Texas-style smoked brisket

Ingredients

• 1.6 kg whole beef brisket with fat cap
• 35 g coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• 35 g coarsely cracked black pepper
• 300 g oak smoking wood
• 4 slices thick-sliced white sandwich bread
• 1 piece sweet white onion
• 120 g sliced bread-and-butter pickles

Method

1. Trim the brisket while keeping an even layer of fat: remove any overly thick or hard parts, then pat the meat until the surface is dry to the touch.
2. Mix the salt and pepper, then cover all sides of the meat, pressing it in with your palm; let rest in the refrigerator, ideally overnight, until the seasoning adheres and the surface looks slightly moist.
3. Take the meat out before cooking so it loses its refrigerator chill, then prepare a covered barbecue or smoker for gentle indirect heat, with clean oak smoke that is thin and bluish rather than white and acrid.
4. Place the brisket fat side toward the indirect heat source, close the lid and smoke without opening unnecessarily; the crust must become dark, dry and firmly set to the touch.
5. When the meat has taken on a dark mahogany color and the surface is no longer sticky, wrap it tightly in unbleached butcher paper or double-layered parchment paper, then put it back to cook gently to finish tenderizing without drying out.
6. Continue until a probe or skewer enters the thickest part almost without resistance, with the feel of firm butter; if the meat still resists, prolong patiently.
7. Let the wrapped brisket rest in a clean cooler or an off oven, until it is still hot but relaxed; this resting is essential for a juicy slice.
8. Slice against the grain into beautiful pliable slices, then serve with the sandwich bread, sliced white onion and pickles, without saucing the meat in order to preserve the Texas smoked flavor.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

442.5 kcal

Protein

56.81 g

Carbohydrate

17.77 g

Fat

16.18 g

Fibre

2.17 g

Calcium

49.37 mg

Iron

1.16 mg

Magnesium

15.35 mg