Gilded Brisket Recipe

BBQBluesStringer

I did a brisket for some friends last night that was, frankly, the best I've ever eaten. It was butter-tender without being stringy like mom's pot roast, and the crust was to die for. Thought I would share...[p]4-lb brisket with fat cap trimmed off*
1/4" thick country bacon to cover
1/2+ cup Ken Stone's Gilded Splinters Rub[p]Rub the brisket liberally with Gilded Splinters the night before you plan to cook. Wrap in several layers of plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.[p]Load the BGE (large in my case) firebox with a full load of lump, and a couple chunks of hickory and apple. Rig for indirect cooking with a drip pan. I used an inverted plate setter with a foil pan. Fire it up and bring the temperature to 225F. Let it stabilize and develop a good bit of smoke before putting the brisket on. Unwrap the brisket and cover the fat-cap side with the country bacon. Place the brisket on the grill, bacon side up, and let it smoke until the internal temperature reaches 185-190. With my setup it took just over 7 hours. Remove the brisket and wrap tightly in foil. Insulate with a couple large towels to help hold the temperature. Let it rest for an hour or so. Remove the bacon (okay, you can eat ONE piece) and slice diagonally across the grain. Serve with Ken Stone's Big Chief sauce on the side.[p]A lot of recipes for brisket have you wrap it in foil after the smoke flavor sets, and continue cooking. This actually braises the meat, breaking down the callogen that holds the bundles of muscle fibers together. Braising is what makes a pot roast stringy, and gives it that slightly slimey mouth feel. This long, slow smoke makes a fork-tender brisket that still has a firm texture and a lot of juice, not at all like a pot roast. [p]*Heresy you say? Consider that you pay the same per pound for the fat cap as you do for the brisket. Country bacon costs less than half as much and tastes a LOT better than the beef fat.

Mac in NC

BBQBluesStringer, Stupid me type before me reread recipe. Got it, 4 lbs.