October 18, 2015 | 1 Comment

Sunday Rewind: The Grillmaster Test

– Originally posted May 25, 2012.As The Rantings of an Amateur Chef has been going since February of 2012, there are quite a few readers that have joined along the way. In an effort to bring back some great recipes that they may have missed, I will dedicate Sundays to re-posting a favorite that is at least two years old. I hope you enjoy! – The Ranting Chef

There are rites of grilling passage. As a newbie, it is about not burning the hot dogs too much (but they do need a char to be flavorful) and not turning the hamburger ten times. Then you must be able to cook a steak to a nice medium rare while having a good crust. Vegetables, chicken and fish are the next level.

But you will never graduate to become the Grill Master of your block until you can cook a great brisket. A staple of the summer, it is a critical step to BBQ heaven.

The slow cook of the brisket makes the connective tissue in the meat break down so it isn’t tough.

The most important ingredient, besides the quality of the meat, is time!

Cut the garlic into slivers.

Insert the slivers into small holes you punch into the brisket. This will infuse the meat with the garlic flavor.

Make sure you have a good coat of the spices. I often double the recipe for the rub to ensure I have enough.

If you hand does not look like this, you haven’t applied the rub right!

What a beautiful piece of meat.

Please let it rest 15 minutes before you cut into it.

I served it with pasta salad and Bacon Blue Stuffed Portobello Caps.

SPICY BARBECUED BRISKET

Ingredients:

1 beef brisket, 4-5 lbs. (2-2.5 kg), trimmed of excess fat
3 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. coarse or kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Basic barbecue sauce

Directions:

Make several slits in the surface of the brisket and poke a sliver of garlic into each one. Rub the brisket with the oil. In a small bowl stir together the salt, thyme, pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper and rub over the meat.Prepare a fire for indirect-heat cooking in a covered grill. Position the oiled grill rack 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) above the fire. Place the brisket on the rack so it is not directly over the coals, cover the grill and cook for 1 hour, turning once. Brush with some of the sauce and cook 1-1 1/4 hours longer, turning and brushing lightly with sauce two or three times more.Remove from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve into thin slices across the grain. Arrange on a warmed platter and spoon a little sauce over the top. Pass the remaining sauce in a bowl at the table. Serves 8-10.