Texas BBQ (Smoked Beef Brisket)

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Slow cooked in a smoker or in a Texas barbecue grill makes this brisket so tender. Every cook has his/her own secret of making it from the marinade or the lack of, to what temperature and for how long it cooks in the pit.

There is also a preference on what wood to use.  Some use oak but some prefer White Oak or Red Oak and some just use any kind of oak like Live Oak, which is more common in this part of the country.  Some prefer Mesquite, which is also common here, and some like to use Pecan wood and Hickory. Wood from any fruit tree like Apple can also be used, which has a lighter flavor but is not preferred in Texas.

The briskets are smoked and cooked slowly for several hours and that means somebody is tending to the fire to maintain the temperature in the grill, which means there is also an abundance of beer, not that it is added to the brisket but barbecuing is usually a group effort by men. Drinking beer in between stories, jokes and laughter are the norm while tending to the meats.  In other words, it is always a party. Sometimes they are cooked all night if there will be a gathering or a party early the next day. However, people who are in the catering business usually do this.

There are also personal designs of the barbecue pit specific to the cook, and why not?  Some of these people are very proud of their barbecue that they compete in cookouts.  To do this, they design and build their barbecue pit/smoker that is permanently mounted on a trailer so they could take it anywhere wherever there is a fair or rodeo to participate in the barbecue cookout contest.  Some of these barbecue pits are huge, made of very large, thick and heavy steel pipes or steel plates that can cook several briskets, several pork ribs, sausages, all at the same time, that can feed folks at a County Fair.

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The barbecue brisket that I cooked is only a small portion of a whole brisket enough for my small family. I was surprised it did not turn out too dry because most of the fat was trimmed off.  Fat on the brisket helps to keep it moist and juicy, which comes to mind, some cooks say the fat needs to be on the top and some say it needs to be on the bottom while cooking.

It is commonly served with Pinto beans, potato salad, coleslaw and hamburger buns.  The condiments are usually sliced onions, sliced hamburger dill pickles and pickled jalapeno peppers.  Very importantly, you serve it with a special, favorite barbecue sauce, whether it is your own recipe or bought at the store where there are many brands to choose.  Everybody wants to market his own secret sauce and most of them are good. Another way to have barbecue is just go to a BBQ place where you can order sliced meat, sausage, baby back ribs, or any combination.  You can also order chopped beef sandwich between onion or jalapeno bread or on a hamburger bun.  You can also have a giant baked potato topped with chopped barbecue beef at some places as pictured above. The barbecue sauce is poured on top, and you can ask for anything else you like on it such as cheese and sour cream.  You can ask for an extra serving of barbecue sauce and you can get your own condiments like onions, pickled jalapenos and hamburger dill pickles.