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Not a dinner pic but this weekend looks like a good Friday/Saturday combo for a first time try on a brisket, although I have so many house chores to do..
But starting a brisket Friday night and finish it off Saturday afternoon sounds like a good plan [emoji4]

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What kind of smoker do you have?
 
My brother just gave me 1/2 of a point that he had cut and cryovac'd then froze to cook another day. I'll attempt that this weekend on a weber kettle. Always nice to have something to tinker with on a Sunday, all day Sunday...I'm guessing it is in the 5 or 6 pound range.
 
My brother just gave me 1/2 of a point that he had cut and cryovac'd then froze to cook another day. I'll attempt that this weekend on a weber kettle. Always nice to have something to tinker with on a Sunday, all day Sunday...I'm guessing it is in the 5 or 6 pound range.

And the point is the best part I hear [emoji4]
 
And the point is the best part I hear [emoji4]
The flat can be really good too. It's just hard to cook a whole brisket with the flat and point together. Many position the point towards the heat source since it has so much fat and can withstand the heat better than the flat, which has much less fat. I've found my most reliable method, if doing just the flat, is to smoke cook for several hours. Once it hits the stall (if it does, depends on the rate of cooking) I take it off and wrap it in two layers of butcher paper. The rendering fat tends to soak the paper and it works as a nice guard from the higher heat and excess smoke. I go by temperature and try to hit 195*F + before I pull it and rest it, wrapped in a bath towel in one of my coolers. I let it rest until just before we eat, then slice to order. It seems to do better as a leftover (if you have any) if you keep it whole, rewarm, then slice vs. reheating sliced pieces which seem to dry out really quickly.
 
This is from a couple of days ago. I had a hankering for bucatini all'Amatriciana, so that is what we had! I had been saving the guanciale for this occasion for far too long. Paired nicely with braised lacinato kale with onions and lots of EVOO.

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Pretty sure there was a small boat load of garlic as well....... LOL

Yes indeed. Although the denizens of Amatrice insist that garlic does not belong in that dish, Romans (who have embraced the dish) feel free to add Vitamin G and other things. Amatricians only allow guanciale, onion, tomatoes, red pepper, and Pecorino; I augmented with mushrooms and garlic.
 
Back from the beach, went for a pretty easy meal with our garden stuff. Did a little caprese salad, tomatoes and basil from our garden, burrata cheese and fig balsamic vinegar glaze. Steamed zucchini from the garden with a little Tony’s, and a pork chop. Put the chops in a vacuum sealed bag with sea salt, cracked black pepper, and bit of EVOO, sous vide for 4 hours at 140, seared in a cast iron skillet with butter. Helluva meal, washed down with tea, trying to dry out after 10 days straight.......
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Even though it is June, it is barely grilling weather (except by @ceeaton 's standards). Fired up the Weber tonight (because it looks crappy for the morrow). We had corn-off-the-cob (grilled on the cob, then cut off and sauteed with butter, garlic, and cumin); broccolini (microwaved a bit, slathered with EVOO, minced garlic and thyme, then grilled to a mild char); Michigan asparagus (simply grilled with EVOO); scallions (bulbs split open, then grilled to a char with EVOO); and succulent lamb shoulder-chops-that-are-practically-rib-chops (dry-brined, flash grilled to rare, seasoned with ground coriander and fennel).
I also grilled a peach for dessert that I forgot about until just now, ~3 hours later! :slp

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Simple fare tonight. I was running way late, so I used a jar of (ulpp) canned spaghetti sauce. However, I augmented it with hot Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, marjoram, and garlic. Tossed that with angel-hair spaghetti, and covered with Grana Padano cheese. Served with a side of escarole, sauteed/braised with tons of EVOO and Vitamin G. Also had a leftover artichoke, which was boiled than grilled the other night.

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Which one is a good hardwood lump charcoal from Walmart?

Planing ahead for a brisket experiment. They have Royal brand 15.44lbs for $9.87 and another no name 30lbs for $9.88

Also, hickory chips better for brisket? I have some apple chips at home.
 
Royal Oak is the one you want.

Don't use chips, use small chunks. On beef, I like oak, pecan, and cherry.
 
I bought that 30lb Royal Oak. It works OK not huge pieces. Go with wood chunks, not chips. You have a long smoke not a quick steak to cook. I use a mixture of apple and hickory or pecan for brisket. No mesquite.
 

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