I f*cking love Fall. It’s literally everything I cherish in one season. One very special thing I love about Fall: Barbecue. One BBQ hurtle I’ve always been afraid to jump: Brisket. With a ton of help from my brother in law, Nick, and pestering from my husband, I dove head first into the slow and low world of Brisket and the results were life changing. Literally, this Brisket is the best I’ve ever had. So, grab your friends, a ton of beer, and settle in for 36 hours of delicious to prepare a fall feast for all. (Seriously, it makes a ton of food. You’re going to need help).
What’s on the Menu:
Smoked Brisket
Smoked Jalapeno Poppers
Corn Bread Muffins
S’mores Brownies
Apple Cider Bourbons
Special Equipment Needed:
Smoker/Smoker Box for your Grill
Butcher Paper (I ordered on Amazon)
Slow Cooker
Aluminum Trays
Corded Meat Thermometer
Cooler
Order of Operations:
Night before: Make the brownies and cool completely
Early morning: Start Brisket and Apple Cider
Mid-Day: Wrap Brisket. Make topping for brownies and ice
1.5 Hours Before Brisket Complete: Start Jalapeño Poppers and finish Cider
30 Minutes Before Brisket Complete: Bake Corn Muffins
The Completed Plate
Smoked Brisket
Takes: Aprox. 18 hours
Makes: A epic amount of Brisket
Mise: Full Flat of Brisket, Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Apple Cider Vinegar, Butcher’s Paper, Aluminum Tray, Cooler, Famous Dave’s Signature Spicy Pickles
Since each smoker is different, this will be a general recipe. Please research the different brisket methods for your smoker for the best outcome.
Notes + Directions:
This recipe is simple but takes a lot of time. Essentially, what you are going to do is season the brisket with a ton of salt, pepper, and garlic powder and smoke it with hard woods, like hickory, mesquite, or pecan, for 1 hour per pound or until the brisket reaches 203*F. It’s incredibly helpful to use a probe/corded meat thermometer so you can always keep an eye on the internal temp without having to open your smoker. Optional: You can spray the meat with apple cider vinegar every 60-90 minutes for peak moisture and flavor.
Around halfway, wrap the brisket in butcher’s paper to help avoid the dreaded meat plateau. This is where the meat stalls out and doesn’t rise in temperature. This happened to me and it took four hours for the meat to start rising in temp again. All you can do is have patience and stick it out but wrapping the brisket helps avoid this. Once your brisket finally reaches 203*F, you’ll wrap it up and put it in an empty cooler to rest for 2-3 hours. Yes. 2-3 hours. Trust me, just do it. It’s worth it. Cut it against the grain to slice and make sure you have plenty of people to “Oooh” and “Ahhh” when you cut. Serve on trays lined with butcher’s paper, your favorite bbq sauce, paper towels, and pickles.
Smoked Jalapeno Poppers
Takes: 2 hours
Makes: 20 Poppers
Mise: 10 Jalapenos, 1 Block Cream Cheese, 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Dried Parsley, Salt, Pepper, 20 stripped of regular bacon, tooth picks.
1. Prep the Jalapenos by putting them in half length wise and de-seeding them using a spoon. Set them aside.
2. Mix the cream cheese, shredded cheddar, onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, salt and pepper together.
3. Fill the jalapenos with the cream cheese mix. Wrap in a bacon slice. Secure with a toothpick.
4. Cook in smoker for 60-90 minutes or until bacon is crisp.
Apple Cider Bourbon
Takes: 8-10 Hours
Makes: 3/4 a Gallon of Cider
Mise: 8-10 Medium sweet apples (We use a mix of Jonagold, honey crisp, and granny smith), 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 cinnamon sticks, Bourbon.
Prep Your Apples:
1. Rinse and core your apples. For a true brown cider, remove the skin as well. You can also leave the skin on to add a reddish tint to your cider.
2. Roughly cut apples into large cubes/chunks and add to slow cooker.
Make Cider:
1. Once you have all of your apples in your slow cooker, add 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp salt, and two cinnamon sticks. Stir.
2. Add water to slow cooker to cover apples
3. Cook on High for 8-10 hours.
4. Strain apple solids out and return cider to slow cooker to keep warm
Make Drink:
1. Add 1 shot of Bourbon to whiskey tumbler, Add ladle of Hot Cider, Mix. Optional: Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon and an curled apple peel
Cornbread Muffins
Takes: 30 minutes
Makes: 12 muffins
Mise: 1/2 Package of Bob’s Red Mill Corn Muffin Mix, 1 Egg, 1.25 cups of Whole Milk, 1/4 cup butter. Honey and room temp butter for serving.
1. Prepare per package instructions but swap out oil for melted butter and water for whole milk.
2. Bake just before serving so muffins are still warm. Have butter and honey on the side.
S’mores Brownies
Takes: 90 minutes
Makes: 20 brownies
Mise: 2 bags of Ghirardelli Brownie Mix, 2/3 cup dark roast coffee, 2/3 melted butter, 2 eggs, salt, 1 Tbs of Vanilla, 1 tps Cinnamon. 1 Large jar of marsh mallow cream, 1/2 cup butter, aprox. 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, 1 packet of graham crackers
Make the Brownies
1. Prepare brownies per package instructions but swap oil for melted butter, water for dark roast or hazelnut flavored coffee, add a large pinch of salt, 1 Tbs of Vanilla, and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Make the Marshmallow Topping:
1. Take 1 stick of softened butter and add to a stand mixer. Beat until beginning to lighten and fluffy. Add in marshmallow cream and beat until combined and smooth. Add in vanilla, mix until combined. Add in powdered sugar and mix until your referred frosting texture.
2. Add marshmallow frosting to brownies. Crush graham crackers over top. Cut and serve!
Note: Stock photo is used
Grocery Store List
Organized by Department
2 Bags of Ghirardelli Brownie Mix
1 Package of Bob’s Red Mill Corn Muffin Mix
Dark Roast or Hazelnut Flavored Coffee
1 Large Jar Marshmallow Cream
Grahm Crackers
2 Cinnamon Sticks
Famous Dave’s Signature Spicy Pickles
Aluminum Trays
Bourbon
1 lb Butter
Half Dozen Eggs
2 cups Milk
8 oz Block of Cream Cheese
8 oz Shredded Cheddar Cheese
8-10 apples
10 Jalapeños
20 strips regular bacon
Full Flat of Brisket
Pantry List
Salt
Pepper
Vanilla
Cinnamon
Powdered Sugar
Sugar
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Dried Parsley
Tooth Picks
Apple Cider Vinegar