In the Kevin's Texas Brisket recipe, our friend from Dallas explained how to cook superb brisket by the traditional Texas method. Without question, the result is great. Also without question, many of us have neither the time, nor the equipment to duplicate his effort. Fortunately, alternative means are available, including the use of our our Gaggenau Steam Oven.
Gaggenau provides a simple but detailed instruction "wheel" that tells you the time, temperature and steam setting for most foods. Apparently, the German manufacturers are not aware of the wonders of brisket, because that is not listed. I decided to use Kevin's temperature setting of 265, with 100% steam to assure that the brisket wasn't dry. As to the time, it had to be trial and error, testing the meat with small nibbles until it was tender. I cooked two, 2 1/4 pound briskets, nicely trimmed by Forest Hills Foods. The brisket was cooked on non-stick foil. When done, the meat had produced an au jus which was terrific, and would be lost on a grill, which obviously makes my method far superior. Just kidding, Kevin.
Brisket after rub applied.
I did use the rub recipe, applying it on Thursday night. Bright and early Friday morning, it went on the grill, to be charred and seared.
Brisket after grilling.
It then went into the oven. I first checked it after an hour and a half, way too early. An hour later, it was fork tender and delicious. I gave it another half hour to be sure that the thickest parts were done--and they were.* While it did not have the smoky quality of Kevin's the rub had given it great flavor and it was plastic fork tender, the main goal for a tailgate. (*To an unknown but significant degree, the time difference between the traditional method and the use of the oven can be accounted for by the relative size of the briskets, Kevin’s ten pounds versus my 2 ¼. That said, experience with other meats indicate that there would be a time savings with the oven.)
Fully-cooked brisket.
There was a question as to what to serve with the brisket. The internet suggested mashed potatoes, but that seemed just wrong for a stadium parking lot. Kevin suggested cheesy grits with jalapeno peppers, which caused a silence at my end of the phone. But by now I was committed to the task. The grits package (Quaker Grits--Quick--5 minutes) had a recipe for making them cheesy, by adding "pasteurized process cheese spread, cubed", which is apparently how they avoid using the work "Velveeta". We followed the recipe, added finely diced jalapeno, and it was a hit. All of it. Both the meat and the grits were prepared the day before, then warmed up on the grill and hot plates at the tailgate.
Tailgating at the Big House
Because brisket is not common in the midwest, it isn't something that we often think about. Done properly, it will feed a lot of people for a relatively low cost. (*Kevin estimates that a typical serving is about one pound per person. Keep in mind, that the brisket will shrink over the course of cooking.) Meat that is labeled “corned beef” should not be confused with brisket. Those products have been seasoned especially for that particular flavor.
Real-Life Texan eating Michigan Tailgate Brisket.
The internet has, of course, a multitude of recipes for cooking brisket without Kevin’s patience or a Gaggenau oven. Several of them can be found here.
On November 13th, the New York Times Published it's recipe for "Sweet and Sour Glazed Brisket with Cranberries and Pomegranate". Nothing screams Texas Brisket like cranberries and pomegranate. On the other hand, the recipe looks really good. It is basically a braising method in a dutch oven, which, for a 5 pound brisket, takes about 4.5 hours. If New Yorkers can make brisket, anybody can.
Nebraskans in their colorful native costumes.