Slow Cooked Brisket

My dad smoking bbq for Theron's first visit to Texas

Even typing the title, I feel like I have made an affront to my father.  The man makes his own bbq pits and smokers as a hobby, for love of God!

I don't know that my parents have ever slow-cooked brisket... Well, Ok, to be fair, smoking is slow-cooking... but you know what I mean... the electronic, plug it in, choose a setting, and leave variety.

One of my dad's home-made smokers:) I'm so proud!

But back to our blasphemy:

Theron has been wanting a slow cooker for a little while now (like every other kitchen gadget known to man) and what did he want for the inaugural test run of this slow cooker to be?  Pork roast, right?  Ham?  No!  He was emphatic that it be the much belov-ed Brisket!

So it was that on a Thursday when my friend Tim was visiting, while Theron was tucked safely away at work, that Tim and I went to the meat market to blaspheme my father's Texas roots... and slow-cook a brisket, the electronic way.

At the meat market to buy brisket... Love you, Dad!

Having only used a slow cooker, maybe, once in my life, I was a bit nervous about what to do, exactly. So, I found a recipe online and pretty much followed it.  Tim and Theron both said the brisket was phenomenal. I like brisket, though am not a huge fan, though I do agree it turned out really good.

Our new slow cooker, ready for action!

After you've gathered your ingredients (the full list and recipe will follow) you mix them all into a bowl. 

Starting with - approx 2 cups BBQ sauce. (We like KC Masterpiece)

Then you make sure you get your whole outfit and your Brigly bear puppy in a photo!

Next up: 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. 

Then, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (we added a bit more).

And yes, I'm glad to finally have this in my kitchen arsenal!

Then we added in 'generous black pepper.' (recipe called for 2 teaspoons)

A mid-way shot of the concoction.

1 teaspoon garlic salt. (Nevermind the camera strap in the shot!)

1 teaspoon 'seasoned salt' - that was a new one for me.

1/2 teaspoon onion powder. 

And finally - 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard - another first for me.

(Tim kept making me show him the labels. I was being a brat here I bet.)

Then you stir stir stir it all up!

And taste it and say, "This is really good but basically just tastes like BBQ sauce still!)

So your buddy decides to go back over and add in more of almost everything...

 (except the brown sugar). Then we decided it really did taste like its own thing afterall ;)

Birthing 5 1/2 lbs of Brisket isn't easy. Good job, Tim!

Into the sauce you go. (You're supposed to marinate overnight.

 Clearly we didn't, and it didn't seem to matter.)

Coating the brisket. Brigly did not seem as interested in it as we thought he'd be. Yet. 

Lookin good! Ready to get cooked? (slowly..?)

Tim did the honors of moving the brisket from the bowl to the slow cooker.

I read to put this in 'fat side down.'  

A couple recipes said to cut a lot of the fat off first, but men aren't gonna have that are they?

"The fat's the best part" - my husband.

Add in the remainder of your sauce...

And hope you've done a fine job of coating it.

Then have a look of trepidation on your face because: 

1) you don't know how to use a slow cooker

2) you have still betrayed your father

3) your husband is looking fwd to this dinner

So we decided to cook it on 'high' for an hour and a half 

while we ran errands and basically enjoyed a lovely day.

Tim and Brigly in Bookworm Gardens

Me and Brigly near a stream in Bookworm gardens

We arrived home after a quick trip to find a Packers 'beanie' and a walk around the amazing Bookworm Gardens to find our brisket almost near the highest degrees suggested - which would have cooked it in a short amount of time...

This is what it looked like after an hour and a half... a ton of fat had crept up around the sauce. 

We quickly turned it to the 'low' setting and set the timer for four hours... 

While we waited nervously for Theron to get home.

Luckily Theron is super laid back and assuaged our worries, telling us that it should be just fine on low for four more hours. Meanwhile I made pico de gallo and guac and we ate silly frozen appetizers.

After approximately 6 1/2 hours worth of cooking. Man that is a big one!

The slab-o-meat!

Theron cut it perfectly, being the man that he is ;)

See?  No worries people!

This is what a happy husband looks like!

Luckily, we had Leigh and Ryan over, so there were enough of us

to enjoy the deliciousness that was the brisket.

And if you have leftovers, which we did even still, you can make a fantastic omelet with

the brisket, some cheddar, and your pico de gallo!

Hello, beautiful!

So all in all, you get a delicious dinner, followed by a fabulous breakfast.

Does it beat dad's brisket?  Of course not! There is no mesquite smoke flavoring it! And you know. <3 Dad!

But for something a lot easier, this is an amazing, simple, awesome choice.

Recipe:

- 5 1/2 lb brisket

- 2 cup barbecue sauce

- 2 tablespoons brown sugar

- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (probably add more)

- 2 teaspoon black pepper (again, add more)

- 1 teaspoons garlic salt (we wound up adding 2)

- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt (see above)

- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (and then, once more;)

- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (you picking up that we used double?)

Mix all the ingredients well, add your brisket, (marinate overnight if you are patient... otherwise)..

Slow cook this baby on low for 8-10 hours, or, do as we did and cook it on high for 1.5 hours and slow for 4 more.

It was moist, delicious, and pulled apart like heaven. (If heaven were to pull apart? idk)

Finally, one more nod to my dad being hardcore: here's a shot of him making a pit/smoker for our cousin:

Ciao for Now my Friends!

-Val!