The hubby and I went food shopping the other day. Note to self – go alone because he doesn’t do well on following the list. Case in point – we bought a beef brisket.

Jeremy loves him his BBQ and with it being on sale he just had to get it. And so, today’s first Kitchen Nightmares escapade? Making a Texas style beef brisket that would please an actual Texan. So, I got a recipe that should do the trick.

Turned the oven to 250, created my own DIY smoker with a baking pan, some water and some liquid smoke. I love the smell of liquid smoke. There is something about it that makes the house feel hot and summery. And yes, I’m tired and am probably making no sense.

Nothing says good brisket without making a good rub. Per the owner of the recipe I needed certain things. Here’s another note to self: just because you’ve seen things in your kitchen before doesn’t always mean it’s there. Although I swear to you I had all of those items in my kitchen.  Aren’t they like staples? Who doesn’t have thyme? Or onion powder in their kitchen? I’ve become a part of the “entitled” generation and googled substitutes. Well really it was a substitute for the dry mustard which I swear to you I had. I used rosemary for thyme because I like rosemary. Opted out of anything with onions since my GERD is being a little pooper. As usual I carved my own path. My dad would be proud.

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We got all the goo of what should have been dry rub onto the brisket. How bad of a carnivore must I be if just seasoning the brisket made my mouth water? I also didn’t use a thermometer because well, quite frankly, I don’t own one and I’ve never needed it.

Then we waited. And waited. And waited. I’m not much of a patient person in regards to food. Ask anyone. I have some serious hangry issues. Luckily the hubster keeps me nourished. For five hours as I got to whiff the smell of hickory smoke and brisket I found other things to do – clean the kitchen, clean my office, give the dogs a bath. Ha. Who am I kidding? I watched Bones.

As the time neared for it to be forced down into my tummy we also made some baked potatoes and corn. We drenched the brisket with some tasty BBQ sauce. And waited a few more minutes for the agonizing process of cooking a soft and juicy beef brisket to be completed. The results?


Pearl – 1
Epic Fail – 0

Smoked Beef Brisket

YIELD: 12-16 servings
PREP TIME: 7 minutes
COOK TIME: 6 hours

Ingredients:

6 pound boneless flat cut beef brisket
2 tablespoons sea salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon dried mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/4 cup liquid smoke, any variety

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250° F. Pour 3 cups water and liquid smoke into the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place a wire rack over the water.

In a small bowl, mix all remaining spices until combined. Rub the spice blend over the entire surface of the brisket and lay the brisket on the wire rack. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the thickest part of the brisket and cover the roasting pan tightly with foil.

Slowly roast in the oven until the internal temperature reaches 155° F. Then remove the foil and continue roasting until the internal temperature reaches 168° F. This process may take 5-6 hours depending on your oven.

Take the brisket out of the oven and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before serving. Cover it loosely with foil to help retain the heat. Cut the brisket across the grain into thin slices, and serve.

This was fun. xoxo