Today we are starting a soon to be monthly posting called "Just Dad Things." Here we will ask dads to share about things they are passionate about. So, it could be posts about parenting, home brewing, collecting, hunting, anything really! Our first guest blogger is sharing about his passion for a Texas treasure: a great smoked brisket. Enjoy! Howdy from Texas, My name is Joshua Nix and I have the pleasure of making my inaugural appearance here. I am a Texan and have had the pleasure of living all over this great state. One of my passions is BBQ. Being from Texas (the greatest country state in the world), BBQ is big here. Even though Texans are known for being proud, I am not so proud that I cannot admit that other places have great BBQ too. I love how the BBQ states (Texas, Kansas, Tennessee and the Carolinas) all have their signature meat, sauce and flavor profiles. And while I appreciate all of the flavors and things the other states bring to the proverbial table, only one has my heart... Texas Brisket. I want to give you a glimpse in to my process and share some of my methods. As a disclaimer, I know my brisket isn’t the best brisket anyone has ever made. I struggle to be consistent with the results I get. But trying is half the battle. If in the course of reading this you have a tip or feedback, comment below and let’s chat. Here we go! One of the most crucial parts of the entire process... no, not what kind of wood you use... no, not how you season it... it’s all about picking the brisket. I found an untrimmed 18.7lb monster that had great marbling. I took it home and trimmed the top fat cap to about 1/2 an inch thick and cleaned up the ends a bit. From there I seasoned it with a heavy hit of black pepper and sea salt (large grains) and then wrapped it up and let it sit in the fridge for about 4 hours. Giving the salt 4 hours to penetrate the meat allows it to draw some excess moisture from the surface that can hinder the smoke ring and bark from forming. From there, I pulled it out of the fridge and let it rest on the counter to bring the entire brisket to room temp, or as close as possible. With the brisket ready, it was time to get the firebox ready for the journey. I use a Big Hat BBQ brand Smoker and the model I have the Rio Grande model. It is a 750 lb meat smoking machine. You can check out Big Hat BBQ HERE I use charcoal as a base heat source and from there on out, it’s split logs the whole way. We could have a long discussion about what wood to use, but for me, it is all about Post Oak. It burns consistent, long and imparts great flavor without being brash or to prominent... sorry Mesquite and Hickory. With the coals white, 2 pieces of Post Oak smoking and the meat basically begging to go on, I tenderly placed my brisket on the grate fat side up and felt #Blessed. For my smoker, it takes about 20-30 minutes of the wood burning and the lid closed before I get the “blue smoke”. Blue smoke is the thin, wispy smoke that at times seems to disappear until the sun hits it. That is what I want the entire time. From here, I make sure my temps gets up to 250 and sits like a well-behaved dog. And much like a good dog, I have my smoker trained. The vents are set and dialed in. I place the coals and wood in almost the exact same spot every time and that repetition has given me some predictability. I know that I will need to feed a log or two to the firebox every 2 hours but that is all the babysitting it needs. The next few pictures were taken at the 2 hour increments And there you have it! I will be honest, I didn’t love the look of the final product. The bark wasn’t dark all the way around and it didn’t give me the burnt ends I love so dearly. I had a previous engagement on the day I did this brisket so I took the shortcut and after 9 hours on the smoker, I wrapped it in foil and finished it in the oven. But the flavor…..it was on point. I’ve been smoking and experimenting for 4 years and it might be another 4 before I perfect my craft, but the journey is better than the destination. Prost! If you are interesting in being a guest blogger in "Just Dad Things." head over to the CONTACT page and let us know and we can get you set up!
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