I didn't quite get it right, because the 'bark' lost its crunchiness. In the spirit of scientific inquiry, the following recipe is a record of my not-quite-there attempt.
This is an emotionally challenging dish. The long cooking time and the uncertainty about temperature when cooking with charcoal make it an effort of will not to constantly check the progress. Keep the faith and remember that each time the lid comes off, the temperature will plummet and will take time to recover.
While researching the recipe, I came across House Park Bar.B.Que's extraordinary claim: "Need no Teef to Eat my Beef". I didn't believe it was possible, but I got a great thrill when I finally dropped the beef on a chopping board and saw it wobble like a plate of jelly!
Serves 8-10
Cooking time: 8 hours
Preparation time: 1 hour
Special Equipment
Weber kettle or similar style barbeque.Ingredients
Butcher
| Amount | Unit | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | kg | Beef Brisket | A whole brisket is 5-6 kg. Get a piece from the pointy end. Buy quality beef or expect the end product to be dryer than it should be. I used brisket from Cape Grim |
Dry Store
| Amount | Unit | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | tsp | Mustard powder | Don't be tempted to use prepared mustard. Beef and mustard go hand in hand. I will double the amount next time |
| 3 | Tbsp | Black pepper corns | Yes its a lot, but there is a lot of meat with a small surface area. Start with whole pepper - the rose and nutmeg scent of fresh pepper does not have much of a shelf life. If you use supermarket cracked pepper, you will get the heat without the aromatics. |
| 1 | Tbsp | Sugar | Don't overdo it or it will just burn |
| 1 | Tbsp | Onion powder | Adds a real savoury flavour |
| 4 | tsp | Smoked paprika | ...plus a touch of cayenne if you really like it hot |
| 2 | Tbsp | Sea salt | |
| 50 | ea | Barbeque charcoal | Different brands vary in size quite a bit. I used quite large ones. This amount completely filled the two cages in the Weber |
| 6 | ea | Fire starters | Hexamine-type solid fuel. 6 is a bit OTT, but it will get things cranking pretty fast |
Method
Prepare the beef. Trim some of the thickest bits of fat off the surface of the brisket (or ask the butcher to). Keep the offcuts. Rub the salt into the beef - give it a good massage for a couple of minutes. Leave it rest - overnight if you can, but at least until the fire is ready.Light my fire. If you haven't used a Weber style barbeque before, it's pretty simple, but it does take a bit of experience to do it well. The hexamine will burn for about 15-20 minutes. The charcoal beads will be ready to cook with in about 40 minutes.
Jerk your meat. Crush the peppercorns in a mortar very coarsely. Add the mustard powder, sugar, onion powder and paprika. Rub this mixture into the beef - again, give it a good massage.
Cook the A side. The coals should be red hot and ashed over. Push the coals to the sides of the kettle. Put a drip tray filled with water into the bottom of the kettle. Wrap up some wood chips in foil. Poke some holes in the foil and put the package directly on top of the coals. Put the meat on the grill so that there is no direct heat under it. Put some large bits of fat offcuts around the meat, tucked in close. Close the lid and resist the urge to look at it again for 2 hours.
Cook the B side. Remove the packet of wood chips. Turn the meat over. Check the offcuts - this is your thermometer. If the temperature is about right, they will be slightly charred underneath, but will still have some moisture in them. Put them on top of the meat - they will continue to render and baste the meat as it cooks. Top up the water in the drip tray if it needs it. Distract yourself with an interesting task for another 2 hours.
Apply the crutch. Lay out some foil on a tray, shiny side up. Overestimate how much you need to completely wrap the beef. Lift the beef onto the foil. Quickly wrap it up and put the beef, on the tray, back in the kettle. Wrap it firmly so as not to leave too much air in the package. Leave it to cook for another 3 hours.
...and hold.... I unwrapped the beef right away so I could cut off a chunk for my brother (it was his Weber). I gave it another layer of foil and shoved it into an insulated bag for the trip to Kat's. It sat in her oven on low for another hour before we ate.
Eat and make merry
Sit in the shade with a cool sangria, some corn chips and salsa and watch the river carry the day downstream while your guests arrive.
Slice the beef against the grain. You will need a sharp knife to avoid crushing it. If you have a large piece including the point, the grain on one end is perpendicular to the grain on the other (I actually sliced it the wrong way, but it was so tender that didn't make a huge difference).
Build your own burgers at the table. Pickles are essential, as is a side of fresh, crunchy coleslaw. This would also go well with a beetroot salad. A crisp, over-chilled pilsner makes great company with this meal.
Follow up with ice-cream sundaes. If you really want to impress, try your hand at a bombe Alaska.
Sip an aged bourbon and smoke a cigar while you digest and ponder the issues of the day.
Notes
Credit must go to the web site AmazingRibs.com for their encyclopaedia of brisket. Their advice on buying, preparing and cooking brisket was indispensable.If you are in Brisbane, I can recommend Meat at Billy's for excellent service and products.
The price break between an 'ordinary' brisket, at $10/kg, and the high quality, Cape Grim product, at $16/kg, is pretty steep. I'd like to try this recipe out with the cheaper option sometime at least to get a feel for the consequences of that choice. Sometimes, good enough is good enough. I'd probably add another couple of hours to the cooking time.
The crutch really softened up the crust. Next time, I will give it 5-10 minutes on each side with direct heat to try to crisp it up again. Another alternative might be to reduce the heat, increase the cooking time and dispense with the crutch. Maybe cook overnight for a lunch-time feast.
In the absence of a Weber, a tolerable alternative would be to cook in an oven set to around 140-160°C. Serve with a good quality smoky barbeque sauce to restore some of the delicate smoky flavour.
