The Holy Grail of Barbecue

With just three days left in our vacation, I decided to take the bull by the horns, (or in this case the cow by the chest), and smoke a brisket – the defining dish in “real barbecue”. It’s a big undertaking that requires a large brisket (small ones don’t barbecue the same way), lots of patience and an ability to forgo sleep. The pictures in clockwise order:
1. 24 hours prior to barbecue the 12 lb. brisket begins it’s bath in Shiner Bock beer (courtesy of my brother-in-law from Texas), Soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cinnamon and sliced onions.
2. 3 a.m. It’s me, the stars, a lantern, a smoker and a brisket – ready to begin a 15 hour journey to barbecue heaven.
3. At 3:45 the smoker has hit the perfect heat (225F) and the brisket slides onto the rack. From here on in I check the smoker every hour to add wood chunks and water when necessary.
4. Checking the temperature. About half way through the process I insert a temperature probe into the meat. This little gadget is wireless, which means I can check on the progress of my meat while I enjoy a martini on the deck.
5. At precisely 7:30 p.m. the thermometer displays the magic number (180 F) and the meat comes out of the smoker.
6. Approx. 16 hrs. after I got out of my warm and cosy bed to start the process, the meat is ready for carving. The taste and texture were perfect. Not something I would do every weekend, but definitely worth repeating.