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Pre-July 4th Party - Brisket and Pulled Chicken

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FearlessGrill
FearlessGrill Posts: 695
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Our town holds an independence day celebration the weekend before the 4th, and does a pretty good fireworks show over the lake in our backyard. We had a bunch of people over yesterday to watch.

We made a ton of food. I did a brisket overnight, took it out and rested in a cooler right as the guests were arriving, threw in the adjustable rig and 4 chickens, and made up a pile of my pulled chicken with lemon sauce.

Unfortunately, my butcher had either a 10lb packer (hadn't ever seen a whole brisket that small before) or a 16lb monster. I went with the 10 pounder, and I barely even got to eat any it disappeared so fast. I've been on an Adam Perry Lang kick recently, and used his seasoning for the brisket, though I didn't do his whole prep method, as it involved foiling for a while. The seasoning consisted of a paste made from mustard, concentrated beef bullion paste, and ancho chile powder, with a sugarless rub put over it. It gave a nice bark, and my guests loved the flavor.

Here's the brisket being sliced shortly before being devoured.
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This was my first time using the AR to do a large cook. 4 5lb spatchcocked birds fit in just fine on two levels and cooked up nicely. Once they were done, I pulled the meat, and served as pulled chicken sandwiches with a lemon-based sauce. The recipe for the sauce is on our blog at http://www.fearlesskitchen.com/2010/01/recipe-pulled-bbq-chicken-with-lemon-sunshine-sauce-guest-post-from-fearless-grill.html

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-John
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Comments

  • thechief96
    thechief96 Posts: 1,908
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    The food looks fantastic. A brisket is on my to do list. I know it can be a challenge,but life is to have fun right? ;)
    Dave San Jose, CA The Duke of Loney
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  • h20egg
    h20egg Posts: 168
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    Hmmm. Pulled chicken. I like that idea. Around here the wife and mother-in-law like the white meat. So I end up with the dark. Quantities work out about right, a large bird does two meals for us split up that way. I'm ambivalent but do enjoy a bit of white meat. I'm also convinced that those who prefer white meat are really missing something, having developed a preference early on out of appearance and ease of eating. I may try this, mix it all up and see what kind of reception it gets. Little sauce to liven it up. They're actually pretty easy to please; I think if they tried it pulled and mixed this way it'd get a thumbs up.
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  • FearlessGrill
    FearlessGrill Posts: 695
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    Give it a try. I was screwing around one day and came up with this recipe. It's become one of my signature dishes, and it's really easy and quick to make. My wife developed a pork allergy while she was pregnant, so we do this one instead of pulled pork a lot.

    -John
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  • FearlessGrill
    FearlessGrill Posts: 695
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    Definitely give a brisket a try. I don't think they're really all that hard to do. Get your temp stable, put it in, and let it ride. I don't baste or do anything else to it while it's cooking. Once the temp gets up to 190ish, test for doneness with a fork or your thermometer. When it's ready, which could be anywhere from 190 to 205ish, your probe will slide in and out with no resistance at all. Pull it out and let it rest for a while at that point, then slice across the grain and serve.

    For me, the hardest part is just finding a decent brisket around here. Most stores, if they have any at all, just have little 3 lb flats.

    -John
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  • cookn biker
    cookn biker Posts: 13,407
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    Food looks wonderful!! That's great that your community does that!
    Molly
    Colorado Springs
    "Loney Queen"
    "Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."
    Bill Bradley; American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
    LBGE, MBGE, SBGE , MiniBGE and a Mini Mini BGE
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  • h20egg
    h20egg Posts: 168
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    Ditto that. My first and only was good, tender, but a little dry. To which I'll partly attribute that it was only a 4.5# flat. Butcher at Fresh Market said no longer carry packers. So I doubt I can find a packer or decent sized flat since I've never seen them in the store. Could ask at Harris Teeter, but I've never seen any big ones out and I doubt they're hoarding them in back or cutting them up into little flats!
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  • FearlessGrill
    FearlessGrill Posts: 695
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    My wife says Whole Foods will order a packer, but their prices are frankly ridiculous. I think they wanted $5 something per lb when we checked with them. The independent butcher I get mine from had it for $2.69. I guess if it's your only option, it may be worth it.

    -John
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  • FearlessGrill
    FearlessGrill Posts: 695
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    Yeah, it's a lot of fun. All the families that live on the lake have huge parties, and they do a big to-do at the high school for folks that don't live on the lake. Also do a big parade which our baby daughter got a big kick out of, though the dog protected her from the politician who tried to kiss her. :)

    -John
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  • thechief96
    thechief96 Posts: 1,908
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    If you have a smart and final you can go there. They have packers there.
    Dave San Jose, CA The Duke of Loney
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