap attached)
- Rum & Que Intensify Base Layer rub
- Bulldust
- 150g of butter
- Barbecue Sauce
- and beer…lots of beer!
Method:
- Trim any excess hard fats and silver skin from the brisket, leaving around 3-5mm of soft fats on both sides.
- Apply Rum & Que Intensify Base Layer rub to all surfaces, followed by a liberal coating of Bulldust. Gently press the rub into the surface of the brisket, loosely cover and set aside for 30 mins to 1 hour.
- Prepare your barbecue of choice for indirect heat and preheat to around 275°F/135°C Adjust the vents on your barbecue to achieve this.
- Add some wood chunks, such as pohutukawa, directly above the coals to create a gentle clean white smoke.
- Place the brisket fat-side up and away from the coals, close the lid.
- At 2 hours check the internal temps of brisket with an instant read thermometer, with a clean spray bottle lightly spritz all surfaces with water. Do this phase as quickly as possible because if you are “looking you ain’t cooking!”
- After 3 hours repeat above step and add more lit coal as required – The goal is an internal temp of around 165°F/75°C and the rub to be set to a dark bark in appearance. As soon as this is achieved it is time to wrap.
- Using heavy duty barbecue tinfoil create a “boat”, add 4 sticks of butter, sauce, and a splash of beer. Place the brisket fat side down on top of the butter baste and wrap tightly – you may need to add multiple layers of foil to achieve an airtight seal around the brisket – this is important. There are plenty of online tutorials to help with this process.
- With your barbecue still at 275°F/135°C place the brisket wrap fat side down and indirect as previously, close the lid and open a beer.
- Every hour on the hour, using an instant read thermometer, pierce through the wrap and take the brisket’s internal temp. The goal here is around 200°F/93°C. Once achieved, remove the brisket, wrap the tinfoil and brisket in old towels and place into a chillybin, for no less that 1 hour but up to 4 hours to rest.
- When ready to serve, with the fat side still down, gently open the foil wrap ensuring to not lose any of the buttery juices created in the boat (8). Lift the brisket out on to a chopping board and cut against the grain with a long sharp knife into 3mm slices.
- Coat all sides of the slices by dipping them in the remaining buttery juices and serve!
ALL HAIL THE KING,
ALL HAIL THE KING!
Side suggestions:
- Tangy slaw
- Duck fat potatoes
- Mac n Cheese
- Pork Ribs
- Fry Bread
- Beer