Confession No. 43 – Cheating isn’t always a bad thing, as it turns out
It seems no one likes a cheater. Or do they?
I’ve been cheated at blackjack, poker, pinochle, cribbage, Monopoly, Battleship, Chutes & Ladders and Life (the game); cheated out of the Little League Baseball trophy; and cheated on by my 9th grade girlfriend.
With the exception of James Bond taking the blood-weeping Le Chiffre for a multi-million dollar ride, I’ve always looked down my nose at con artists, hoodwinkers and bamboozlers of any type.
Until recently.
A few years ago, at my father’s home, I smelled beef and smoke. A brisket — slow cooking over hickory.
‘You smoking a brisket?’ I asked.
‘Yeah. For about 45 minutes,’ Dad responded.
‘Well, it smells good. Another 12 hours and y’all will be eating good.’
As it turned out, the brisket I smelled was in the oven. Dad put it on the smoker for a little less than an hour and finished it off indoors. I was disappointed in him. This was the man who taught me the rules of slow-cooking over a smoker. Now, all-of-a-sudden, he was in Betty Crocker’s court.
‘Dad. Are you seriously cooking a brisket in the oven?’ I asked, hoping against hope that he would tell me otherwise.
‘Yeah. Why not?’ he responded.
I’d spent dozens of efforts trying to perfect the slow-cooked, smoked brisket. I set my alarm countless times for 2 a.m. — to stoke the fire and add a couple of chunks of oak or pecan. My smoked briskets were always the subject of compliments. I owed all the credit to my father. And now he’d desecrated the craft.
A few years later, I learned that my favorite local barbecue joint was also cheating. This was the same place I recommended for consideration in Texas Monthly magazine’s annual BBQ issue during a conversation with one of their editors. Despite that a cord of wood adorns the front sidewalk, these so-called pitmasters use a large rotisserie-type oven (to cook several briskets at once) after parboiling the meat. And yes … my local joint made the publication’s best-of list.
As it turns out, timers, electricity, shrink-wrap and freezers are commonly used in barbecue establishments. But they wouldn’t find their way to my pit … until recently.
My own affair with modern amenities
I have a large custom barbecue pit with an offset wood box and a grate large enough to hold three large briskets. It was a housewarming gift from my godmother several years ago and required a tractor and a winch to get it into my backyard. Fortunately, I also have three pecan trees on the property — all of which drop limbs. (Pecan is among the best hardwoods for slow-smoking meats.) Over a 24 hour period, a lot of smoke crawls through the pipes that lead from the firebox to the cooking chamber. Like a fireplace, though, the smoker should be serviced once in a while.
I came to this realization after a 24-hour smoke. The 15-lb. brisket had been dry-rubbed and was going to be our dinner that Saturday, with a week’s worth of sandwiches to follow. The coffee-hued crust was so beautifully crunchy, I had to slice into it immediately and sample the goodness.
It was rare.
Brisket is somewhat of an anomaly. It’s one of the toughest cuts and truly requires slow cooking to become tender. But the consistency of the perfectly cooked brisket goes beyond that, with a slightly chewy snap that you don’t get with other tough cuts that have been slow-cooked. Still, no matter how long it sits in a clogged up smoker, the low heat is not enough to bring out the meat’s best qualities — or even cook it.
‘Why don’t you just put it in the oven at 200 degrees?’ my wife said. ‘We’ll grab a sack of burgers tonight and we can have the brisket tomorrow.’
‘Y’all might do it that way in New Jersey, but I can’t do that,’ I responded. ‘This is going back to the pit.’
‘Do what you want Adam, but it’s been on the pit since yesterday. ‘
Catherine was right. I’d need to allow the smoker to cool and clear the lines. I couldn’t do this in a reasonable time frame. So I went against everything I stood for (at the time) and put the brisket in the oven.
Remember when the Fonz was trying to deliver an apology? He kept saying ‘I’m s- ss- sss-’ because he couldn’t get the words out. This is how I felt that day — until the brisket came out of the oven hours later.
Eureka!
The half-smoked/half-baked brisket had all the flavor of being slow-smoked, with a consistency better than anything I’d ever achieved with fire alone. The meat — tender, with a perfect snap. The flavor — deep, as a ‘smoked’ brisket should be.
So would I reveal my secret?
Until now, no. And also — up to this moment — I haven’t put my cards on the table about my par-fried meat for stir fry (learned in a cooking class taught by Martin Yan); my ‘tenderized’ ground meat for Bolognese sauce (found in a cookbook by Marcella Hazan); or my ‘seared’ (and beautifully browned) scallops, a method I learned on America’s Test Kitchen. (Yes. I occasionally watch PBS.)
As it turns out, cheating is not always a bad thing. In fact, it can be pretty tasty.
Cheat alert: I use instant potatoes here to impart flavor into every bite. So far, no complaints. The Carnival Corn is a method used by my Scoutmaster and friend, Joe Smitherman. I first had this recipe on a Boy Scout camping trip when I was about 13. It’s still one of my favorites.
Potato Salad — BBQ Joint style
My version of potato salad is not exactly the same color (yellow) as you’d get at your everyday southern family reunion. It’s better. (Just don’t tell Grandma that I made that claim.)
3 lbs. – Yellow potatoes
1½ cups – Mayonnaise
1 cup – Dill pickle juice
1 Tablespoon – Prepared yellow mustard
2 Tablespoons – Dried celery seed
1/3 cup – Jarred roasted red (sweet) pepper, chopped
½ cup – Dried potato flakes
½ cup – water
Slice potatoes in 1-inch cubes, boil until tender in salted water. Drain. Rinse with cold water until potatoes are cool.
Mix mayonnaise, ½ cup of pickle juice, mustard, celery seed and chopped red pepper. Set aside.
Mix potato flakes, water and remaining ½ cup pickle juice. Cook in microwave for about one minute. Allow to cool.
Mix about 1/3 of mayonnaise mixture with dried potato mixture in large bowl. The consistency should be like paste. Add cooled cooked potatoes and remaining mayonnaise mixture and combine. Cool for 3-4 hours, covered.
Season with salt and pepper, as desired.
Carnival Corn
Dress it up any way you like it. This grilled corn gets there for the cash.
Fresh corn, in husks
oil (spray)
Lemon pepper
Butter
Salt & pepper, as desired
Peel corn and remove silks. Soak in water for at least an hour.
Spray or rub corn with oil. Sprinkle liberally with lemon pepper. Place husk back into place, covering corn completely.
Grill over medium heat for 15 minutes, or so, turning frequently. Husks should be browned and somewhat charred on the tips.
Butter and season. Enjoy.
I read this while eating a crummy bowl of breakfast cereal. Now I’m REALLY hungry!
I’m thinking that a blog about cereal is in my future. My family (minus me) consumes a truckload of the stuff every month. I don’t get it.
I only eat it at my desk at work. If I didn’t, I’d never touch the stuff. I’d much prefer a bagel, a pastry or a muffin, but I’d weigh about as much as a Buick if I ate those guilty pleasures daily. Cereal is fast, relatively cheap and low cal if you avoid chowing down the sugar bomb variety by the truckload.
True on all counts, except for the Buick part, which I’m steering clear of.
I wish I liked cereal. I do enjoy oatmeal. But I tend to go in the direction of hot link-stuffed Kolaches, bacon, egg and cheese on an everything bagel, deep fried apple cider doughnuts and the obligatory biscuits and sausage gravy.
I think I turned into at least a Buick Opel (remember that one from back on the day?) just from reading that list Adam!
LOL..
I have to admit that this is an area in which I’ve tended towards the black and white approach. Grill shall never, not ever be combined with an inside appliance. Life is rarely ever back or white though, is it. There are so many beautiful shades of gray.
I’m loving the look of that corn the most, truth be told. Lemon pepper on it sound divine. Enjoy today!
Mom Chef – I’ve yet to combine the grill with inside appliances, and I plan to hold my ground there. After all, what would be the need? Unless your charcoal is cold ash, or the propane is all gone..
So what was wrong with your smoker? How did it get clogged?
I’ll admit, there was a time or two before I got my Egg, that late, late into the night, after two many bourbons and/or beers, I didn’t feel like tending the fire in my old offset and the brisket or butt got foiled, a temperature probe with an alarm got stuck in it and it went in the oven while I passed out on the couch.
But now with the Egg, meat goes on around 10ish, pit controller is set and I go to bed at a decent hour and am well rested for the fiesta the next day. Almost like cheating.
It was clogged in much the same way that a fireplace gets clogged — with creosote buildup. Keep in mind that this is not an ‘open’ smoker, rather the heat is indirect. The smoke and heat travel through two pipes from the box to the grate. I think I posted a photo on my Facebook page several weeks ago of this bad boy in action. — And, as your friend, I have to clarify for you. If your cooking as a ‘controller’ that you ‘set,’ — it’s cheating.
I think you should post up a picture of it in action for your next blog, but I’ll go dig through your FB page.
Call it cheating if you will. I call it taking advantage of technology and getting a good nights sleep. You’re just jealous that you don’t have one.
True, Jason. I would have been especially jealous on the night of my drunken rant — when the brisket was rare ad I fought against using technology and common sense. I (no longer) have the issues with cheating that I had back in my days of being an idealist.
i love cue, especially good cue. I think anyone who has slow smoked meats before has had the occasion to finish the meat in the oven. Loved your post.
I first did the smoke-bake a couple years ago when a friend smoked a Boston Butt and gave us half of it (it was too much for just he and his wife) but it wasn’t cooked all the way through. I think it may have been partially frozen when he started smoking it. In any case, we didn’t have a smoker at the time, so I finished it off in the kitchen. It was great!!!! We now have a smoker, but sometimes the weather isn’t cooperative, and being able to finish things off inside is a blessing.
Oh, and that corn looks amazing!!! I haven’t had grilled corn in forever! I know what I need to make soon!
Thank you, Conni. I guess I was way behind the curve on this one. …Story of my life.
I learned to cheat (while cooking) with pork ribs and they are awesome, if I do say so myself. Need to try your dad’s brisket method…
How’d you cheat with the pork ribs? Did you boil them?
I can’t giveaway all my secrets..just kidding:)
After a nice rub I cook them in the oven on a rack with liquid in the bottom of the pan (like apple juice, or beer or ?) plus something called Liquid Smoke. Just a touch. I roast low and slow at 220 degrees. I cook them off on the grill with real wood chips and add some sauce. I prefer real smoking but do not have a smoker at present – would love a big green egg!
You need to visit my friend Jason at griffinsgrub.wordpress.com. As you might have noticed from the earlier comments, he likes his Big Green Egg so much, that he’d probably marry it if he could. But seriously, he and his Egg produce some awesome-looking food.
I am a brisket snob…But, I too have cheated a few times. I cook mine at 250* for 6 hours, wrapped tightly in foil with dry rub and a can of coke. Then finish it off over a hot grill, brushing with a vinegar/butter/seasoning mixture, to give me the burnt ends that I love so much…
Okay, Christine. That is beyond cheating. Your brisket never even sees a smoker? We seriously need to have a brisket cookoff — you, Jason and me. He thinks the Big Green Egg is the best thing since the invention of fire; you use soda pop with a finish of butter; I’m just old school. I’m throwing down the gastronomical gauntlet. All we need are some (sober) judges and a place.
I’m in, but as Christine said, “Where would we find sober judges?”
Funny, it was hard for me too, but we smoke for a few hours and finish in the oven- both pork shoulder and brisket. It is simply more predictable.. Great post, the truth will set you free…;-)
Thanks, Stewart. The truth (generally) sets you free … unless the cook has an attitude problem and the taste-tester just told him “these aren’t the best I’ve ever had, but they’re good.”
My kids (no filter) tell me that all the time…
Kids.. Rasha frasha rasha.. (cartoon swearing)
Sober judges? Where would we find such a thing?
When I am serious, I smoke em for 12 hours over mesquite–I’m not a total Betty Crocker…
True, Christine. Also, I want to talk to you about mesquite some day.
I have a smoker, that I am deathly afraid of. The first time I used it, I smoked salmon. It turned into salmon jerky.
Since that time, no smoking here.
Also, sometimes I cheat when I’m playing games with the kids I work with…to make the games end faster. That’s right. I beat those kids on purpose. Not ALL the time, but occasionally.
Good for you, Jen! Kids should learn how to lose. Seriously. But you have to cheat them to get there? Okay. About the smoker… We need to talk. You and your family are missing out.
We need to have an intervention. And an instructional lesson.
For me personally, smoking for a few hours then finishing in the oven is the only way I achieve success with my brisket. However, with my ribs, I will cheat only when the weather won’t cooperate.
I’ve yet to have to cheat with ribs. Speaking of that, I’ve never understood why some folks boil them first. Have they taken a queue from my local BBQ joint?
Let’s experiment (or we could just burn the cash that we would have paid for the ribs)
Because they like rib flavored water.
A brave man admits his so-called shortcomings. If it tastes good and pleases your audience, I say bake away, my friend.
funny story, although if it successful is it a cheat? thanks for checking out my blog
I define a cheat as billing it as one thing, when it’s really not. A brisket that has been smoked briefly, then baked for hours upon hours is cheating. It’s OK though. I’m a cheater.
I’ve never attempted brisket before, and I’m not sure i would have the patience to smoke anything for any length of time…hehe, must be my ADHD. Your potato salad looks delicious! A definite ‘must try’ for a potato lover like me! Great blog! Found your FB page and liked it.
I’m not an expert cook, but I hope to learn something from your confessions!
Thank you for following my blog, Celegia
Thank you, Celeste. I’m not an expert cook either. But I make a mean bologna sandwich! I’m glad you visited here.
I may have to get my hubby a smoker for Father’s Day. I think you’ve sold me
Liz – You might want to talk to Jason at Griffin’s Grub. He loves his Big Green Egg.
That corn on the cob is making me salivate!!
Thank you, Kale! If the corn makes you salivate, just imagine what sour pickles would do! Ahh! You salivated at the mere mention. Yes?
I’m aiming to try grilling corn this summer– your recipe looks like a good way to start! Also, thanks for following my blog!
Hmm….I want the brisket recipe. Send it along please to Tales from my Plate! I’ve been dying to try and smoke something. There is an American fellow in my neighbourhood in Amsterdam that owns a smokehouse. No brisket on offer mostly fish but I am thinking of asking him to smoke be a brisket for a party on July 1. Perhaps you can convince me otherwise…great writing style by the way
Audrey – It’s more of a technique, but I’ll send it along. Thanks for your kind words.
I love all grilled corn… looks tasty
I love this story and couldn’t agree more. After years of trying to perfect the perfectly smoke brisket. I follow my mom’s oven recipe with a bottle of Claude Sauce.