It's hard to think of a Barbecue Smoker that has a larger following than Weber's Smokey Mountain Cooker, but it's easy to understand why. This baby is a workhorse, and it smokes it all - ribs, chicken, pork shoulder, and brisket. It's a great choice for folks new to smoking meats because it's one charcoal
barbecue smoker that holds a very steady temperature for hours. This helps ensure that even the greenest of barbecue smoker enthusiasts can create richly flavored smoked meats with great outer bark and superior interior texture.
One of the most common complaints about the Smokey Mountain Cooker is its cost. But here - you have to think long term. Rather than buying a cheaper and inferior charcoal smoker, the Weber smoker will stick around for a while. And look at it this way, there are so many of them out there, you're always good for spare parts!
The purpose of this article is to provide some simple steps for the first-time smoked brisket experience you may have been avoiding. It's a great cut of meat to smoke, so I hope these steps get you off the fence!
The main thing to look for in a brisket is the cut of meat. Try and shop at a grocery or butcher that has staff who are well informed about the meat they sell, rather than just manning the register.
Next, you want to make some choices about the sort of flavor you want from the wood chunks you'll use when smoking your beef brisket. Oak chunks or wood chips impart a balanced flavor that I find most first time barbecue smoker users can ease into. However, mesquite is also very popular, as is hickory. If you have a favorite barbecue joint, ask them what type of wood they use to smoke their meat. This may key you in on the sort you should use.
When preparing your brisket, you'll be tempted to use a store bought rub. Do not do this. I actually prefer to let the wood do all the flavoring. However, if you decide you want to use a nice rub or spice mix over a layer of tasty brown mustard, then do not put salt in the rub.
Too much salt on the meat for too long prior to smoking it will dry it out. And by the way, nearly all store bought barbecue rubs use salt as their first ingredient. So, keep that in mind. For me, the simple yet effective mixture of onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper - maybe some cumin - makes for a good rub. Take a look at the following 10 steps to smoking beef brisket. They should get you up and running in no time.
10 Steps to Cooking Your Own Smoked Beef Brisket
1. Make sure your Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is clean before you start.
2. Get the charcoal lit using a chimney starter. I use lump charcoal because the match-light stuff is full of impurities and chemicals that I do not want in or on my meat.
3. When the charcoal is chalky white, dump it into the bottom of the smoker.
4. Add more of the lump charcoal - waiting for it to get that same chalky color
5. Get the rest of the smoker set up, and add water to the pan. I actually skip this, but instead wrap the water pan in foil - using it as heat deflector.
You can always spray down your meat throughout the process with apple juice!
6. Use the vents to get your smoker to that perfect 225-250 degree range.
7. Throw your desired amount of wood chunks or a foil ball filled with wood chips over the coals.
8. Place your beef brisket onto the top grate and cover with the lid.
9. Keep watch over the temperature to be sure you stay within range during the cook. A good barbecue smoker thermometer can be attached to the top vent to help you do this.
10. Do your final check on the brisket - based on the 60-90 minutes per pound rule
These steps should get you going. Remember, the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker will provide you with many great smoked meals in the years to come. When you get the brisket down, move on to ribs, chicken, Boston Butt, and even Salmon.
No comments:
Post a Comment