We are pleased to introduce Food Comics from The Chopping Block where our resident Cartoonist Tom O'Brien illustrates his cooking adventures. Here, he shows us how to smoke a brisket on a grill. Whether you have a smoker, charcoal or gas grill, you can achieve tender meat with this method!
/OBrien_smoker_brisket_page1_v2.jpg?width=600&name=OBrien_smoker_brisket_page1_v2.jpg "Food Fans, summer is winding to a close, but that doesn't mean that you can't take a few more opportunities to put a slab of meat over some coals and have a good old fashioned cook out. If you're able to take the time, I recommend Texas Style Brisket with a Coffee Rub This delicious brisket takes a long time, but vry little effort, all in all. And boy, is it worth it! Tender, juicy, and a wonderful flavor. A few slices of this brisket and some potato salad will make just about anyone's day. This recipe is designed to be smoked, long and low in a smoker, but a smoker box in a gas grill will do the job, and if you don't have that either, I'll explain how to set everything up on a gas grill later to make it work. The recipe makes enough for around 18 serving, give or take a few, so be prepared to invite some people over or be eating brisket for the rest of the week, or both. Here's what you'll want for this recipe: 4 ½ lbs flat-cut brisket (about 3 inches thick) 1 tablespoon ground coffee 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 2 teaspoons ancho chile powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper And for the smoker: 6 cups oak or hickory wood chips First, soak your wood chips in water for about an hour, then drain the water out. This will help create low, consistent smoke from the wood chips. Combine the coffee, salt, brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, garlic and onion powders, cumin and pepper in a small bowl. This is our rub. Pat the brisket dry with a paper towel, then apply an even coat of the rub to the outside of the brisket. Set your smoker for a temperature of 225°. If you're using a gas grill, prepare your grill smoker box, or follow the instructions below. Start your gas grill on high for 15 minutes, or until smoke starts to form. Then turn the temp down to medium low. Place the brisket onto a roasting pan. If you don't have a roasting pan, a metal cooling rack inside of a baking sheet will do just fine. The brisket is going to let off juices. You don't want it to be sitting in them as it cooks. Place the roasting rack in the smoker or on the grill and close the lid. Let it cook for the next 6 hours. You may need to add more wood chips every hour or so, and top off your water, depending on the smoking system you're using. After the initial 6 hours of cooking has passed, cover the brisket and roasting pan with foil and cook for another 2 hours. After that, remove the brisket from the grill. Leave the foil covering on and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Reserve the juices, skim the fat a few times while the brisket rests. The juice makes for an excellent topping for the brisket. Slice the brisket across the grain into thin slices and serve. Bonus: How to set up a gas grill as a smoker To set up your gas grill as a smoker without a smoker pan, you'll need two aluminum pans that can sit side by side inside of your grill, in addition to the wood chips. Pierce the bottom of one of the pans several times with a knife or a fork. This pan is for wood chips. Remove the grill rack from your grill and place your wood chip pan with wood chips on one side of the grill. On the other side of the grill, put the other aluminum pan with 2 cups water. Set the grill to indirect grilling, if you have the option. Turn the burners under the wood chips to high heat, but leave the burners under the water off. Leave the heat at high for 15 minutes, or until the wood chips start to smoke. Then turn the burner to medium low. Replace the grill rack This is where you'll put anything that you're smoking. This is an okay way to smoke something once or twice, but I wouldn't recommend doing it for the long term. If you enjoy smoking, you should look into a smoker box for your grill, or an independent smoker, like the big green egg. A smoker can be a big purchase, so take some classes first to make sure you like using one before investing. Happy Eating!")
The Chopping Block uses the Big Green Egg in every single grilling class we do. Become familiar with our favorite smoker/grill on our outdoor grilling patio at Lincoln Square.
Love our food comics but want a text-only version for easy reference in the kitchen? Download a PDF of the recipe here.
