Smoked Barbequed Brisket

With the summer season comes the time to move our kitchens outside, and enjoy the wonderful scents and tastes that only grilling can produce. Almost everyone knows that a handful of wood chips tossed on a charcoal or gas burner can add a new dimension to the flavors of grilling. But let's take the issue of smoke a bit further.

Smoking is a slow process, which exposes food to minimal heat and at the same time, engulfs the meat in constant smoke. While it is possible to smoke meats in a standard gas or charcoal grill, often the result is either a dry piece of meat or one lacking in the desired smoke flavor.

To take your outdoor cooking to the next level, use a smoker designed to minimize the heat and maximize the smoke. Some larger charcoal grills have separate smoking chambers that channel smoke from a combustion chamber which does eliminate some of the heat and produce good results. There is also a "water smoker," where the food is placed on racks over a pan of water. I recommend using chunks of wood rather than chips as chunks burn more slowly and give better smolder. Whatever you use, it is important that the wood be well soaked (at least overnight). The heat not only causes the wood chunks to smoke but also keeps the food moist as the pan releases steam. Meco and Brinkman are two brands generally available at Home Depot and Wal Mart for about $70. You may also want to consider a "cabinet" style smoker, which can be charcoal, gas or electric. Typically, this style will cost less than $140 for gas without a propane tank and slightly more for electric. Most smokers do require some attention, both to temperature as well as adding wood. To take full advantage of your time on the hammock, look into the Bradley Smoker, produced in Canada. This cabinet style unit features a refrigerator style seal and separate heating element. Pre-formed disks of smoking wood are automatically fed into a smoking chamber and they do not need soaking. Because combustion is kept to a minimum, so is the heat and it is possible to smoke even delicate bay scallops without drying them. As you would expect, this labor savings comes at a price; the Bradley starts at about $350.



SMOKED BARBEQUED BRISKET

One well trimmed beef brisket

1 TBSP coarse pepper

1 TBSP coarse salt

1 TBSP brown sugar

1 TBSP Hungarian paprika

1 TBSP fennel seed

2 large Vidalia onions, thinly sliced

2 heads garlic, minced

2/3 cup prepared barbeque sauce (I like Masterpiece if not making homemade)

Smoking chunks (Mesquite or Apple recommended)



Combine pepper, salt, sugar, paprika, and fennel. Rub mixture into meat. Place meat in smoker and keep temperature below 150°. A 3 lb. Brisket should smoke for 3 - 4 hours.

Spread 1 sliced onion and 1 minced head of garlic on a sheet of heavy-duty foil. Place smoked meat on top of onion and garlic. Spread remaining onion and garlic on top of meat. Pour sauce over and seal the foil into a packet. Cook in a 250° oven for 2 hours (or on a very slow grill).

Serve sliced thinly on sourdough rolls topped with garlic/onion/sauce mixture.