MGK's Low & Slow Beef Brisket over Coals & Smoke

We often get asked by our customers about the various methods of Smoking Meats & Cooking over Hot Coals. We thought we would share some tips on how we do our Beef Briskets. The results are amazing.

Firstly, What is Brisket. Brisket comes from the cow at the bottom of the neck and wraps around towards the front legs. It has long been considered a tough cut of meat only good for stewing however, over time with the growth of Smoking and Low & Slow Cooking Techniques has become a BBQ favorite that has an outstanding flavor and tenderness when cooked correctly.

The Briskets we purchase are around 2.5kg. If your Brisket is smaller, or larger you will need to adjust cooking times accordingly.

• Take your Brisket and trim some of the excess fat. There are many arguments about trimming or not trimming and you can skip this step entirely however, we find it better to trim a little of the thicker areas, but leave a good layer none the less.

Note - Don't panic about the amount of fat on a Brisket, it is normal. Brisket can be a tough meat so needs to render a good amount of fat during the cooking process to keep the meat moist.

• Take a jar of MGK's Mustard and cover the Brisket generously on all sides. We generally use our Honey Mustard as the Honey adds a wonderful flavor however, any of our Mustard's can be used depending on what flavor you are seeking in the end. Our Wholegrain Mustard is also awesome as the Malts from the Dark Ale combines with with Mustard add a new dimension. They can be found here in our online store.

Cover generously both sides.

Now cover the Brisket with a decent covering of MGK Meat Rubs on all sides. Any of our rubs can be applied depending on taste. We like to use the Smoked Meat Rub or the BBQ Spiced Rub.

Beef Brisket with MGK Meat Rubs

Cover the Brisket and place in the fridge overnight to allow the meat to absorb the flavors of the Mustard and the Meat Rub. This can be achieved in a few hours if needed however, we recommend overnight if possible.

Before cooking remove the brisket from the fridge and allow the meat to adjust to room temperature. It is not recommended to put any cold meat directly onto heat.

We cook our Briskets over hot coals Low & Slow. We bring our kettle to 120c and place the brisket on the cooking rack over a tray of water to keep the moisture going.

Tip - Add any liquid you like to the water tray to enhance the flavors. Beer, Wine......anything you like.

The Mop

We like to Mop our Brisket every hour or so to keep up the moisture to the meat. This step is crucial to the end result.

For our mop we use;

• 1 Teaspoon of Salt

• 1 Teaspoon Brown Sugar

• 1 Tablespoon MGK Meat Rub

• 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic

• Half a can of Beer or thereabouts. We like to use a Dark Ale to add those malts.

• 1 Tablespoon Black Pepper

• 1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

Tip - You can adjust the Mop ingredients to anything you like. There are no rules. These Mop Buckets are awesome.

MGK's Mop Bucket

Cook the Brisket for around 10 hours or until the internal temperature is 80c to 85c. This is a little higher than your normal beef temperatures as you need to render those fats we spoke about earlier.

Tip - throw some wood ships of your choice on the coals every few hours. We use Red Gum and SA Mallee to give a wonderful smokey flavor.

The Texas Cheat

For the last hour of cooking wrap your Brisket in foil and place it back in over the coals. This will seal in all the moisture you have added over the cooking time and give a finish that is unbeatable.

MGK Low & Slow Beef Brisket

Final Step - Slice, Eat and Enjoy those incredible flavors.

Juicy, Tender Flavor infused with MGK Mustard and Meat Rubs

For something different. Try your meat with Coleslaw. The freshness of the Coleslaw with the meat is incredible. We like to have the leftovers the next day on a fresh bread role with Coleslaw. Awesome!

Cheers & Enjoy MGK