One of the most challenging meats to smoke is brisket, but the use of a Saffire ceramic smoker makes all the difference. As a BBQ Smoker the Saffire provides the ideal setting for achieving those low and even temperatures that are needed to prepare the perfect brisket. When coupled with natural lump charcoal, you’ve got a winning recipe. You’ll only need one load of charcoal to cook your brisket in a Saffire as it will use less than half as much as a typical steel smoker.
Don’t forget to use the Smokin’ Chip Feeder so when you’re ready to add wood chips for smoking you don’t have to open the grill and interrupt the cooking cycle. It will also keep your hands away from the flame and wood chips out of your food. Since the Saffire requires so little air flow to the charcoal you don’t even have to soak your wood chips in water before feeding them onto the charcoal. There’s just not enough air available for them to catch fire and burn up the smoke. So, fire up your Saffire and try this tasty rub recipe for your brisket:
Dry Rub for Brisket
This makes enough for a flat-cut brisket (around 3 pounds). Make sure there is ¼ to ½ inch of fat on the top side of the brisket; this will ensure juicy results.
Ingredients:
5 T sweet paprika
2 T onion powder
2 T garlic powder
4 T brown sugar
4 T natural sugar
2 T smoked salt
2 T chipotle powder
1 T fresh cracked black pepper
Prep:
- Remove excess fat, but keep the majority
- Thoroughly rub the spices into the meat
- Place in a plastic bag and refrigerate overnight (not essential)
Method:
- Prepare your Saffire Grill and Smoker. Pour lump charcoal into the grill up to the top of the firebox (lower of the two interior ceramic pieces); light.
- Get the temp. up to 200-250° F – no higher.
- Set the ceramic heat deflector in place for indirect cooking.
- Get a pan for the drippings. I use a disposable one that is the same length as the brisket. You can use foil as an alternative. Fold up the edges to hold in the juice.
- Place the pan or foil on the ceramic heat deflector.
- Put the cooking grid elevator in place and the cooking grid on top.
- Place the meat on the grid and smoke for six to eight hours.
The internal temp. should be 190-200 degrees. It should be tender.
Optional:
Halfway through the cooking process you can mop the brisket with your favorite BBQ sauce. Wrap it in plastic wrap. Then use aluminum foil and make a large pouch to place the brisket in and wrap it. Place the pouch of brisket back into the smoker and let it finish cooking.
This optional method is especially good to use with a regular smoker to keep the meat from drying out. In a Saffire Smoker there is much less air flow to dry the meat out so wrapping the meat is not necessary. Experiment to see what you like.
- Take the brisket off the grill and let it rest for at least 30 minutes or more. This redistributes the juices throughout the meat.
- Slice and serve!
