The inspiration for this holiday brisket is from the Passover/Seder meal we prepared at our house. Like the RED PEPPER CHICKEN WITH OLIVES, the dinner needed to be prepared ahead of time. With this brisket, I wanted to compliment my chicken dish, or more appropriately stated, please the men – my father and father-in-law – coming to the dinner. I began the cooking of the brisket on my smoker.
Holiday Smoked Brisket
I have a big learning from the cooking of this brisket. How long do you cook the brisket during primary cooking sequence? The learning is simple. Cook the brisket all they way and plan on re-warming it when you are ready to serve it. It is very hard to partially cook tough cuts of meat. The cooking of tough cuts of meat needs to be thorough. In trying to understand the SCIENCE of cooking the brisket, I found an article explaining that the ultimate balance is cooking at a low enough temperature to break down the connective tissue but not too hot or the meat will get tough. In this cooking of the brisket, I cooked it for 5 – 6 hours in the smoker and a couple of hours in the oven.
The above cooking was not enough time even with additional cooking on the day of serving it. So the ultimate learning is that the brisket needed to be cooked completely on the primary day of cooking. My brisket was not as tender as I wanted. I saved it a little the next day by putting it into a pressure cooker. The additional cooking in the pressure cooker softened it some more but not as much as I would have liked. LESSON LEARNED.
The spice brisket (don’t be shy).
The Spiced Brisket
The brisket place on the smoker.
Brisket Placed on the Smoker
The brisket taken off the smoker.
Brisket out of Smoker
The Holiday Smoked Brisket plated.
Holiday Smoked Brisket plated
Holiday Smoked Brisket
When cooking your main course ahead of time, be sure you cook your Holiday Smoked Brisket all the way through to ensure tenderness.
Ingredients
- 13 Lbs Flat Brisket with Fat Cap
- 3 Tbsp Seasoned Salt
- 2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
Instructions
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Prepare your smoker with cherry and hickory wood.
Season the brisket liberally with the spices.
Cook the brisket for 6 hours on the smoker. Move inside and cook for at least another 6 hours in a 225 - 250 degree oven.
If serving a couple of days later as I was, put in a 225 degree oven for 60 - 90 minutes prior to serving. I put the brisket in a big foil tray with carrots and onions and 4 - 6 cups of chicken stock.
Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Serve and enjoy!
You make this entire process look so easy! That brisket looks delicious!
That is very nice of you to say Dorothy.
I have never made brisket but wow, you make it so easy!!
Then you need to order it when out so you can experience it.
Slow smoked brisket is perfect for a holiday meal. It is what I always order at a BBQ restaurant. Now I can make it…once I get a smoker, that is!
Get yourself a smoker. It is so versatile and can bring so much flavor.
I wish I could try brisket but anyways it looks delicious!
Try an eggplant on a smoker as an alternative.
MM spiced brisket can be great, it’s a shame it wasn’t as tender as you would have liked but it looks delicious
Thx but I learned a very valuable lesson that will help me going forward.