Recipe(tried): Smoked Brisket for Ben, Nevada

Hi Ben:-) Here is one recipe for brisket that you can try. I just bought the electric converter for our Brinkmann charcoal smoker. I was thinking it might make smoking a brisket a bit easier which it did, sort of (You can't use it on a rainy day but that shouldn't be a problem where you live.) The problem we had with the converter was that we couldn't get the temperature above about 185 degrees F. in the smoker. DH put the brisket in/on the smoker at 10:00 a.m. At 6:30 p.m., the brisket was still way too rare so after a bit of research, DH wrapped it in tin foil (to keep it moist) and finished it on our Weber gas grill. The temperature of the smoker was never a problem with charcoal so I mention finishing it on the grill (wrapped in foil) in case you have a similar problem with your electric smoker. We did not really have the problem of it not developing a dark outside layer, though I think it might have been darker when we used charcoal. The recipe we use is basically the one from The Southern Junior League Cookbook, The best recipes from the famous junior leagues of the South (The Blue Denim Gourmet, The Junior League of Odessa, Texas). It is really an oven recipe for brisket but after trying it once in the oven with much disappointment, we never do a brisket unless we have the time to smoke it. Therefore, I am not giving you the directions for the oven. We like the sauce since it seems to be the closest to what we remember from when we lived in Texas. Also, we don't have a source for a really large untrimmed brisket, which is usually recommended. I was able to get a 4 + lb. brisket just as it came from the packer and, I requested that none of the fat be trimmed from it since the fat is needed for both flavor and moistness. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.

SMOKED BRISKET

4 lb. beef brisket with fat layer
Cayenne pepper (DH's addition to the recipe.)

Rub brisket with cayenne pepper. Let brisket come to room temperature, about an hour. Place on smoker and smoke 7 or 8 hours, maybe longer depending on the internal temperature as measured with an instant read thermometer and the size of your brisket. Turn, or flip meat over every hour. Meat should be well done but may look pink in the center due to the smoke.

FOR THE SAUCE:
1 cup ketchup
1 tsp. salt
2 cups water
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes Tabasco sauce or to taste
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. liquid smoke
1 small onion, chopped
Drippings from the drip pan (Optional and our addition)

Mix sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer on stove for 1/2 hour(?) until water reduces and sauce thickens.

Serve over thinly sliced brisket (sliced on an angle, against the grain of the meat). Some people like to brush the meat with the sauce for the last 1/2 hour to hour of cooking. Since ketchup has sugar in it, it will burn if you brush the brisket any earlier. You need to watch it carefully if you choose to do this.

For brisket sandwiches, you can serve the meat, shredded and mixed with the sauce on hamburger buns. We like to top the meat with cole slaw and season with more Tabasco. Yum:-)

Serve with potato salad, pinto beans cooked with ham hock, and Texas toast or cornbread.