Dinner: Texas-Style Smoked Brisket

Recipe by Paula Disbrowe In Texas, barbecue is about beef: specifically brisket, the cut by which any joint is judged. Brisket has become a favorite of restaurant chefs, too, hence the smoke ribbons and Hank Williams songs drifting out of restaurants as

Ingredients

1 10-12-pound whole beef brisket, fat trimmed to 1/4" thickness
1/3 cup kosher salt
1/3 cup freshly ground black pepper)

Instructions

Order the brisket You'll have to special-order your brisket ahead of time (the brisket already sold at the meat counter is typically not whole). You should be able to do this at almost any butcher shop or at a grocery store meat counter. Ask for a brisket that is as evenly thick as possible, with the surrounding fat trimmed to 1/4" thick (this protects the meat from drying out while cooking).