smoked brisket

directions

1. The day before cooking, trim the fat cap to be between 1/4 and 1/2 inch. Trim off any excess meat/fat along the sides to make the brisket round. Score the fat cap. You can chop up the fat into small pieces and render it down by placing the fat in a small saucepan on the stove over low heat. Let it cook until all of the fat pieces have turned a dark brown color. Or for an even smokier flavor, place the fat in an aluminum pan on the smoker while the brisket is cooking. Pour through a fine mesh strainer and save the tallow to use later on in the recipe.

   1 whole brisket

2. Generously cover the entire brisket with the coarse sea salt. You will want to use more salt than you normally would. Place the salted brisket on a wire rack over a baking sheet and place in the fridge overnight.

   coarse sea salt
3. The next day, preheat the smoker to 225°F and take the brisket out of the fridge.

4. Combine all spices in a bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined. This recipe should make enough for a 12 lb brisket but you may need more for a larger brisket. Use all of the spice mixture to coat the entire brisket. Be sure to get into the score marks on the fat cap.

   1T black pepper, 1/2T mustard powder, 2T smoked paprika, 2T garlic powder

5. Optionally inject the brisket with Worcestershire sauce. This adds more sodium and a little flavor inside the meat.

   Worcestershire sauce
6. Place the brisket on the smoker, fat side up, and feed the smoker with hickory wood chips for continuous smoke.
7. Pull the brisket off the smoker once a good dark bark has developed. The exterior should be completely dark and starting to turn hard. It will look burnt. This is usually ~165°F but it's okay if it takes longer.
8. Lay out a sheet of butcher paper (or heavy-duty foil) and place the brisket on top. Pour a generous amount of the rendered beef tallow over the brisket, then wrap tightly. Place the wrapped brisket back on the smoker and cook until an internal temperature of 200°F is reached.
9. Place the brisket in a cooler for at least 1 hour (preferably more) before unwrapping and slicing.