BEEF · SMOKE

THE 18-HOUR BRISKET

Set the dome to 125°C before midnight, go to sleep, and let the ceramic hold the line on one load of coal. Your job is patience.

THE FIRE

INGREDIENTS · SERVES 12

• 6–7 KGWhole packer brisket, point and flat
• 3 TBSPCoarse salt
• 3 TBSPCoarse black pepper
• 2 TBSPYellow mustard, as a binder
• 100 GBeef tallow, melted
• 1 ROLLPink butcher paper

METHOD

1. 01

   TRIM AND SEASON

   THE AFTERNOON BEFORE

   Trim the fat cap to about 6 mm and round off thin edges so they don’t burn. Rub with mustard, then coat every side in equal parts salt and pepper.

2. 02

   LIGHT AND SETTLE

   22:00

   Fill the fire box with 4 kg of lump, bury the oak chunks through it and light one spot in the centre. Deflector in, grate on, vents set. Let the dome sit at 125°C for 30 minutes, until the smoke runs thin and blue.

3. 03

   ON AND CLOSED

   BEFORE MIDNIGHT

   Fat side up, probe in the thickest part of the flat. Close the lid and go to bed.

4. 04

   RIDE THE STALL

   HOURS 8–13

   The internal temperature parks around 65–70°C for hours. This is normal. Don’t open the lid and don’t touch the vents.

5. 05

   WRAP

   AT THE STALL

   Once the bark is set and dark, wrap tightly in butcher paper brushed with tallow and put it straight back on.

6. 06

   PULL AT 95°C

   HOURS 16–18

   It’s done when the probe slides in like butter, around 95°C internal.

7. 07

   REST AND SLICE

   Rest it wrapped for a full hour. Separate the point from the flat, slice the flat against the grain the width of a pencil, and cube the point.