Brisket Barbecue

I'm cooking a packer brisket today that should be ready to eat just after the Indianapolis 500 finishes and just prior to the Coca-Cola 600 starting.

I prepared for the cook by purchasing a 12 pound packer brisket and trimming the biggest portion of the fat cap off.

My butcher always offers to perform the trimming for me, but I prefer to do it myself. By trimming myself, I end up paying for extra weight that ends up in the trash can, but in the end it's worth it because I can decide how much fat to trim off and how much to leave on. It's a delicate "grey area" because if you trim off too much, you risk drying out the meat. If you leave too much on, you will lose some bark formation on the meat itself.

I seasoned the brisket last night prior to bedtime and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight. The rub included a generous coating of sugar, Kosher salt, Spanish paprika, black pepper, onion granules, garlic granules, oregano, and three other "secret" ingredients that make my spice rub a winner on the competition circuit.

I'm cooking in my Weber Smokey Mountain today with some apple wood chunks for seasoning.

If you would like to sample the brisket rub yourself, it's available for purchase at The BBQ Guy's web site. It's earned several top finishes for me and several of my bbq friends in KCBS competitions.