Brisket

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I hear ya , bummer .

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_{Chris , my phone and PM has been strangely silent also . You don't think they don't want us ? Nah . They must be off line . They'll contact us later . Did I say I can eat my weight in brisket ?}

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ER , I mean Bruce . I'm distracted by brisket .

[reeltime]

_{Chris , my phone and PM has been strangely silent also . You don't think they don't want us ? Nah . They must be off line . They'll contact us later . Did I say I can eat my weight in brisket ?}

Yep..I did have somebody call the wrong number.

sent from my taxpayer-funded sail phone and yes the government is tapped into my talk

[Oleander Kayaker]

Bruce,
Beer for brisket. Oops that should be a PM

[SUPER SPOOK]

might hold off for next weekend. BBQ and football! will let yall know.

[H.Maier]

might hold off for next weekend. BBQ and football! will let yall know.

I'll take a sammich.

[Cuda340]

Bruce, if I buy another pit I am going to take it to the shop. Come by and I'll show you how to cook a brisket. Will also give you some of my dry rub to use.

[Curmudgeon]

Bruce, if I buy another pit I am going to take it to the shop. Come by and I'll show you how to cook a brisket. Will also give you some of my dry rub to use.

You bet. I'm open to any advice. My dad never cooked one so I never learned how.

[Swells]

Well I've been on Central Texas brisket since 1976 when we moved here. That's real oak, live oak or post oak, and you don't want any smoke. You want the dry heat and a little oak taste. The German and Czech people in Texas were the best at brisket, which was always done with a dry rub and people would fight over the right kind. I'm a Penderry man. These folks also knew good beef and would NEVER use cheap stuff like from HEB ... you bought from a real butcher and you said how much "fat cap" you wanted on top. The fat is what keeps the brisket moist because it cooks at least 6 to 8 hours, longer for big slabs. Good cow really helps.

I don't mean to sound like an ex-Yankee who thinks he knows real brisket BBQ, and if you like electric smokers, charcoal, wood chips and chunks, aluminum foil, and skettie sauce from a bottle, well that's your deal ... it's all good. But the story needs to be told about real Central Texas BBQ, which is done with real split oak and indirect heat in a pit. In a small pit like a 50 gallon drum, I'll make a small campfire to burn the bark off the oak and get some decent embers going, and then shovel that into the pit.

Never, ever put your brisket over a flaming fire, and forget the aluminum foil because that boils and steams the meat. After a while the brisket will seem to dry out a bit and it's time for a "mop." The old-timers used water, vinegar, oil, some Tabasco, and some more seasoning, no tomato because that burns black real quick. Come to think of it, we never turned the brisket over, just a mop on the fat cap which is always up so it can melt on the meat. Aw heck I was lectured by the good old boys, gimme a break!

Pull the brisket off when the fire is cooling and the meat has a chance to rest. That's important, since hot meat doesn't cut right and tends to be tough. Now trim off the excess fat, which is quite a bit if you have good cow. Despite having very little smoke, there should be a nice pink "smoke ring" with lots of juicy meat. That's how Kreutz, the Salt Lick, and the best in the business and tournaments do it. Contrary to popular opinion, Houston has some first class brisket, and always has. Have fun, whatever ya do, and Happy Labor Day.

[small bites]

I miss you Swells. HEB does have a lot to offer. I love HEB. But I get what you're saying as I am ALWAYS looking for a decent butcher where ever we are. I have found a few, and I even have my personal picks for what I believe are 2 of the best, both from Texas, in my contacts list on my phone (they ship). REAL butchers using local beef is hard to find. I bought nasty ground beef for steak prices here in beautiful Longview TX today at a big named store because it was the only thing available, that is where we are right now, and I didnt have any real hamburger in the freezer.Spagetti doesnt always need first class ground beef (but I could taste the difference). On another note, good sausage is even harder to find in many states, and especially Florida. Somebody needs to set up shop there and sell the heck out of real sausage.

Dang, maybe I should be that shop.

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Er , ex-Yankee , eh SWELLS. ? HAR ! You are forgiven . You can't help where you were born . But, you got here as soon as you could . I don't do brisket but I keep my eyes and ears open and what you say is correct . But many don't have the room or can spend the money for a proper BBQ pit , wood , time , and knowledge . They make do and some brisket is better than no brisket . I say we all give you the money for meat and you can smoke it for us ! HAR !

So , seriously , what BBQ places and butchers in houston would you recommend ? You mentioned two restaurants . Those would be your go to places ? Thanks for your input !

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Bellville Meat Market outside Hempstead has a wide selection of meats , jerky , cheese , BBQ sandwiches , sausages and more . The Poffenberger family are owners . He saltwater fishes by the way . Has TEXAS SALTWATER FISHERMAN magazine in the store . They have my favorite sausage , jalapeño cheese . They have a lot of others and they have it in the HEB stores . Check it out . You'll like it . They do meat processing for hunters too . They advertise on the 610 AM sports outdoors show fishing talk show with Micky Eastman .

[SUPER SPOOK]

I miss you Swells. HEB does have a lot to offer. I love HEB. But I get what you're saying as I am ALWAYS looking for a decent butcher where ever we are. I have found a few, and I even have my personal picks for what I believe are 2 of the best, both from Texas, in my contacts list on my phone (they ship). REAL butchers using local beef is hard to find. I bought nasty ground beef for steak prices here in beautiful Longview TX today at a big named store because it was the only thing available, that is where we are right now, and I didnt have any real hamburger in the freezer.Spagetti doesnt always need first class ground beef (but I could taste the difference). On another note, good sausage is even harder to find in many states, and especially Florida. Somebody needs to set up shop there and sell the heck out of real sausage.

Dang, maybe I should be that shop.

you got that right about Florida, lived there for 12 years and nobody makes sausage over there. i should have opened a shop in St. Augustine or Jacksonville, would have made a killing. every trip out there my friends beg me to bring them some. i usually take at least 50 lbs worth and they line up at whoevers house i show up at first. lol

[Swells]

Now I think about it, I moved my family just south of Tampa near Bradenton, and despite having plenty of cattle, hog, and wild pig, couldn't make a sausage for a hoot. They could cook entire 600 pound wild hog fed out on corn, and the endangered swamp cabbage was a real treat but nope, not a good sausage anywhere except what was at the Piggly Wiggly grocery store.

But them sausages are fun and it's not a big production like burning a few big ole briskets for many hours. Heat 'em up, cook 'em thorough, don't catch 'em on fire, and dig in! The jalapeno and jack cheese is very popular with the hunters but we got all kinds. Meyer's sausage company on Rt. 290 in Elgin is kind of a classic - they got the hot and cattle pen out the back door to prove it! THere's another good 'un somewhere by Brenham.

Gotta warm ya about one thing though. Had one of those red round Sportsman grills and got a good fire going, let the charcoal get white, and loaded up a couple layers of Elgin Sausage. Then, well, it was time to brink a beer and socialize with the company. Lo and behold, somebody said "Sammie you better check yer fire there hoss."

The thang was going off like an upside-down rocket, burning the leaves on a tree 25 feet up in the air! So being half full of beer and thinking we knew what to do, I went for the garden hose. I don't suppose you've ever seen a fireball before, but it's a good thing we were well back from that rascal, since this looked like an a-bomb. After putting out the grass fire and tree, there was about half a pound of pure black carbon left.

Gosh that was funny, and we all took up a collection for more beer and sausage, this time no nuclear option. Be careful with that stuff - it's fully loaded!