I DON’T think I am alone in thinking that barbecued meat is probably one of, if not the most, appetizing thing you can watch on TV. Of all the cuisines that play on the food channels, only barbecue has multiple shows on its specific cuisine. It even beats shows on burgers or pizza or TexMex on the amount of coverage it gets.
One reason might be that among American regional cuisines, barbecue, specifically Southern barbecue, is the most well-loved and universally accepted. The unique subculture that barbecue has created has fuelled the ever-increasing interest on all things meaty and smoked. Another important factor is the simplicity of barbecuing. In its purest form, barbecue is meat, seasoned and smoked over live fire. And as much as there are countless versions and variations on rubs, woods, sauces and cuts and kinds of meat, the basic elements of barbecue never changes.
While pork ribs may be the most popular form of barbecue worldwide, there is a large part of the United States that considers beef as their true barbecue. Texas barbecue, due to the large cattle industry in that state, has always been predominantly beef based. While other barbecue states like Tennessee, Louisina, Missouri, the Carolinas and Georgia swear by their pork, Texans just love their beef and with good reason.
As luck would have it, I recently met and became friends with a chef who specializes in barbecue. I met Chef Ton when I featured Southern Grind, his barbecue outlet at District 89 Food Park. Having cooked and trained in the “deep south,” Chef Ton Tallon knows his barbecue. As someone who knows his Cajun from Creole and his Jambalaya from Burgoo, Chef Ton is the perfect person to ask about ‘cues. All the brisket I’ve been watching on TV has taken its toll and I wanted the real deal. Generous with his time and resources, Chef Ton offered to smoke some brisket for me and even showed me how he does it. While barbecue means sweet, sour and spicy sauce to most of us, Chef Ton’s smoked brisket didn’t need any. It was that good.
Here’s Chef Ton Tallon’s Smoked Brisket. While it isn’t on Southern Grind’s regular menu yet, he’s willing to offer it for advanced special order. You may reach Chef Ton at 0917-8152773, at Southern Grind Bistro PH Facebook page, or at their web site www.southerngrindbistro.com
Steps:
1 Pat whole brisket dry. Season heavily with salt and pepper.
2 Soak woodchips in water for 30 minutes. Wrap wet woodchips in foil and poke holes all over. Place in the lowest level of the oven or smoker.
3 Set smoker or oven to 225°F. Smoke brisket fat-side up for six hours, spraying with apple juice every 40 minutes.
4 After six hours, wrap brisket in foil and spray with apple juice. Continue smoking or baking for three more hours.
5 Remove foil and continue final three hours of smoking/baking at 200°F.
6 After the 12 hours of cooking, wrap brisket in foil and rest before slicing.
