This article was
originally from a section in the book I am currently writing called
'The Barbecue Smoker Cookbook'. The primary emphasis was on how to
properly smoke a brisket. Not everyone has access to a smoker, and to
be honest, smoking a brisket takes a lot of time and attention. So I
wanted to write an article so that the average home cook could make a
delicious brisket without having to stay up all night to tend the
fire of the smoker. Having said all of that, smoking a brisket is
still my preferred method of cooking, however this brisket comes out
nice and tender and it takes almost no effort on the cooks part once
it goes in the oven.
Brisket can be a
great low carb high fat (LCHF) and Ketogenic (Keto) protein source if
prepared and cooked properly. What I mean by that is, by using the
proper rub (minimal, or no sugar) eliminates most of the
carbohydrates that are typically found in commercial barbecue rubs.
Now, I do not propose the use of erythritol or other sugar
substitutes in the use of my barbecue rub. They may work great, but I
am not a big fan of the cooling effect (after taste) that some of
them have. To be honest, I have not wanted to try using erythritol in
place of sugar simply because I do not want to waste a brisket just
in case it comes out tasting like crap. Erythritol may be a good
brown sugar substitute, but I have simply not used it.
So as a LCHF eater,
I now make my rub with either 2 tablespoons of sugar, or simply omit
it altogether. Using 2 tablespoons of brown sugar makes the rub 9
grams of carbohydrates per pound of cooked meat (for the whole
recipe), while the rub without the sugar is 8 grams of carbohydrates
per pound (for the whole recipe). The other carbohydrates come from
the spices which are used in the rub. Remember, if you have read any
of my other articles, then you know spices contain small amounts of
carbohydrates that many LCHF and Keto eaters forgot to account for.
So in this article I have listed the nutritional values for making
the rub with and without brown sugar so that you can make an informed
decision as to the way you want to make your barbecue rub.
Selecting
A Brisket
A
brisket is essentially two types of meat, the skirt and the lifter.
The large piece of meat that runs along the bottom of the brisket is
called the skirt or flat. The meat towards the top side (fat side) is
called the lifter or point. The skirt of the brisket is the leaner
portion of the cut with almost no fat. The lifter on the other hand
is the opposite having a large amount of fat or marbling. There is a
distinct layer of fat in the middle of the brisket that separates the
skirt from the lifter. In addition the grain of these two cuts of
meat run in different directions and should be separated before
carving (See Serving Your Brisket).
When
choosing a brisket, you want a whole, untrimmed beef brisket. This is
going to weigh in at between 10 and 20 pounds depending on how it is
cut and where you get it. Buy your brisket based on the number of
people you wish to feed, a typical portion being about 6 to 8 ounces
of cooked brisket per person. On average, a smoked brisket is going
to give you about half the weight in meat of the original piece of
meat, meaning if you bought a 12 pound brisket you will get about 6
to 8 pounds of meat when you are done (based on the 8 ounce rule,
enough brisket for 10 to 12 people as there is some wastage). This is
due to two factors, first because there is is so much fat in a
typical untrimmed brisket, about 10 to 15% of total weight. Second,
because of shrinkage during cooking process, although the low and
slow process of cooking does inhibit this somewhat.
You
do not need to spend a fortune on brisket. In fact, the brisket we
purchased for this article was $1.76 per pound at my local Walmart.
Last week, Walmart was out of brisket and my local Brookshires
supermarket had them for $4.99 per pound (a 12lb brisket was $59.88)
that's just ridiculous. No matter what you my have read or seen on
YouTube, even the cheapest brisket when cooked long and slow will be
tender and juicy, that's the benefit of long, slow, low heat cooking.
Trimming
The Brisket
As
mentioned earlier a whole brisket can run anywhere from 10 to 20
pounds, and if you are planning on cooking a brisket it is best (in
my humble opinion) to buy an untrimmed brisket as this gives you more
control on what you want to trim. To prepare your brisket for cooking
you need to trim away some of the excess fat. For lack of a better
term, we will call the fat side of the brisket the top and the
non-fat or meat side the bottom. The top side of an untrimmed brisket
has a thick layer of fat that runs the entire length of the brisket
with the fat layer being thicker over the lifter. When trimming your
brisket the key is not to remove too much fat as this will help keep
the brisket from drying out as well as add flavor to the meat during
the cooking process. So let’s get trimming.
First,
you will want to remove any excess fat or loose pieces of meat that
may be hanging from the side of the brisket. Now, I'm not suggesting
that you carve off all the fat or cut it up, but I find it easier to
work with if you get it prepared just right. Second, remove some of
the fat layer of the lifter or fatty cap of the brisket. Removing
about 30% of the fat layer should be sufficient. Remember, you do
not want to cut all the way down to the meat, you just want to
remove some of the excess fat.
Once
you have trimmed the brisket, I suggest that you weigh the fat and
subtract that amount from the initial weight of the brisket before
cooking in order to arrive at a proper expected cook time. Remember
you only want to smoke your brisket for 1 to 1 ½ hours per pound of
meat. Cooking the meat any longer than this will cause it to dry out
and become tough. Don’t be surprised if your trim job reduces the
total weight of the brisket by 1, 2 or even 3 pounds, anymore than
this and you have probably trimmed off too much fat. Once you have
completed trimming the fat and loose pieces off the brisket you are
ready to prepare the brisket for cooking.
Preparing
the Brisket (The Rub)
It
takes a long time to properly cook a beef brisket and applying a good
barbecue rub to the meat and placing it in the refrigerator to rest
overnight, is essential to cooking a great brisket. When applying
your BBQ rub to the brisket you want to cover the entire brisket even
the fat. You need to make sure you cover the entire brisket so that
it can take on the flavor of the rub and this is what you are going
to be eating. So why season the fat? Well the fat is going to help
keep your brisket moist, and fat is an integral portion of the meat
(lifter) used when making chopped beef sandwiches. So do yourself a
favor and coat the entire brisket fat and all.
When
I rub a brisket I place it on several sheets of plastic wrap laid on
top of sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil (the 20 inch side stuff is
the best) so I can simply wrap the brisket first in the plastic wrap
and then the foil after liberally applying my rub. The brisket is
then placed in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours before
being cooked. The moisture from the wrapped brisket is going to turn
the rub into a paste that will help it stick to the meat and help the
meat absorb the flavor. You can skip this resting period, but your
brisket will not be as flavorful.
5
tablespoons chili powder
4
tablespoons garlic powder
4
tablespoons onion powder
4
tablespoons paprika
2
tablespoons salt
1
tablespoon black pepper
2
teaspoons red pepper
2
teaspoons cumin, ground
1
teaspoon cinnamon, ground
Mix
all ingredients together and apply generously to brisket. This rub
recipe makes about 1 ¼ cups of rub and should be enough to liberally
cover a 10 to 12 pound brisket.
Whole
Recipe (with ¼ cup brown sugar)
Calories
– 654, protein 19.4 grams, fat 10.9 grams, carbohydrates 112.3
grams
Whole
Recipe (with 2 tablespoons brown sugar)
Calories
– 479, protein 19.4 grams, fat 10.9 grams, carbohydrates 66.8 grams
Whole
Recipe (with no brown sugar)
Calories
– 445, protein 19.4 grams, fat 10.9 grams, carbohydrates 57.8 grams
Chef's
Note: The brown sugar in a traditional barbecue rub helps your
brisket develop that nice dark caramelized coating known as 'bark'.
However, sugar is extremely high in carbohydrates and is therefore
not ketogenic. I have included three nutritional values for this rub
it you wish to use a small amount of brown sugar in your rub. This
particular 12 pound brisket yielded about 7.5 pounds of meat (about
63% yield). So if you used ¼ cup brown sugar that would be about 15
grams of carbs per pound, 2 tablespoons brown sugar about 9 grams of
carbs per pound, and without brown sugar about 8 grams of carbs per
pound. Granted a lot of this will be lost in the carving process, I
just wanted you to have the information.
Cooking
Your Brisket
Preheat
your oven to 225 degrees F (107 degrees C) for the whole cooking
time. Remember that your brisket is going to need to cook for
somewhere between 1 ½ to 1 hour per pound. Not all briskets are
created equally so the cooking time is going to vary, but I have
found that in our oven a 12 pound brisket (before trimming) is nice
and tender when cooked for 12 hours.
If
you placed your brisket in the refrigerator overnight, then remove it
about two hours before you want to place it in the oven. I unwrap my
brisket and place it in a large disposable aluminum roasting pan as
we do not have a large enough regular pan to accommodate a 10 – 12
pound brisket. BTW, if you cover it with plastic wrap and foil, you
want to remove this before placing the brisket in the oven. I put my
brisket in the oven before we go to bed and cook it for 12 hours. No
need to turn or flip the brisket, just let it sit in the oven
undisturbed for 12 hours (make sure to put it fat side up in the
pan).
Once
your brisket has cooked for the estimated time based on it's trimmed
weight, it's time to check the temperature. Because a brisket is
composed of two different types of meat as mentioned earlier (lifter
and the skirt) taking the final temperature of this mixed meat and
fat structure of isn't as straightforward as you might think, however
it's not rocket science either. Fat heats faster than meat so you
will find that the internal temperature of your brisket is very
different depending on where you take your reading. In order to
ascertain the proper temperature of the brisket, you will need to
take the temperature in several places, aiming for a thick piece of
meat. By this point the fat is about as solid as warm butter. The
meat on the other hand should give you some resistance as you insert
the probe. You are ultimately shooting for an internal temperature
about 185 to 190 degrees.
Carving
and Serving The Brisket
Carving
a brisket is more art than a science, and an art that requires
experience more than technique. If you go slow, and watch what you
are cutting, however, you shouldn't have much trouble getting a large
number of good slices that are perfect for serving. Start by cutting
back or trimming the fat layer on the top of the brisket to expose
the meat. Then working from the thin, square end of the brisket (the
skirt), cut long thin slices about the thickness of a pencil. If you
find that the brisket is a little tough, cut it thinner. If the
brisket starts to fall apart cut the slices thicker. As you work your
way along you can trim off any large pieces of fat. Once you get to
the point end of the brisket you will find a second layer of meat on
the top of the skirt known as the lifter. You should now be able to
see the strip of fat that divides these two cuts of meat. Cut through
this fat separating the lifter from the skirt. The grain of the
lifter runs differently from the skirt so you will want to cut it in
the other direction.
Like
anything, the more brisket you cook, the better your slicing
technique will become, and soon you won't have any trouble carving up
a perfect brisket. Remember, you are cooking for friends and family
so relax, enjoy yourself, besides your friends and family won't care
about your carving as your brisket will be so tender and delicious.
In
many restaurants the lifter which has a high fat content is chopped
with any trimmed portions from the skirt to make chopped beef
sandwiches, while the leaner skirt is used for sliced brisket
sandwiches or plated entrées (which is what I do). The skirt can be
used for chopped sandwiches, but the moisture, seasoning and fat
content of the lifter make it the perfect meat for this technique;
whereas the skirt easily becomes dried when chopped and is often
layered in a heavy amount of sauce to overcome this. In my opinion
this defeats the purpose of cooking and or smoking the brisket if it
is hidden under the flavor of the sauce, rather a good barbecue sauce
should accentuate the flavor of the brisket not overpower it.
Conclusion
Do
I prefer a smoked brisket over one cooked in the oven, well duh…
But let's face it, we all do not have the time to stay up all night
and tend the fire of a smoker to keep the temperature in the sweet
spot (225 – 250 degrees). However, placing a brisket in the oven
overnight to cook is just about as easy as it gets, and the results
are quite phenomenal given the fact that you do not have to mess with
the brisket once you throw it in the oven. This recipe is quite
literally a set it and forget it type of recipe.
Remember
a brisket is going to yield about 60 – 65% of it's cooked weight.
Our 11.58 pound brisket yielded just a little over 7 pounds of meat
after trimming and cooking, making our final cost $2.81 per pound of
edible meat. Had I purchased the brisket from Brookshires at $4.99
per pound instead of $1.76 per pound the final cost would have been
$7.97 per pound. Yes, my family loves brisket, but I am not paying
eight dollars a pound for brisket (BTW, that's about what you pay at
the restaurant).
If
you need a good 'Texas Style' barbecue sauce check out my article
'Condiments The Diet Killers' for my version of LCHF/Keto barbecue
sauce that is only 1 gram of carbohydrate per tablespoon. There are
several other LCHF/Keto barbecue sauce options listed below that you
can access from our blog by simply clicking on the article heading.
As always, I hope that you have found this article informative and
beneficial for you and your family, if so please take the time to
share it with your friends so that they can benefit as well. Don't
forget to follow us on out Facebook Page 'CulinaryYouLCHF' or add us
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References:
Gamel,
Todd, The Barbecue Smoker Cookbook, Currently in Editing
Barbecue
sauces come in a wide range of flavors and varieties. While examining
the condiment isle at my local Wal-Mart I found more than fifty,
that's right, more than '50' types or variations of barbecue sauce
being sold. Depending on the brand and the celebrity chef who
endorses the product the price can range from less than a dollar for
a twelve once bottle when on sale to more than five dollars a bottle.