It’s funny how writing has lent itself so therapeutically to me in my aging years. There have certainly been times during which I drone as I suffer from inescapable writer’s block, and there are a few occasions on which I’ve had to take a week or two off to gather my thoughts.
But one thing has remained constant; my desire to put into words precisely what it is that I get out of food. Whether it’s an epiphany as to when I decided to a chef, or a fleeting moment in which I can literally smell and taste a dinner that I ate in Napa Valley nine years ago, food transports me much in the way that nature intended.
I was in the kitchen last week and found myself staring at a beautiful, full brisket. Consciously, I wasn’t thinking about anything, but then I realized that I was reminiscing about a trip made to Kansas City a few years ago. The trip was five days of “meat sweats,” during which we ate steak, crispy duck, bone marrow, burgers cooked in duck fat, burgers cooked in lard, fries cooked in both, and hefty house-baked rolls. Salads were a passing side-thought.
It was a trip with culinary ramifications that will doubtless never be countered, in that I was able to experience something of true lore; burnt ends. When we cook a brisket, or more to the point, when Oklahoma Joe’s smokes a brisket, they nudge the meat with 19 hours of smoke in their secret blend of woods.
Some of the brisket is removed at the 13-hour mark, but the top chunk of meat is smoked for another six hours to give us the smoky black chunks of meat that act as delivery vehicles for the assorted sauces that come in beer six-packs on the table. The burnt ends are considered a great delicacy in this gas station-turned-barbecue mecca.
Looking around the dining room at Oklahoma Joe’s, one can hardly help but notice the champion banners from barbecue competitions going back 20-plus years. Knowing that they have multiple, 500-pound smokers in the basement of the station only helps to resonate one’s admiration for this true king of the barbecue.
What I found, and still find, so alluring about burnt ends is the crisp crust of the meat, that borders on burnt without actually tasting of it, surrounding the moist and succulent meat on the interior. The crust accepts any of the sauces on your table with great aplomb, and you will hardly find a better food pairing. At least, I know that I haven’t in my many years of travel.
To emulate this great dish, one can be a purist and stoke a wood fire for 19 hours, or one can be a pragmatist such as myself and use an electric (gasp) smoker. I’m pretty sure that Oklahoma Joe’s uses Southern Pride smokers, but don’t quote me on that. I asked the manager, and I recall that is what she said. Regardless, I’m pretty sure that they’re not standing a 24-hour vigil at their restaurant.
Spend the money on a good smoker, either a Smokin-it or Bradley Box, or another unit that has a compression door, controlled smoked and temperature regulation. Don’t worry, you can still drink all the beer you want for 19 hours – you just don’t have to stand there basting, stoking, dousing and rekindling. But, if that’s your thing, then have at it.
For me, I’ll stick with my Smokin-it. It’s failsafe and makes me a scofflaw in the face of barbecue purists. But my brisket is perfect every time, without exception. And when I bite into the burnt ends, I go right back to Kansas City, as God intended.
19-hour Oklahoma Brisket
Enough for a small army
1 full brisket, fat trimmed to 3/4”
2 cups Dry rub (recipe follows)
1. Rub the brisket thoroughly with the dry spice mix and allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours
2. At the end of your “sit,” remove from the refrigerator and allow to slack at room temperature for about 45 minutes. Don’t worry, nothing illegal has happened since you technically have a four-hour window
3. Heat the smoker to 195 degrees, and make sure that you can maintain that temperature for 19 hours
4. Use your choice of wood chips, but I’m a fan of the blends that contain hickory, cherry and apple. If you want more of a Texas feel, then use mesquite. This wood gives a very unique and robust smoked flavor to dishes
5. Place the brisket in the smoker are let ‘er rip. Don’t worry about the looks of the thing in the first few hours. Your crust will come with time, so sit back, grab a beer or three, and relax
6. Check the brisket at the 19 hour mark and revel in the knowledge that you just made this magnificent brisket
Dry Spice Rub
Makes about 2 cups
3/4 cup Kosher Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Granulated garlic
2 Tbsp. Onion powder
1 Tbsp. Cayenne
3 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder
2 Tbsp. Black pepper
2 Tbsp. Dry thyme
2 Tbsp. paprika
1. Combine all of the spices thoroughly and store in an airtight container until ready to use
But one thing has remained constant; my desire to put into words precisely what it is that I get out of food. Whether it’s an epiphany as to when I decided to a chef, or a fleeting moment in which I can literally smell and taste a dinner that I ate in Napa Valley nine years ago, food transports me much in the way that nature intended.
I was in the kitchen last week and found myself staring at a beautiful, full brisket. Consciously, I wasn’t thinking about anything, but then I realized that I was reminiscing about a trip made to Kansas City a few years ago. The trip was five days of “meat sweats,” during which we ate steak, crispy duck, bone marrow, burgers cooked in duck fat, burgers cooked in lard, fries cooked in both, and hefty house-baked rolls. Salads were a passing side-thought.
It was a trip with culinary ramifications that will doubtless never be countered, in that I was able to experience something of true lore; burnt ends. When we cook a brisket, or more to the point, when Oklahoma Joe’s smokes a brisket, they nudge the meat with 19 hours of smoke in their secret blend of woods.
Some of the brisket is removed at the 13-hour mark, but the top chunk of meat is smoked for another six hours to give us the smoky black chunks of meat that act as delivery vehicles for the assorted sauces that come in beer six-packs on the table. The burnt ends are considered a great delicacy in this gas station-turned-barbecue mecca.
Looking around the dining room at Oklahoma Joe’s, one can hardly help but notice the champion banners from barbecue competitions going back 20-plus years. Knowing that they have multiple, 500-pound smokers in the basement of the station only helps to resonate one’s admiration for this true king of the barbecue.
What I found, and still find, so alluring about burnt ends is the crisp crust of the meat, that borders on burnt without actually tasting of it, surrounding the moist and succulent meat on the interior. The crust accepts any of the sauces on your table with great aplomb, and you will hardly find a better food pairing. At least, I know that I haven’t in my many years of travel.
To emulate this great dish, one can be a purist and stoke a wood fire for 19 hours, or one can be a pragmatist such as myself and use an electric (gasp) smoker. I’m pretty sure that Oklahoma Joe’s uses Southern Pride smokers, but don’t quote me on that. I asked the manager, and I recall that is what she said. Regardless, I’m pretty sure that they’re not standing a 24-hour vigil at their restaurant.
Spend the money on a good smoker, either a Smokin-it or Bradley Box, or another unit that has a compression door, controlled smoked and temperature regulation. Don’t worry, you can still drink all the beer you want for 19 hours – you just don’t have to stand there basting, stoking, dousing and rekindling. But, if that’s your thing, then have at it.
For me, I’ll stick with my Smokin-it. It’s failsafe and makes me a scofflaw in the face of barbecue purists. But my brisket is perfect every time, without exception. And when I bite into the burnt ends, I go right back to Kansas City, as God intended.
19-hour Oklahoma Brisket
Enough for a small army
1 full brisket, fat trimmed to 3/4”
2 cups Dry rub (recipe follows)
1. Rub the brisket thoroughly with the dry spice mix and allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours
2. At the end of your “sit,” remove from the refrigerator and allow to slack at room temperature for about 45 minutes. Don’t worry, nothing illegal has happened since you technically have a four-hour window
3. Heat the smoker to 195 degrees, and make sure that you can maintain that temperature for 19 hours
4. Use your choice of wood chips, but I’m a fan of the blends that contain hickory, cherry and apple. If you want more of a Texas feel, then use mesquite. This wood gives a very unique and robust smoked flavor to dishes
5. Place the brisket in the smoker are let ‘er rip. Don’t worry about the looks of the thing in the first few hours. Your crust will come with time, so sit back, grab a beer or three, and relax
6. Check the brisket at the 19 hour mark and revel in the knowledge that you just made this magnificent brisket
Dry Spice Rub
Makes about 2 cups
3/4 cup Kosher Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Granulated garlic
2 Tbsp. Onion powder
1 Tbsp. Cayenne
3 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder
2 Tbsp. Black pepper
2 Tbsp. Dry thyme
2 Tbsp. paprika
1. Combine all of the spices thoroughly and store in an airtight container until ready to use