FOLIO
Have y’all noticed yet? Summer is here! Welcome to living a convection oven’s life! If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a nicely seasoned, properly tied roast in the middle of preparation, just step outside! Of course, we enjoy the outdoors more than the soon-to-be-my-dinner-roast enjoys its convection oven time. Now that it’s summer, we’re outdoors more, sweating more, running more, swimming more, sun-tanning (sun-burning?) more. Get outside, revel in the Florida temps! (It’s the humidity.)
And nothing else smells like summer more than a cookout! The smoky meat-sizzling aroma wafts up and down the block, making those of us you didn’t invite to your party even more hungry! For me, the year-round griller, sometimes a nice indoorsy braise hits the spot. Why? ’Cause sometimes I get a little tired of batting bugs and sweating over hot charcoal.
So what should you cook in the heat of summer? Many experts offer cold food options for hot days—watermelon salads, cooled-off pasta dishes, simple sandwiches … but where’s the fun in that? That brings us to brisket. When most folks think of brisket, it comes in two common forms: the unbelievably succulent, tender, smoky, boldly spiced Texas-style, or the more old-style, European version of the Jewish deli classic, corned beef. The foodies among you probably also grind it for burgers like every trendy restaurant that makes its own beef grinds to stand out from the other burger joints.
My favorite way to prepare brisket? Braise it with bourbon. The brisket is the breast of the cow, which means that it tends to be fatty. You can control that—trim off the fat if you want a leaner result. Otherwise, leave the fat on to get some extra-good flavor. Then braise it with bourbon.
And the best part of brisket with bourbon? First, follow the instructions in my recipe here. Then stick it in the oven and do whatever you want for three-and-a-half hours, then come back and ta-da! Ready to eat! That makes brisket-time the best summertime food of all—you can cook dinner at the same time you’re lounging poolside, building a sandcastle at the beach, going for a hot sweaty run, taking out the boat or doing any of the activities that make living in the 904 feel like we’re in a hot, sweaty version of paradise.
Chef Bill’s BRISKET RUB
Ingredients
• 1 Tbsp. Colman’s Mustard Powder
• 2 Tbsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. ground coriander
• 1 Tbsp. Spanish paprika
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
Directions
1. Trim brisket section of all excess fat.
2. Mix all ingredients.
3. Rub brisket with olive oil.
4. Sprinkle generous amount of rub all over the brisket and massage in any extra rub.
5. Let it sit overnight.
6. Braise it the next day!
Follow FOLIO!