Last weekend Sir Dave got up at the crack of dawn to get his smoker fired up to start smoking a 10 lb brisket for some friends we had coming over later in the evening for a little BBQ. I had such a busy week so I bought pre-made sides (don’t tell Ina). I basically got to show up and just eat – how great is that?

I am here to tell you that Dave’s day-long dedication to this big ole’ slab of meat paid off, big time. It was tender, juicy, incredibly flavorful and even got a “this is better than any brisket I’ve ever had in a restaurant” quote from one of our pals.

Dave used this recipe from extraordinarybbq.com, with a small change due to rain, that he thinks may have actually made it even better!

Ingredients for the Marinade
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup worcestershire
1/4 cup dale’s
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1 can coke or beer (your preference)

Ingredients for the Rub
2 tbs sea salt
2 tbs turbinado sugar
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs chili powder
3 tsp onion powder
3 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne

First, trim the meat side of the brisket so that there is almost no fat and then trim the fat cap down to about 1/4 inch thickness.

Mix the marinade ingredients together – setting 1 cup aside for later – pour the rest over the brisket, cover, and put in the fridge for at least overnight.

Once the meat has marinated, remove from the fridge. Mix the rub together and set aside. Remove the brisket from the marinade, pat dry, and sprinkle a heavy coat of rub all over.

Then it’s time to start smoking! Smoke the brisket for at least 4 hours (Dave did 7 hours at 250) using a mix of hickory and fruit woods, and be sure to place an aluminum pan underneath the brisket to catch the juices. Due to pouring rain, Dave decided to finish the brisket in the oven. He placed the brisket in a large pan, poured the natural juices and the reserved 1 cup of marinade over the brisket, covered it with foil and cooked it at 300 degrees for an additional 3 hours until the internal temperature got to 200 degrees.

Once the cooking is all done, remove the brisket from the oven, and let rest for 30 minutes. Once rested, start to pull the meat apart with 2 forks, and discard excess fat. Place in a bowl and pour the natural juices and marinade over the shredded meat. Then EAT!

The awesome thing about having smoked brisket leftovers is that while it’s awesome on a bun with a side of baked beans, you can use it for a bunch of other yummy dishes. I made breakfast tacos one morning and smoked brisket nachos for lunch one day too. SO good! I’m actually sad it’s all gone. Dave, what are you up to next weekend? 😉

Cheers!