I have a friend who is getting ready to BBQ a beef brisket for the first time on her Weber grill, and this is a good strategy for success.
Equipment:- Circular kettle grill; Weber is the most common type.
- 9” deep circular metal pan (at least 4” deep) for holding liquid.
- Meat thermometer (a griller’s best friend [Other than beer!])
- Charcoal starter chimney for lighting the charcoal. NEVER use lighter fluid. It ruins the taste of your meat.
- 24” Roll of Heavy Duty aluminum foil.
- 1 Large (large enough to comfortably hold the brisket) zip lock plastic bag.
- Wood chips: Mesquite, apple, oak (at least two types)
- 12-18 lbs charcoal (not instant light type!)
Ingredients:- 8-10LB beef brisket – flat cut
- 1-2 Guinness stout
- 1 clove garlic, minced (or 1 TBS garlic powder)
- 1 small onion, sliced (or 1 TBS onion powder)
- BBQ Rub, found on your grocery store spice shelves, specialty stores, your favorite BBQ joint, the internet (need I go on?)
- 4 TBS Dijon mustard
- 4 TBS Worcestershire sauce
- 4 TBS Brown sugar
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 flat beer
- 1 or 2 favorite BBQ sauces for final flavor
Directions the day before your big feast:
- Examine your beef brisket. Trim down any pieces of fat which are over ¼” thick. Don’t trim it all off! The fat renders down and add flavor. FAT = FLAVOR!
- Pour the Guinness into the zip lock bag.
- Add the onions (or onion powder).
- Add the garlic (or garlic powder).
- Place the brisket into the zip lock bag, close and mix everything. Place into the refrigerator overnight.
Directions for Smokin! Time!:- Mix the mustard, Worcestershire sauce & brown sugar together.
- Remove the brisket from the marinade, rinse and pat dry.
- Slather the mixture onto the brisket.
- Sprinkle on the rub in generous fashion.
- Let sit for an hour.
- Soak the wood chips in water, or your favorite beverage. This takes about ½ an hour.
- Place the metal pan in the center of the grill grate.
- Pour charcoal around 2/3 of the area left around the pan. Leave a generous gap for adding hot coals.
- Using the chimney fire starter, add the remaining charcoal to the top, put newspaper in the bottom.
- Light the newspaper and watch the charcoal light up as well.
- When the coals get grey, pour them on one end of the charcoal circle, leaving a gap between them and the other end of the circle. The goal here is to have the charcoal burn around the circle in a controlled fashion throughout the day.
- Cover the grill and adjust your air vents to keep the temperature inside the grill at 225°F. This could take up to ½ hour. You can check this by sticking the meat thermometer into the top vent and waiting for it to stabilize.
- Add the beef broth, flat beer and water to the center pan. As the day goes on, add more water. You are using this to add moisture to the smoke and flavor to the meat.
Sprinkle wood chips onto the hot coals and around onto the cool coals. Reserve some for additional smoke.
- Place the brisket, fat side up, onto the top grate over the circular pan and away from the hot coals. Cover the grill.
- Smoke for 3-4 hours adding wood chips to the hot coals and water to the pan. After 3 hours, check the temperature of the meat. When the meat reaches 160°F remove it from the grill. Keep the grill covered.
- Place the brisket on a double layer of aluminum foil. Pour 1 cup of water over the meat and wrap the foil tightly.
- Place the meat into a pre-heated oven. If you have a long time until serving, set the oven at 225°F. If your time is running out, set it to 245°F. Heat until the meat is 185- 190°F as checked by the meat thermometer.
- Remove the meat and let it rest at room temperature for up to an hour.
- Remove the meat from the foil carefully. The juices will steam.
- Slice and pour the juices over the brisket. You might want to sample here. Because you might not get any later!
- Serve with BBQ sauce on the side.
Enjoy your brisket!
Dr. Dave
