The Brisket Adventure

I have enjoyed every brisket that I have cooked on the grill, but there is so much literature on the topic about this cut of meat that it's probably a natural response to develop a dysfunctional relationship with the enterprise of preparing one.

That was my mental state as Memorial Day weekend approached.  I knew I would see my friends from Skyline Premium Meats at the Luray Farmers Market, and I'd planned to pick up a few New York strips from them - and there was a desire to smoke a brisket on the brick terrace in the back of my mind too.  I succumbed.

Now I should admit that part of the motivation was that smoked pork I did a few weeks ago, and the status reports that Bobby Flay tweeted all day Saturday as he roasted a whole shoulder in the Hamptons.  I ended up with a 3.5 pound half brisket, which I thawed and then prepped with olive oil, salt and pepper, and garlic - that's the first photo here.

Then there are a couple of in progress shots.  One is when I first put the meat on the grill, there were white coals and my plan was to use hickory chips for smoking.  Second is about halfway through - the first time I checked on the meat.  I had the grill steady at 250, hoping that wasn't too high and rushing things.  The brisket looked pretty good at that point, I must say!

I recharged the coals at that point and continued cooking.  All totaled, this effort took about 3 hours, and the final product was the one in the last photo.  It was pretty good, and we had some fresh pak choi and corn with it.

Later in the weekend, another of the twitter accounts I was following put up a link to this recipe on another website:  http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2012/05/28/risk-a-brisket-on-the-grill-this-summer/

I think I'll take some of these tips to heart on my next attempt.  It's a food I want to perfect, so that I make it the same each time.  We're just not there yet.