Clay B’s Red River Valley Brisket
- Ready In:
- 9hrs
- Ingredients:
- 25
- Serves:
-
10-12
ingredients
-
Rub
- 1⁄2 cup garlic salt
- 1⁄2 cup sugar
- 1⁄4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1⁄4 cup sweet paprika
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
-
Brisket
- 1 (10 -12 lb) beef brisket
- 2 cups apple cider
- 10 -12 hamburger buns
-
Other
- 4 cups wood chips or 4 cups wood chunks, soaked for 1 hour in water to cover, then drained
-
Ninth Revision Barbecue Sauce
- 3 cups ketchup
- 2⁄3 cup white vinegar
- 1⁄4 cup yellow mustard (French's)
- 1⁄4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 6 very thin lemon slices, seeded and finely diced with the rind on
- 1 small onion, minced
- 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1⁄4 - 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
directions
- Make the barbecue sauce: in a heavy nonreactive saucepan, add the ketchup, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon, onion, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic salt, black pepper, ginger, cayenne, and 1 cup water; slowly bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Decrease heat to medium and let the sauce simmer gently until thick and full-flavored, about 30 minutes, adding a little more water if it gets too thick.
- Taste for seasoning, adding more brown sugar, garlic salt, and/or even vinegar, as necessary, to taste.
- Strain the sauce before serving, if desired; transfer the sauce to clean jars and refrigerate until serving.
- Make the rub: combine the rub ingredients in a bowl; use your fingers to mix the rub; set aside roughly 1/3 of the rub.
- Trim the outer layer of fat on the brisket so that about ¼ inch remains; if there is a pocket of fat between the flat and the cap, cut it out and discard it.
- Cut the meat into 3 equal-size pieces; sprinkle 2/3 of the rub all over both sides of the pieces of brisket, dividing it evenly among them and patting it into the meat with your fingers.
- Wrap meat in plastic wrap and let cure 12 hours in the refrigerator.
- Pour the cider into a spray bottle; set aside.
- Set up grill for indirect grilling and preheat to low; **if using a gas grill, place all the wood chips in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and run the grill on high until you see smoke, then decrease heat to low; **if using a charcoal grill, place a large dip pan in the center, preheat grill to low, then toss 1 cup of wood chips on coals; **if using a smoker, fire it up according to manufacturers directions.
- When ready to cook, place the brisket in the center of the hot grate, fat side up, over the drip pan and away from heat; cover the grill.
- Cook brisket until handsomely browned, about 3 hours.
- Spray the meat every hour with apple cider.
- Turn over the meat and cook 1 more hour.
- **If using a charcoal grill, every hour you will need to add 12 fresh coals and ½ cup of wood chips to each side.
- Spray each piece of meat one more time with apple cider; sprinkle the reserved rub all over the pieces of meat, dividing it evenly among them, then wrap each piece in heavy foil.
- Return the wrapped meat to the grate, cover the grill, and continue cooking the brisket until very tender, 3-4 hours; **if using a charcoal grill, you will need to add 12 fresh coals to each side every hour, no more chips are necessary.
- Partially unwrap one of the briskets to test for doneness—should be very dark and tender and have an internal temperature of 190°.
- Transfer brisket to a cutting board; let rest for 20 minutes.
- You can serve brisket right away—slice it thinly across the grain; or you can refrigerate it overnight and reheat it in a 350° oven for about 1 hour.
- Can be served in a bun with barbecue sauce.
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