(Oven) Smoked BBQ Brisket

Now that summer is finally here I'm able to do one of my favorite types of cooking - smoking meats. To me, nothing says summer quite like the smell of wood burning over an open fire and meat slowing cooking and absorbing the flavor of the smoke. When I smoke something, it's most often a brisket. If you've never had any kind of brisket other than the corned beef type for St. Paddy's Day, this is very different.  You actually start with a brisket that has NOT been "corned" (which is basically a type of brining using a similar brine to that used to make pickles). It's simply a cut of meat like any other that you would get from your grocery store that you then use your smoker to turn into a very tender slice of heaven.

A smoked brisket directly from my smoker

But I didn't always have a smoker (or a grill) to cook my brisket (and I know not everyone does whether it's because they wouldn't use one, don't want one, live in an apartment and can't have one or any of a thousand other reasons). When I was young, my mother always made this for us - and we didn't have a smoker then either. There IS a way to get a similar, smoked flavor to your brisket without smoking it - and that's what I'm here to help you with.  I'll tell you upfront that it's not going to have the same type of look to it that you get from cooking in a smoker - no "bark" (the cooked exterior) and no "smoke ring" but you DO get a smoked flavor and that's the most important part.

Oven smoked BBQ brisket!

My family has been giving out this same basic recipe for years - I've made a few alterations here and there but it's basically the same as it was when I was a kid (and that's more years than I care to count).

If you decide to try it, let me know what you think!

Watch how to make it here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvX-_rzkh1k

Ingredients

4 - 8 pound beef brisket*
Beef rub**
3.5 oz bottle Wright's Liquid Smoke***
1 tbsp celery seeds
2 tbsp olive oil

*There are different cuts of brisket: the flat, the point and a whole brisket which is sometimes called a packer brisket (a whole or packer brisket is both the flat and point together, simply not separated. Also, I mentioned this before, but it's worth mentioning again - you do NOT want a corned beef brisket).

I typically use either a whole or flat cut. Beef prices have risen so much that when I bought a brisket last week, whole briskets were $3.39/lb and flats were $7.59/lb.  For that, you can get a whole brisket that weighs twice as much for the same amount as a flat.  I bought an 11 pounder, removed the point and was left with seven pounds for the flat and paid less that I would have for a five pound flat.  I then had four pounds of point to turn into burnt ends (arguably the best part of a brisket) for far less than the equivalent flat cut.

**There are LOTS of different kinds of rubs and just as many opinions as to which one is best. I suggest either finding a rub recipe you think you'd like and trying that or simply buying one at the store (you'll have a lot to choose from). Here is a link to one that I've tried before and really like, but again, feel free to use whatever YOU prefer. When we were younger, we didn't use a rub at all - we simply used the celery seed on top of the brisket along with the liquid smoke and that works as well!

Liquid smoke

***Liquid smoke is one of those things that a lot of people seem to either have never heard of or are kind of confused about. Exactly what is in it? Well, if you buy Wright's, the answer is water and hickory smoke concentrate.  It is actually made from hickory (or applewood or mesquite depending on the type you buy) wood that is burned inside a chamber. As the smoke rises it is captured in a condenser and it cools. The cooled smoke forms water droplets (condensation). These droplets are then collected and filtered.  That's it. No other additives (which is one of the reasons I prefer the Wright's brand - there are other brands and they typically have additives).

Directions

This needs to sit overnight, so start the DAY BEFORE you want to cook the brisket:

1. Take the brisket out and put on a cutting board or in a large pan

   

   This was an 11 lb whole brisket. The point was removed,
   leaving a 7 lb flat cut that went in the oven

2. Thoroughly rub one side of the brisket with one tbsp olive oil

   

   Rub thoroughly with olive oil

3. Generously sprinkle the rub over the entire side of the brisket and rub it into the meat

   

   I only put the rub on one half so you could see the difference.
   You want to put the rub on the entire thing though, not just one half.

4. Rub the rub thoroughly into the meat (sounds a bit redundant, doesn't it?  You get the idea though)

   

   After being rubbed into the meat - again, do the entire thing, not just half

5. Flip the brisket over and repeat the process on the second side, making certain to get the sides and ends coated with the rub as well

   

   The second side after being rubbed with oil.
   Notice this side looks very different - no fat.

6. Put the brisket into a large pan, fat side up, and sprinkle the celery seeds over the top
7. Pour the entire bottle of liquid smoke into the pan, then cover the pan (aluminum foil works fine) and put in the refrigerator overnight

   

   With the celery seeds and liquid smoke added

When ready to cook:

1. Preheat oven to 225
2. If you have a meat thermometer, place it in the thickest part of the brisket
3. Put the brisket (covered) in the oven
4. Bake until the internal temperature is at least 195. How long this takes is going to depend on the size of your brisket (the seven pound one I just cooked took about five hours).

   

   Cook to an internal temperature of 195.  If you cook it over that you won't hurt anything.
   My mother actually prefers to cook it a bit longer and prefers it that way

5. When ready, remove the cover, flip it over (the fatty side should now be down) and coat with your favorite BBQ sauce

   

   Coated with BBQ sauce

6. Turn the oven up to 400 degrees and cook for another 20 minutes (cover removed)

   

   Out of the oven and ready to sit for a few minutes before slicing

7. Remove from the oven and let sit for fifteen minutes
8. Slice thin (very important to slice AGAINST the grain not with the grain), pour on your favorite sauce and enjoy!

Ready to eat!!

Cinnamon Rolls (like Cinnabon, only better!)

Small bits of ooey, gooey goodness.

Iced cinnamon roll

That's how someone described these cinnamon rolls to me and I have to agree with them.  Yes, you can always go and buy cinnamon rolls in a tube from Pillsbury.  It's a lot easier, but it's certainly not even close to tasting as good.

It's worth making these just for the smells that will permeate your house while they're baking! When people come to the house while I'm making them I always get comments about how fantastic they smell - which is nothing compared to the comments about how they taste.

The other thing about these is just how versatile they are - you can make them into cinnamon rolls like the ones I describe here or you can roll the dough a bit thicker and make it into a loaf of bread.  I always make extra dough just so I can do that, then in turn use that in the best french toast you've ever had!  You can also use the dough by itself (no cinnamon/sugar mixture) and turn it into some of the best dinner rolls you'll ever have - as a matter of fact, that's exactly what I do for Thanksgiving (and other occasions) every year.

I want to thank my mom for this recipe - she's been making this for as long as I can remember.  I've made a few changes to it here and there as I tend to do with just about everything I make, but the basic recipe hasn't changed.  She's still the best cook I know and the inspiration for everything I make - love you Mom!

If you try this recipe (or any of my others) please feel free to let me know what you think in the comments!

Watch how to make them here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkbRbdHlp3A

Ingredients

Rolls

2 packages yeast

5 – 6 cups flour
1 cup butter (2 sticks) 

2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar 

1 cup warm water
2 eggs, beaten 

1 cup boiling water

Filling

1 pound brown sugar, approximately 2 cups packed
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)

Cream Cheese Icing

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk

Directions

Rolls

1. Dissolve yeast in the warm water (if you add a teaspoon of sugar to the water and stir well it will help activate the yeast). 
2. Cream butter and sugar and slowly add the boiling water. 
3. Let stand until cool and all butter is melted (to speed the cooling, I usually only add 3/4 cup of boiling water, then when the butter is melted, I add a couple of ice cubes.  This will cool it enough that you don't have to wait). 
4. When cool, add the yeast and eggs and blend well. 
5. Add salt and mix.  Add flour slowly, you want the dough to be very moist, not stiff. (It probably will be closer to 5 cups of flour than 6, but flours vary widely; humidity can also alter how much you use).  I use bread flour because I prefer the texture, but all purpose flour will work fine.
6. Once the dough is the desired consistency, place in a greased bowl in the refrigerator, and cover with a dish towel overnight. Depending upon the time I have available, I sometimes make the dough in the morning and make the rolls in the afternoon as opposed to sitting in the refrigerator overnight (if you do this, you don't need to refrigerate it). 
7. Next day (or that afternoon, depending upon when you make the dough), roll the dough to approximately 1/4” thick*.  
8. Spread with melted butter. I use 1 - 1 ½ sticks of butter for this. You can also spread softened (not melted) butter instead if you prefer.
9. Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon (I also use a pinch of nutmeg - but this is optional). Sprinkle the mixture over the butter on the entire surface of the dough. I've actually tried different ways to do this. If you prefer, you can melt the butter and add it to the brown sugar and cinnamon.  This will make a paste-like mixture you can spread over the dough if you prefer.**

   

   Dough rolled out, spread with melted butter and
   sprinkled with brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.

10. Roll up from the widest side and cut into slices about 1” wide and place in a non-stick pan***. 
11. Cover with moist cloth and let rise about 2 hours. 
12. Bake in a 400 degree oven until slightly browned on top. (About 15 minutes). 

*If you want to make a loaf of bread instead, roll out to approx. 1/2" thick.

**The original recipe from my mother didn't use brown sugar.  It instead used a sugar/cinnamon mixture in place of the brown sugar/cinnamon. Feel free to try this instead - it's equally good!

***DON'T CROWD THE PAN!  It's very important not to crowd the pan when you put the rolls in. The rolls will still expand and the middle won't cook properly if there are too many in the pan.

NOTE:  Depending upon what I'm using the dough for (cinnamon rolls or straight dinner rolls), I will add a tablespoon of vanilla to the dough at the same time as the eggs/yeast mixture.  It's actually a great addition even if you're making dinner rolls.

Cream Cheese Icing****

1. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, margarine, vanilla extract (in addition to vanilla extract, I make an orange extract that I sometimes use as well. This gives it a slight flavor difference that is worth the trouble), confectioners' sugar and milk. 
2. Beat until creamy.

   

   Iced cinnamon rolls

3. Spread the icing over the rolls
4. Enjoy!

****This is another area where the original recipe from my mother varies from this one. The original recipe uses a much simpler icing. If you'd like to try this, simply mix together one and a half pounds of confectioner's sugar, one and a half teaspoons of vanilla extract and just enough milk to make a fairly loose frosting. Again, it's different from my recipe but excellent (some of my family would tell you it's better!).

Best when served warm.

COOK'S NOTE: These also make very light dinner rolls. Just roll out and cut with a biscuit cutter. Baste with melted butter and fold over slightly off center. Cover and let rise for approximately 2 hrs. Then bake as above.  Alternately, you can roll the dough into small balls (approx. 3/4 inch).  Place three of these in each indentation in a muffin tin, then bake as directed.

Loaf of bread made from cinnamon roll dough.  Simply roll
the dough thicker than you would with the cinnamon rolls,
then continue as directed except don't cut them.  Pinch the
ends together and bake.  Makes incredible french toast!