The Perfect Brisket (using a smoker) with Wild Willy's Number One-derful Rub and Basic Beer Mop
rec.sport.football.college/George B. Ross (2000)

Around South Bend, Indiana, there is no where to eat good brisket unless you make your own. A perfect brisket will be tender, juicy and melt in your mouth. It will have a nice 1/4-1/2 inch wide pink stripe round the outer edge (the smoke ring). It will not be dry. It will not be tough and chewy. Women will swoon and grown men will cry when served a good brisket.

The Tools:
The best tool for doing a brisket is an offset smoker. You want low, indirect heat for a long, long time. In a pinch, you can use a standard Weber kettle with the coals on one side and the brisket above a water pan on the other side. I recommend hardwood lump charcoal or seasoned hardwood instead of the standard briquets. Briquets are mostly sawdust, clay and other nasty stuff. Your local TruValue can order lump for you if they don't carry it (Item #145607, 20lbs for $8 or so). You can use water soaked wood chips for flavor if you are using lump or briquets. You want a good clear to blue smoke, not a thick white cloud. White smoke is for Papal elections only, not BBQ. It means your fire is not getting enough oxygen and you'll coat your meat (ODL) with creosote. Creosote is not very tasty in my opinion, but you may like it.

The Brisket:
When buying a brisket, look for one with a nice layer of fat, 1/4 to 5/8 inch thick completely covering one side. The other side will be fat free, so to speak. Try to get one that doesn't vary too much in thickness from one end to the other. It is impossible to find a brisket that is uniform, but stay away from the ones that are 1/2 inch at the flat and 6" at the point. A 1 inch flat to 4 inch point is good. Walmart usually has brisket in cryovac packs at $1 to $1.20/pound. Don't break the bank on brisket, it's a waste of money. Don't trim any of the fat off. A large portion of it will melt away, trickling through the brisket and adding flavor and moistness. You'll trim the remaining fat off at the end of cooking.

The Recipe (no, not _that_ recipe):
I have modified the "Smoke & Spice" recipe by Cheryl & Bill Jamison for Braggin'-Rights Brisket and turn out a mean brisket that is devoured by family and friends. Now, for the recipe...

Wild Willy's Number One-derful Rub
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3/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup ground black pepper
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons cayenne (or more!!!)

Basic Beer Mop
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12 ounces beer (not counting beer for the cook)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup oil, preferably canola or corn
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Wild Willy's Number One-derful Rub

8-pound to 12-pound packer-trimmed beef brisket

serves 12 to 18

The Procedure:
The night before you plan to barbecue, combine the rub ingredients in a small bowl. Apply the rub evenly to the brisket, massaging it into every little pore, reserving at least 1 tablespoon of the rub. Place the brisket in a plastic bag and refrigerate it overnight or longer. A 2 gallon ziploc freezer bag will hold an 11 pound brisket.

Before you begin to barbecue, remove the brisket from the refrigerator. Let the brisket sit at room temperature for 45 minutes. Prepare the smoker for barbecuing, bringing the temperature to 200F to 225F.

In a saucepan, saute the onion and garlic in the oil, then mix in the remaining mop ingredients and continue to warm over low heat.

Transfer the brisket to the coolest part of the smoker, fat side up, so the juices will help baste the meat. Cook the brisket until well-done, 1 to 1 1/2 hours per pound. Every hour or so, baste the blackening hunk with the mop. It will look awful and burnt, but it isn't.

When the meat is cooked, remove it from the smoker and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. A pair of dishwashing gloves makes the next part much easier unless you like to hold hot meat in your bare hands (ODL). Cut the fatty top section (the point) away from the leaner bottom portion (the flat). An easily identifiable layer of fat separates the two sections. Trim the excess fat from both pieces and slice them thinly against the grain. Watch what you're doing because the grain changes direction. Serve barbecue sauce on the side if you feel it is necessary. A good brisket shouldn't need anything hiding the flavor, but everyone will ask for some sauce unless they know their BBQ.

Pour yourself a tall bourbon and enjoy the compliments that will come your way.