Friday, April 17, 2020

the brisket luncheon

Today's lunch went okay. For me, the highlight was actually the bread. Everything else, from the brisket on down to the two slaws, felt a bit lackluster. The brisket came out perfect from the oven last night, but today, the outer edges were tough and chewy, probably a function of having rested in the fridge all night. I also suspect that I could have cooked the brisket a tad longer. Still, the luncheon made for some pretty pictures. Here we go:







Not pictured: the beans! No matter; you already saw a good shot of them.

I've got some leftover slaw and bread, plus a tiny bit of meat. The bread, which still has a pleasantly yeasty smell when you sniff it up close, will disappear over the weekend. The meat, which I'm leaving in the office fridge along with the slaw, will be gone by close of business on Monday. The slaw will accompany different proteins throughout the week.



6 comments:

Charles said...

The crumb on that bread looks perfect. Well done, grasshopper.

Kevin Kim said...

Well-done grasshoppers will be my next cooking project.

motorrad said...

What's in your sauce? Is it sweet or spicy or both? I make a spicy, slightly sweet Texas style with gochujang believe it or not. Nothing beats a long slow ride in a real smoker but I used a stove top smoker when I lived in Korea and it worked better than it had a right to. I smoke my dry rubbed brisket at 200 or so for 3 hours and mop it with a beer vinegar mixture to jeep it moist. Then, wrap it in foil with 12 ounces of cheap beer and bake it for another 3 hours at 350. The 3 hours in the smoker gives it the smoke ring and flavor then the oven braising keeps it moist.

Kevin Kim said...

Sounds like a great method to create a tender brisket.

My sauce started off as a recipe that was way heavy on ketchup. I wasn't satisfied with that, so I amped up the smokiness by adding a bit of liquid smoke, some chipotle powder, some cumin, and some molasses.

Does an in-house smoker produce a lot of ambient smoke? I don't want to trip any fire alarms, and my kitchenette's fan isn't very powerful.

motorrad said...

About as much as smoking a cigarette. I've got molasses in mine as well. No vinegar, but line juice for some tartness. Damn, now I'm going to have to take a weekend and make one myself.

Kevin Kim said...

Send pics! (Please.)