The Best of Barbecue: Beef Brisket
When you walk into any type of barbecue restaurant, you cannot miss the sweet and distinct smell of a full smoker going with all the glorious meats being prepared inside. Many times, those smells of smoked meats include the one and only beef brisket option (a clear front runner for one of our favorites!).
Because we take our barbecue very serious here at SBR Events Group, we thought we should give everyone a treat, with a detailed breakdown of how to smoke your own brisket - by one of the best in the business, Chef Duce Raymond.
For those of your who do not know, Chef Duce Raymond is not only the Director of Culinary of SBR Events Group but also the nephew of Dave Raymond (aka “Sweet Baby Rays”) and son to Larry Raymond – the two creators of the famous Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce!
“Beef Brisket is a great cut of meat for BBQ. The brisket comes from the front lower quarter of the cow. It is a well-marbled cut of meat that also has a fat cap. Brisket has two muscles; the first is called the flat, and the other is called the point, or deckle.
The flat is a leaner piece of meat but still has inter-muscular fat to keep it moist. The deckle has much more inter-muscular fat and has a larger fat cap both underneath and on top. The flat is usually served sliced on a sandwich or platter. The deckle is most commonly used as chopped brisket or burnt ends. I always suggest smoking a whole packer brisket.
When prepping the brisket for smoking I am a proponent of trimming. There are two lines of thinking on this topic. The first is to leave all of the fat on the brisket so it renders and keeps the meat moist. The second is to trim the two fat pockets on either side and trim the fat cap to a ¼-inch all around.
After the meat is trimmed, then we are ready to season and smoke. Here we season the brisket with our Texas rub. Typically, a Texas rub has equal parts salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
We put a few more secret spices in our blend, but it is still a basic seasoning. After seasoning we smoke our brisket in a Southern Pride Smoker at 210° for 10–14 hours - depending on size and what else is cooking that day. We use hickory wood to flavor the meat. In the Hill Country in Texas many BBQ joints use Post Oak. (It is a common misconception that all the smoke within Texas is from Mesquite wood.)
When the brisket is ready and properly cooked it gets taken out of the smoker at about 195° internal temperature. The outside should be black or very dark brown and there should be a ¼-inch smoke ring on the meat as you cut into it.
After the meat is cooked you have an opportunity to do something very special with the deckle… this is called Burnt Ends. Let the meat rest for about 30 minutes and then separate the two muscles.
Re-season the deckle and put back into the smoker for about 2-3 more hours. Then when the deckle comes out, cut it into 1-inch cubes and lightly glaze with your favorite BBQ sauce (I will suggest Sweet Baby Ray’s!) These tasty morsels are burnt ends and they are just about the best tasting piece of BBQ you can put in your mouth.
My last suggestion for brisket would be keep it simple; seasoning, smoke, and a little sauce is all you need for great brisket. Just like anything in life -the more time and effort you put into the brisket, the better results you will have.”
-Chef Duce
If you are feeling saucy and want to try out cooking your own brisket, comment below and tell us how it went!
For more inspirations or ideas, give us a call to speak to a catering professional today about other ways to enhance your next catered event at 312.724.6000 or info@sbrevents.com.
Or for more photos & menu options, head to our catering menu page!
The Perfect Balance of Flavor and Heat.
1. Guest Count & Venue The first area we must address is the guest count and your venue requirements. Depending on your venue, you will have to adjust your guest count while of course following the state guidelines. From there- we can get planning! Moving from a venue to your private residence? No problem! If you are using True Cuisine & Sweet Baby Ray’s as your catering vendor, we adjust to your venue with no problem. Here are some general areas to consider when adjusting to a new venue: Guest seating / overall new floor plan Food service style Menu & Bar Custom décor These areas will be explained next! 2. Floor plan Planning your floor plan can be tricky for micro weddings as we are still enforcing social distancing as much as possible- even at private residences! Limiting tables to 6 guests each is one way to enforce social distancing during dinner service. Allowing for as much space as possible between each guest table is also important for social distancing. If you are working with different rooms or a backyard- we make it work!
Tip 1: Spice Things Up with a Seasonal Cocktail! Looking for a simple, fun way to spice up your intimate holiday gathering? Adding a signature cocktail is a great way to kickstart your celebration. The Fall and Winter seasons are full of distinct flavors like nutmeg, cinnamon, rosemary and cranberry that pair beautifully with y o ur favorite spirits! Two of our favorite cocktails are the White Christmas Margarita and Jingle Juice. You can find the recipes for these by clicking here . Or, keep it simple by adding some peppermint flavored schnapps or spiked creamer to your favorite hot chocolate or coffee. Any of the spirits can be omitted or substituted with a non-alcoholic mixer for your younger or non-drinker guests. Cheers to a safe celebration!
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Phone | (312) 724-6000
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