In addition to the brisket itself, you’ll need smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, ground mustard, cumin, and brown sugar to season it with. You’ll also need butter, fresh garlic, a shallot, ground chipotle, mustard, and Italian parsley.
Season the brisket with dry rub
Mix all of the brisket seasonings and sugar, then rub half the mixture over the top of the meat. Turn it over and rub the rest of the seasonings into the other half. Wrap the brisket in plastic, then stick it in the fridge for at least 5 hours, although 8 to 12 would be even better if you can swing it. Before you cook the meat, though, you’ll need to take it out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for an hour.
Smoke the brisket
As the meat is warming up, you’ll need to soak about 4 cups of mesquite chips in enough water to cover them. They’ll soak for an hour, then you’ll drain them and stick them in the smoker box. Set the grill to heat up to 225 F, then, as the chips start to smoke, turn off one of the grill burners.
Stick a thermometer probe where the brisket is thickest, then plop it onto the cool side of the grill with the fatty side facing up. Smoke the meat for about 5 hours or until the thermometer reads 195 F. De Witt does caution, though, that “Sometimes when cooking brisket, [you] may you encounter what is know as the ‘stall’ when the meat reaches about 150 F and just doesn’t budge.” In this case, she recommends wrapping the meat in foil and then continuing to cook it until the temperature rises to where it needs to be.
Make the cowboy butter
When the meat is done cooking, cover it with a foil tent and let it sit and rest for half an hour before slicing it against the grain.
Melt the butter, then stir in all of the seasonings to “cowboy”-fy it. If the meat still needs to rest longer, keep the butter warm so it stays liquid. Pour it over each slice of meat before you eat it. Any leftover butter. like the brisket, can be stored in the refrigerator, although De Witt advises it’ll only last a few days. She does say, though, that it goes well with other meats such as ribs or chicken.
