The Brisket Chronicles

Sometimes, less is more. Sometimes, more is more. Consider these bacon-grilled brisket bites. You start with luscious smoky brisket, which you cook a second time, wrapped in bacon, sizzled on the grill. Think crisp crust, beefy richness, and the smoky goodness of bacon. Think of a finger food so wantonly delectable that eating just one would be inconceivable. To give credit where due, the idea for bacon-grilled brisket bites comes from Shawn Henry of the Missouri barbecue team Smoking and Drinking BBQ. I’ll take responsibility for stoking the fire with jalapeños.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound unsliced barbecued brisket (see here)

3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced crosswise (leave the seeds in for spicier bites)

1 bunch cilantro, stemmed (optional)

1 pound artisanal thin-cut bacon, such as Nueske’s, each strip cut crosswise in half

Vegetable oil, for oiling the grill grate

Cilantro Lime Sauce (recipe follows)

1. Cut the brisket into ¾-inch cubes. Place a jalapeño slice and a cilantro sprig on top of each. Wrap each cube in bacon, securing it to the brisket with toothpicks.

2. Set up your grill for direct grilling (see here) and heat it to medium-high. Brush and scrape the grill grate clean and oil it well.

3. Arrange the brisket bites on the grill and grill until sizzling and browned on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes, or as needed.

4. Serve with the Cilantro Lime Sauce for dipping. Remind people to remove the toothpicks.

This piquant cream sauce roars with the southwestern flavors of cilantro, cumin, and lime. Cholula would make an appropriate hot sauce.

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup sour cream

¾ cup mayonnaise (preferably Hellmann’s or Best Foods)

⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1 to 2 teaspoons your favorite hot sauce (optional)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the ingredients in a serving bowl and whisk to mix. Cover and refrigerate if not using immediately.

The sauce will keep, in a sealed container in the refrigerator, for at least 3 days.

YOU’LL ALSO NEED: A rimmed sheet pan with wire rack; 2 hardwood chunks or 1½ cups chips (if using the latter, soak in water to cover for 30 minutes, then drain)

WHAT ELSE: If you’re reading this book, chances are you’ve smoked a brisket or two already. So you probably have some leftover brisket in your refrigerator or freezer. (It’s magical stuff—next time, smoke some extra.) Many people like to cook poppers in the smoker, but I like the fresh jalapeño crunch you get from smoke-roasting (indirect grilling) the poppers at a higher heat.

The Jalapeño Popper burst onto the American food scene in 1992 (the year Anchor Food Products trademarked the term), but I suspect Texans have been stuffing and deep-frying or smoking jalapeños much longer. Start with grated cheese and you wind up with a respectable popper. Add meaty shreds of smoked brisket—appropriately seasoned with cilantro and scallions—and you get poppers that redefine the genre.

INGREDIENTS

12 large jalapeños

12 ounces barbecued brisket (see here), shredded or finely chopped

12 ounces coarsely grated pepper Jack cheese

¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

¼ cup thinly sliced scallion greens

½ cup mayonnaise (preferably Hellmann’s or Best Foods)

1. Cut each jalapeño in half lengthwise leaving the stem intact. Scrape out the seeds and veins with a small spoon (a grapefruit spoon or melon baller works well). Arrange the jalapeño halves on a wire rack set over a rimmed sheet pan. (Line the pan with aluminum foil for easier clean-up.)

2. Make the filling: Place the brisket, cheese, cilantro, and scallions in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Stir in the mayonnaise. Spoon the filling into the jalapeño halves, mounding it toward the center.

3. Meanwhile, set up your grill for indirect grilling (see here) and heat to medium-high.

4. Place the wire rack with the poppers directly on the grill grate over the drip pan and away from the heat. Add the wood to the coals or to your gas grill’s smoker box.

5. Smoke-roast the poppers until the filling is sizzling and browned and the jalapeños are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

WHAT ELSE: The chef of the EastSide Tavern in Austin, Texas, fries his potatoes twice—first to cook them through, then to crisp the tots. I always try to keep frying to a minimum, so I call for first boiling the spuds here. But fry them if you prefer. Likewise, the chef forces the mixture through a churros mold, which gives them a handsome ridged finish. It’s even simpler to roll and cut them as you would gnocchi.

This may be a book on brisket, but never let it be said that I don’t encourage you to eat your vegetables. The vegetable in question here is potato, which the owners of the EastSide Tavern in Austin transform into their take on Tater Tots. This being Texas, these are no ordinary tots: They come enriched with smoky bits of brisket, which EastSide cooks in a custom pit fashioned from a 1,500-pound propane tank. Serve with Chipotle Mayonnaise and you’ve got a starter or side dish that will have people clamoring for more.

INGREDIENTS

2½ pounds baking potatoes (3 to 4 potatoes), scrubbed and unpeeled

Sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra as needed

2 tablespoons potato starch, plus extra for dusting your work surface

1 large egg (preferably farm-fresh and organic), beaten with a fork

2 cups finely diced or chopped barbecued brisket (about ½ pound; see here)

2 cups coarsely grated cheddar cheese

2 scallions, trimmed, white part minced, green part thinly sliced on a sharp diagonal and set aside for garnish (optional)

About 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying

1 cup Chipotle Mayonnaise

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot with 1 teaspoon salt and water to cover by a depth of 3 inches. Briskly simmer the potatoes over medium-high heat until just tender when pierced with a bamboo skewer, 12 to 18 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander. When cool enough to handle, slip off and discard the skins.

2. Grate the potatoes on the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl. (Alternatively, use a food processor fitted with a grating disk. Do not use a chopping blade.)

3. Sprinkle the potatoes with 1½ teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 2 tablespoons potato starch. Gently fold to mix. Fold in the beaten egg, brisket, cheese, and scallion whites (be careful not to over-fold or the tots will be gummy). Correct the seasoning, adding salt and/or pepper to taste.

4. Form the tots as you would gnocchi. That is, lightly dust your work surface with potato starch. Take a 4-ounce piece of the potato mixture (about the size of a lemon) and roll it into a rope about 12 inches long and ½ inch thick. Cut it crosswise into 1½-inch pieces. Continue rolling and cutting the potato mixture until all is used up. The tots can be formed several hours ahead and stored in the refrigerator on a sheet pan lined and covered with plastic wrap.

5. Just before serving, pour oil into a deep frying pan or heavy-bottomed pot to a depth of 2 inches and heat over medium-high heat. Fry the tots in batches (don’t crowd the pan) until golden brown on all sides, turning with a skimmer or slotted spoon, 4 to 6 minutes in all. Transfer the tots to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Continue frying until all the potato mixture is used up.

6. Sprinkle the tots with the scallion greens, if using, and serve immediately, with a bowl of Chipotle Mayonnaise on the side for dipping.

YOU’LL ALSO NEED: A rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment paper; a griddle, skillet, or plancha with a grill press or a contact grill, sandwich grill, or panini press

WHAT ELSE: You’ll need to know about one special ingredient: tofu skins, aka bean curd skins, aka yuba or abura age—papery skins that form when you simmer soybeans to make soy milk. The skins make natural pockets for stuffing with cheese and brisket. Look for tofu skins at Asian markets. You want the kind that come in small rectangles for stuffing.

Leave it to Tako Matsumoto to come up with brisket “hot pockets.” Born in Japan and raised in Texas, the chef-owner of Kemuri Tatsu-ya in Austin, Texas, gleefully merges izakaya (Japanese pub) fare with traditional Hill Country barbecue. The pockets in question are tofu skins, and he fills them with barbecued brisket and smoky cheese. A quick sizzle in a contact grill or panini press makes them crisp on the outside, gooey-cheesy inside, with a rich, smoky beef flavor that doesn’t quit.

INGREDIENTS

6 ounces smoked Gouda or other smoked cheese, shredded

6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (Tako likes the Tillamook brand)

½ pound barbecued brisket (see here), shredded or finely chopped (about 2 cups)

18 tofu skin pockets (see What Else)

1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter

2. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper. Open the tofu skin pockets one by one and spoon a tablespoon or two of the brisket-cheese mixture into each; transfer them to the prepared pan. The skins can be stuffed several hours ahead, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated.

3. Just before serving, heat a griddle, skillet, or plancha over medium-high heat. Add the oil or butter and heat it as well. Add the stuffed pockets in batches and cook, turning once, until sizzling and lightly browned on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Alternatively, use a contact grill or panini press, in which case brush the outsides of the pockets with the oil or melted butter and cook for 2 to 4 minutes. Serve at once, hot off the griddle. I dare you to eat just one.

YOU’LL ALSO NEED: A deep saucepan; a deep-fry thermometer (optional); a slotted spoon or skimmer

WHAT ELSE: Fish sauce is a malodorous condiment made from fermented anchovies. Look for it in the Asian foods section of your local supermarket.

This aromatic salad pinballs that traditional Vietnamese quintet of flavors—salty fish sauce, sour lime juice, sweet sugar, pungent garlic, and fiery chiles—with crispy, meaty shreds of smoky brisket and fresh mint, cilantro, and other fragrant herbs. It’s the perfect way to enjoy brisket on a hot day.

INGREDIENTS

For the dressing

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons sugar, plus extra as needed

5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, plus extra as needed

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce, plus extra as needed

2 tablespoons cold water

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the salad

1 cup vegetable oil, or as needed, for frying

½ pound barbecued brisket (see here), torn into slender shreds

1 seedless cucumber (such as Persian), cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices

2 serrano chiles (preferably red), or to taste, stemmed and thinly sliced crosswise

2 scallions, trimmed, white and green parts thinly sliced on a sharp diagonal

2 cups stemmed mixed fresh herbs, including cilantro, Thai or conventional basil, and fresh peppermint or spearmint (at least two, ideally all three)

3 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts

1. Place the garlic and 1 teaspoon of the sugar in a small mixing bowl and mash to a paste with the back of a spoon. Add the remaining sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, cold water, and pepper, and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Correct the seasoning, adding lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar to taste. The dressing should be highly seasoned. The dressing can be made ahead and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour until serving (longer than that and the garlic tends to take over).

2. Just before serving, line a plate with paper towels. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan or wok to 350°F. Working in batches, deep-fry the shredded brisket until sizzling and crisp, 2 minutes. Transfer the brisket with a slotted spoon to the prepared plate to drain.

3. Pour the dressing into a large serving bowl. Stir in the fried brisket shreds. Add the cucumber, chiles, scallions, and herbs. Toss to mix. Sprinkle with the peanuts and serve.

TWO CRISPY ASIAN-FLAVOR BRISKET SALADS

Deep-frying is one of the less familiar ways to cook brisket, but it’s definitely one of my favorites (see Vaca Frita. I love how the meat acquires a crackling crispness—without losing its soulful smoke flavor. To balance the fat, I like to pair it with cucumbers or other crisp vegetables and tons of aromatic fresh herbs. On these pages I offer two versions—one that riffs on a popular Vietnamese salad, the other with a Singapore-inspired tamarind-based sweet-and-sour dressing. (Tip o’ the hat to San Antonio restaurateur Jason Dady for the latter. More on Jason here.) I think of these as salads you eat as finger food, or appetizers you can eat with chopsticks.

YOU’LL ALSO NEED: A deep saucepan; a deep-fry thermometer (optional); a slotted spoon or skimmer

What Else: Tamarind is a fruit pod that tastes sweet, sour, fruity, and smoky all at once. Look for frozen puree (the easiest form to use) at Asian or Latino markets. To make your own, peel 1 pound of fresh tamarind pods. Place the pulp (seeds and all) in a blender with 2 cups of boiling water. Blend at low speed to obtain a brown puree. Strain it and you’re in business.

Tamarind makes this salad tart, while hoisin sauce makes it sweet and aromatic, with soy sauce providing the requisite umami flavors and salt. Brisket and pineapple may seem like an odd couple; they’re not. Jalapeños crank up the heat; toasted cashews provide the crunch.

INGREDIENTS

For the dressing

¼ cup tamarind puree

2 tablespoons soy sauce, plus extra as needed

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons sugar, plus extra as needed

For the salad

1 cup vegetable oil

½ pound barbecued brisket (see here), torn into slender shreds

1 seedless cucumber (such as Persian), halved, seeded, and cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices

1 cup diced pineapple (cut into ½-inch cubes)

2 jalapeños, stemmed and thinly sliced crosswise

2 scallions, trimmed, white and green parts thinly sliced on a sharp diagonal

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

3 tablespoons chopped, toasted cashews (see What Else), for serving

1. Combine the tamarind puree, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sugar in a large bowl and whisk to mix. If too thick, add a spoonful or two of water. Correct the seasoning—the dressing should be sweet, sour, and salty. The dressing can be made 1 hour ahead and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

2. Line a plate with paper towels. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan or wok to 350°F. Working in batches, deep-fry the brisket until sizzling and crisp, 2 minutes. Transfer the brisket with a slotted spoon to the prepared plate to drain.

3. Stir the fried brisket into the dressing. Add the cucumber, pineapple, jalapeños, scallions, and cilantro. Toss to mix. Sprinkle with the cashews and serve.