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Low and Slow Texas Oven Brisket

For years R. B. could not stop falling for the latest food magazine pitch for perfectly smoked, tender beef brisket. Finally, after a twelve-hour ordeal of tending the fire and at least six episodes of wrapping and unwrapping and mopping, Min led him from the patio and into the kitchen and showed him around. Since that breakthrough, brisket is what’s for dinner much more often. Whether you’re cooking indoors or out, the brisket’s best friend is heavy-duty aluminum foil to trap moist heat and smoke. R. B.’s reformed oven method for brisket is to wrap it once, tuck it in a warm oven, and go to bed. Who needs melatonin with the aroma of a brisket wafting through the house in the wee hours? Be prepared to wake up ravenous.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
One 4- to 6-pound beef brisket with a layer of fat
3 to 4 tablespoons Cheater Chili Dry Rub (page 45)
1/4 cup bottled smoke
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    HEAT the oven to 250°F.

    Step 2

    SCATTER the onion and garlic in the middle of a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to generously wrap around the meat. Lay the brisket on top and rub all sides with the dry rub. Pour the bottled smoke and Worcestershire over the meat.

    Step 3

    SEAL the foil around the meat. Carefully place the foil pack in a large roasting pan. Roast the brisket for 7 to 9 hours, until the internal temperature is at least 190°F and the meat is pull-apart tender.

    Step 4

    REMOVE the brisket from the oven. Open the foil and allow the juices to collect in the pan. Move the brisket to a cutting board and thinly slice it against the grain. Serve with the warm meat juices.

Cheater BBQ
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