BURNT ENDS SMOKEY BRISKET JACK DANIELS BARBECUE COWBOY BAKED BEANS

BIG GREEN EGG COOKING

Barbecue by Miss Kristi-Lou

8 HOUR SLOW SMOKED BRISKET

Set your smoker indirect heat at 120 C / 250 F.

I used organic charcoal and hickory wood chunks.

Jack Daniels Smokey Barbecue Cowboy Baked Beans

For 10 years now I’ve been confidently cooking with wood fire pits and my wood fired oven, I know my woods and temperatures and how to use direct and indirect heat and air flow to control the cook, but now I’m pushing myself out of my comfort zone to learn low and slow smoking over wood and coals in a big green egg barbecue smoker.

I already know PATIENCE and TLC  is the key to slow barbecue smoking, take care of your fire and air flow, air = heat, take care with your sop, sauce, rub and meat and then the barbecue will take care of itself.

A good practice when cooking on a new barbecue smoker is to fire her up and just play with that fire, do not be tempted to cook the first few times, learn how your smoker works, how much coal and wood chunks are needed in a single load up for a 8-12 hr cook at 120 C and a 3-4 hr cook at 150 C, learn how to use the draft vents to control the temperature inside the smoker, learn the pit falls of stopping the fire going out and how to fluctuate the temperature and to stabilise the temperature.  Most of all enjoy your cooking.

The Big Green Egg

BRISKET

Ingredients 

1 x 4 kg brisket fat cap intact

Trim off any sinew and silver skin

Injection Marinade

500ml Knorr beef jelly stock

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp fine ground black pepper

1 tbsp fine salt

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp soft dark brown sugar

Warm all ingredients in a saucepan to melt the sugar into the stock, leave to cool before injecting your brisket.

For the Texas Crutch

1 large roll of tin foil

1 500ml bottle pale ale

200ml Knorr beef jelly stock

BRISKET RUB

3 tbsp sea salt flakes

3 tbsp fresh course ground black pepper

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp chipotle powder

3 tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried chipotle chilli flakes

Combine all the ingredients together.

Place the brisket on your chopping board or baking tray and rub the spice mix all over.

Now your ready to smoke.  Add the wood chunks and place your brisket into your smoker, close the lid and maintain that 120 C / 250 F temperature for 4 hours at this point check the temperature with a digital probe, you are aiming for 66 C / 150 F.  This is more likely to be around the 6 hrs cooking time, but you don’t want to go over this temp unwrapped.

When your brisket is reading 66 C / 150 F then your ready for the Texas Crutch!  This is a debatable option on should you or should you not!  I do.

Take three one and a half meter lengths of foil, place two on top of each other and along the long edge fold over together a few times to join making one large sheet, open out flat and lay the third length in the center of the big sheet, place the brisket in the center and bring up the sides and ends creating a bowl, add half the beer and beef stock, wrap up, roll and scrunch the top of the foil so it is completely sealed.  Place back in your smoker and cook for a further 2 hrs, the beer stock will keep the brisket juicy until you reach that fork tender cook.

At this point unwrap the brisket reserving all the cooking juices in to a saucepan for your barbecue sauce.  Then wrap the brisket back up in the foil and cover with a tea towel, leave to rest for 1 hour on the side.  When ready to serve un-wrap and leave to dry the bark for 10 minutes before serving.  Slice against the grain.

BRISKET COWBOY BAKED BEANS

Texas Style Barbecue Sauce

1 cup Heinz tomato ketchup 

2/3 cup molasses brown sugar

3 glugs old Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp chipotle powder

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

(reserved brisket juices)

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and gently simmer until thick.

Cowboy Beans

2 cans Heinz or bush baked beans

100g diced pancetta

100g dark brown sugar

1 cup of your homemade barbecue sauce (above)

2 cups of your diced brisket and some burnt ends

75 ml Jack daniels

Fresh ground black pepper

Pan sear the pancetta until just crispy, add to a deep saucepan along with the rest of the ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer cook until piping hot, serve with a spoon!