spice essentials: ultimate smoked brisket rub

How To Make spice essentials: ultimate smoked brisket rub

• 
  1

  PREP/PREPARE
• 
  2

  You will need a container, like an old glass spice jar with a tight-fitting lid, to store this spice mix. If stored in a cool dry place, like your pantry, it should last up to a year.
• 
  3

  If you can use fresh black and white peppercorns, coriander seeds, and mustard seeds, then coarsely grind them, you will have a more flavorful rub than just using powdered spices.
• 
  4

  An excellent investment for grilling and smoking would be acquiring a wireless temperature probe; especially when smoking. That way you do not have to keep opening the smoke box to check the temp. Even if it only takes you 20 seconds, it can drop the heat in the box by 40%, and then it has to crawl back up to temp. A wireless temperature probe eliminates that problem. And, it can also be used with your kitchen oven.
• 
  5

  Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
• 
  6

  Combine all of the ingredients, place in an airtight container, such as an old glass spice jar, and store as you would any store-bought spices
• 
  7

  PLATE/PRESENT
• 
  8

  Example Recipe Take a nice size brisket and thickly coat with the rub (all sides). Place on a small baking sheet and place, uncovered, in the fridge for one to two days. This will achieve the goal of removing some of the excess moisture and allowing the rub to penetrate a bit into the meat. Set your smoker to 225f (107c). Place the brisket directly onto the grate and add a handful of wood chips. I prefer applewood chips. After an hour add another handful of wood chips, then after the third hour add another handful. Now, just sit back (with a beer) and wait until the brisket gets to about 203f (95c), about 12 – 14 hours… or more.
• 
  9

  The Dreaded Stall The stall is what transpires after you place a large piece of meat, like brisket, in the smoker and for two to three hours the temperature of the meat steadily rises… until it hits about 150f (65c) and stops rising… the dreaded stall. Why? One of the theories is that the evaporating moisture from the meat is just enough to cool it so that the temperature does not rise. This condition can last for up to six hours before the temperature starts rising again. DO NOT attempt to compensate by raising the temperature in the smoke box; you will only wind up with a dry piece of very expensive meat… maybe you could make jerky out of it (only kidding). The stall is just part of the sweet science of smoking. I always factor in the stall before smoking meats; especially things like brisket. FYI: If you rub down the brisket with the spice mix, and then place it uncovered in the fridge for a day or two, it will evaporate some of that excess moisture, and reduce the stall time.
• 
  10

  The Crutch Sometimes referred to as the “Texas” Crutch, is basically wrapping your meat carefully in parchment paper, and then foil. So, when it starts into the stall, you pull it out wrap it, and put it back into the smoker. By wrapping, it eliminates the evaporation and continues cooking. Note: Some folks add a bit of apple juice or beer to the crutch before sealing it up. If you are a purist, you would probably never use it, but it can cut hours off of your smoking time. Understand, if you use a crutch, you are effectively stopping the smoking process, so you might as well bring it into the house and finish the cooking process in a 225f (65c) kitchen oven. The good news is that most of the “smoking” of the brisket is accomplished before the stall occurs. So, wrapping it will not impact the taste all that much. In addition, your bark (that competition-winning crusty coating), will not be as fully developed. Try it both ways and see which one you like best. I have used a crutch on various types of meat; however, if I have the time, I do not crutch.
• 
  11

  Well, there you go. This recipe was all about the rub; however, I thought I would give you a time-tested recipe to use it with. Enjoy.
• 
  12

  Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
• Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
• Printable Recipe Card