Cookin' with Karl
Best brisket ever
The Place lent Karl a drum smoker to tackle beef brisket, a staple of the Kansas City barbecue scene. Photo by KARL GERHARD
I embarked on a barbecue adventure last weekend. I cooked beef brisket, one of the four main staples of Kansas City Barbecue Society contests.
I have smoked ribs, pork shoulder (pulled pork) and chicken, three of the “big four,” many times before. Thanks to The Place on state Route 18 in Medina, I was able to barbecue them on a drum smoker. They brought the incredible Gateway Drum Smoker to my house last week so that I could test cook on it. Joe Quinn, their resident BBQ guru, also provided me with a YouTube video, some tips and a few ideas to get me started down the right path.
I never attempted a brisket before because it seemed like a lot of work. Most barbecue enthusiasts smoke their brisket for anywhere between 10-20 hours at a low heat, about 200 degrees. That sounded like way too much of a commitment to me.
That all changed when Joe at The Place told me you can cook the best brisket ever on their new drum smokers in just five hours. Smoke it over direct heat, hot and fast, instead of indirect heat, low and slow.
Like most seasoned grill guys, I was dubious. Sounded too good to be true. Some friends warned me that this was not going to produce the juicy, tended brisket with the tasty, crunchy bark that is coveted in BBQ circles. One warned me not to “rip through the plateau too quick or it won’t be tender.”
Since I had no idea what the plateau was, I had no concerns there. Ignorance is bliss, right? I did seek out the help of Medina’s own State Senate President Larry Obhof. Larry is known as the go-to guy for barbecue in the Ohio Statehouse and is considered a brisket expert. Larry also cooks his brisket low and slow, typically 20 hours. So he too was intrigued by this new approach.
I began the process by buying the brisket. It was a huge, unwieldy piece of meat, about 13 pounds. It looked like it would feed an army. The night before the cook, I trimmed the fat. There is much debate on this exact step in the barbecue world.
Larry told me the next day when he arrived that I had trimmed way too much of it. I had read many opinions on the fat, but decided since I was going hot and fast, maybe the fat would not render off as well as low and slow. So, I trimmed and trimmed and trimmed. I did leave the fat cap on the bottom side, to provide a shield from the direct heat, but thinned it to about 1/4 inch. I then injected one cup of beef broth into the brisket and refrigerated it over night.
The next morning, the fun began. Larry showed up at 10:30 and checked out the set up, filmed me lighting the hardwood lump charcoal with my flamethrower (always fun) and checked out the rub that I had made and not yet applied.
He tasted it, said “Ah, way too salty!” and we threw it out. He then created a much better rub for me based on a few ingredients: fresh ground pepper, sea salt, smoked paprika and pig’s foot seasoning. Some folks just use salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. I applied the rub, set the brisket into the 300-degree smoker, closed the lid and waited two hours.
At that point, I opened it up, placed it in foil, added another cup of beef broth, wrapped it in three layers of foil and put it back into the 300-degree smoker for three more hours. I pulled it off after five hours, stuck it in a cooler for an hour and the rest is history.
Literally the best brisket I could have imagined. The point was sauced and made into the coveted “burnt ends,” the flat was thin sliced and all was devoured. Lessons learned were to cook three briskets next time and invite friends. Also, leave a little more fat. Turns out, that tastes good!
Music & Rib Fest June 2-3
The Wayne County Fairgrounds will be hosting a Music & Rib Fest next weekend that benefits the Friends of the Fair. They will be using proceeds to fund the Buckeye Agricultural Museum directly across the street from the Wayne County Fairgrounds. Their Backyard BBQ contest is Saturday, June 3. Ribs, music, good. Find more information at www.waynecountyfairohio.com.
I have smoked ribs, pork shoulder (pulled pork) and chicken, three of the “big four,” many times before. Thanks to The Place on state Route 18 in Medina, I was able to barbecue them on a drum smoker. They brought the incredible Gateway Drum Smoker to my house last week so that I could test cook on it. Joe Quinn, their resident BBQ guru, also provided me with a YouTube video, some tips and a few ideas to get me started down the right path.
I never attempted a brisket before because it seemed like a lot of work. Most barbecue enthusiasts smoke their brisket for anywhere between 10-20 hours at a low heat, about 200 degrees. That sounded like way too much of a commitment to me.
That all changed when Joe at The Place told me you can cook the best brisket ever on their new drum smokers in just five hours. Smoke it over direct heat, hot and fast, instead of indirect heat, low and slow.
Like most seasoned grill guys, I was dubious. Sounded too good to be true. Some friends warned me that this was not going to produce the juicy, tended brisket with the tasty, crunchy bark that is coveted in BBQ circles. One warned me not to “rip through the plateau too quick or it won’t be tender.”
Since I had no idea what the plateau was, I had no concerns there. Ignorance is bliss, right? I did seek out the help of Medina’s own State Senate President Larry Obhof. Larry is known as the go-to guy for barbecue in the Ohio Statehouse and is considered a brisket expert. Larry also cooks his brisket low and slow, typically 20 hours. So he too was intrigued by this new approach.
I began the process by buying the brisket. It was a huge, unwieldy piece of meat, about 13 pounds. It looked like it would feed an army. The night before the cook, I trimmed the fat. There is much debate on this exact step in the barbecue world.
Larry told me the next day when he arrived that I had trimmed way too much of it. I had read many opinions on the fat, but decided since I was going hot and fast, maybe the fat would not render off as well as low and slow. So, I trimmed and trimmed and trimmed. I did leave the fat cap on the bottom side, to provide a shield from the direct heat, but thinned it to about 1/4 inch. I then injected one cup of beef broth into the brisket and refrigerated it over night.
The next morning, the fun began. Larry showed up at 10:30 and checked out the set up, filmed me lighting the hardwood lump charcoal with my flamethrower (always fun) and checked out the rub that I had made and not yet applied.
He tasted it, said “Ah, way too salty!” and we threw it out. He then created a much better rub for me based on a few ingredients: fresh ground pepper, sea salt, smoked paprika and pig’s foot seasoning. Some folks just use salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. I applied the rub, set the brisket into the 300-degree smoker, closed the lid and waited two hours.
At that point, I opened it up, placed it in foil, added another cup of beef broth, wrapped it in three layers of foil and put it back into the 300-degree smoker for three more hours. I pulled it off after five hours, stuck it in a cooler for an hour and the rest is history.
Literally the best brisket I could have imagined. The point was sauced and made into the coveted “burnt ends,” the flat was thin sliced and all was devoured. Lessons learned were to cook three briskets next time and invite friends. Also, leave a little more fat. Turns out, that tastes good!
Music & Rib Fest June 2-3
The Wayne County Fairgrounds will be hosting a Music & Rib Fest next weekend that benefits the Friends of the Fair. They will be using proceeds to fund the Buckeye Agricultural Museum directly across the street from the Wayne County Fairgrounds. Their Backyard BBQ contest is Saturday, June 3. Ribs, music, good. Find more information at www.waynecountyfairohio.com.