Jude turned 8 on Saturday. We decided to invite the grandparents over for a barbecue to celebrate. On Friday I picked up a 3 lb hunk of Salmon and a 2.2 lb brisket. My plan was to grill the Salmon and smoke the brisket. At just 2.2 lbs, I was sure the brisket would cook relatively quickly compared to other larger briskets I had made.
The night before I trimmed some excess fat from the little brisket and made a dry rub with the following ingredients.
2 Tbl smoked paprika
1.5 Tbl Brown Sugar
1 Tbl Kosher Salt
1 Tbl Garlic Powder
1 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp cumin
It was just enough to cover the whole thing. I wrapped it in Saran Wrap and placed it in the fridge overnight.
At 10:30 AM I took the brisket out of the fridge and turned on the smoker, setting the temperature to 230 F. After about an hour I inserted the thermometer probe, put the meat in the smoker and added Hickory wood chips. An hour out of the fridge and the internal temperature of the brisket was 50 F. I monitored the temperature throughout the day.
After about 3 hours, the stall kicked in at 153 F. So I made a mix of 1 part soy sauce, 1 part barbecue sauce and few shakes of Worcestershire sauce, and brushed it over the meat before wrapping it up in heavy duty aluminum foil. It was 2:40 PM. Dinner was supposed to be at 5:30. No problem right?
Most recipes for smoked brisket at 225 F call for 1 hr & 15 minutes/lb, so I figure I’d be done by 3 PM and could let the brisket rest for 2-3 hrs hours before serving. Some people wrap the foil sealed brisket in a towel and rest it in an insulated cooler for a few hours. I like that idea. But I was sure wrong about the overall cook time!
An hour and a half later, and the temperature was starting to climb. I had turned the smoker up to 250 F. But the rate was so slow, I figured the meat wouldn’t reach temperature (195 F) until 6:30, leaving no time to rest. It didn’t really matter, as I had plenty of Salmon, but I was sure hoping to impress with the Brisket. I know Kim’s dad likes beef a bit more than the big orangy fish.
At 4:00 I took the Salmon out of the fridge, checked it for bones, and brushed it with olive oil before sprinkling both sides liberally with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. I also have a habit of scoring the skin side with my knife. I’ve heard it helps the skin release from surfaces, though in this case I doubt it matters. It was a very large hunk of fish, easily 18 inches long. So just before I threw it on the grill I cut it into 2 pieces. I cooked it with the grill closed for 20 minutes, the temperature gauge indicated 400-450 degrees. It felt done after about 15 minutes. I let it rest in a glass dish in the oven at 170 F (the lowest setting my oven will go) while I finished grilling marinated mushrooms, chunks of white onion, red and yellow sliced bell peppers, and asparagus.
Earlier in the day I had made some fresh hummus as an appetizer, and black bean and corn salad as a side dish.
Black Bean and Corn Salad
14 ounces black beans, drained
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of one lime
a shake of hot sauce (or several depending on your guests)
1 avocado cubed (optional)
1/8 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Salt and pepper
One thing I liked about this salad, was that I put all the ingredients in a bowl, poured the frozen corn on top, and then could leave it on the counter for an hour or two where it could keep itself cool.
I brushed the Salmon with a mix of butter and lemon juice, served it with a pot of white rice, the black bean and corn salad, grilled veggies, and asparagus. The salmon came out really good!
We had dinner about 6. The brisket was just finishing up, so I left it in the smoker before bringing it in and letting it rest insulated by a towel for 2 hours. I learned I should have double wrapped it as the foil had eroded or torn, even though it was heavy duty, so I lost some great flavor to the drain pan. Nonetheless, the brisket came out fantastic!