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Smoking Tutorial - Brisket, Pork Belly and Brisket Burnt Ends.

Hi guys, here's the tutorial on our cook. We cooked up Brisket, Brisket Burnt Ends and Pork Belly Burnt Ends. Thankfully the cook went well so we can share our experience with you!

Each pic below will have a summary of steps which will hopefully give you some helpful tips for when you do your next cook up. Enjoy!

We kick off with a Jacks Creek Grain Fed Brisket, a little over 6kg and two portions of Pork Belly approx. 2kg each. A brisket is comprised of two muscles - the point (the fat end) and the flat. The point is a lot fattier than the point which make it ideal for burnt ends. So for this exercise we need to separate the Point and the Flat of the brisket.

This is two pork bellies with the skin removed (pictured top side and bottom side). You want to leave a thin layer of fat on top which will mostly render with the remainder adding flavour to your burnt ends.

Pictured is the top side of the brisket. We start by trimming the excess fat and silver skin from the brisket using a 15cm narrow blade boning knife. You'll usually want to leave @ 3-4mm of fat on the top of the brisket which will render during the cook. You also want to remove any hard pieces of fat as they will not render at all during the cooking process. You'll also notice that I have squared off the flat to remove any thin or loose bits of meat that will burn and be inedible. . To be able to do burnt ends you need to trim the brisket a bit more than you would a whole brisket cook (point and flat still attached). So, after your normal trimming of the brisket, you need to start separating the flat form the point. In short, you want to remove the fat layer between the point and the flat. Using your sharp boning knife run the blade along the fat line between the flat and point and slowly work your way inwards until you remove the point end from the brisket. This can then be smoked separately.

Pictured is the bottom side of the Brisket. All silver skin has been removed from the flat and any hard or thick fat has been removed from the point. You'll notice how much more fattier the point is than the flat.

Brisket already has a great flavour so you don't want to spoil it with too much rub. Here we are using Jackalope Trading Co's SPG rub with a hint of Meat Church BBQ Holy Cow Rub. Wrap in cling wrap and place in fridge overnight.

Now you need to cut the pork belly into cubes. I've cut mine into 1 inch squares. They will reduce a little in size once cooked but each square will be the perfect mouthful

Once they've all been cubed, place in to an aluminium roasting dish (or foil pan), coat with a good olive oil and coat generously with a good rub. Here I'm using Jackalope Trading Co's Memphis Magic Dust (great on buffalo wings too!) Pork can handle a good serving of rub so apply as per your taste. Toss until well mixed, wrap in cling wrap and place in fridge overnight.

The next morning, we fired up our HogPit Smokers Squealer and when it hit 250F, we placed our brisket in the cooking chamber. These guys went on at 8:45am. I had the brisket sitting out on the bench a half hour prior to bring them down in temp a little. I also applied another small amount of rub on both just prior to placing in smoker.

To hopefully have all food ready at the same time I put the Pork Belly on at 12:15pm. Remove from roasting pan and place on a wire rack. Again I gave them a sprinkling of rub just prior to placing into smoker. I did not rest on the bench (straight from fridge to smoker)

2:15pm - Brisket has been on for 5.5hrs and was probing 145F internally. Heat courtesy of Clean Heat BBQlump charcoal and our vintage Ironbark. I also used a mix of Red Wine Barrel Oak and Plum for the first 3hrs of the cook. Pork Belly has been on for 2hrs. During this time I used a mix of apple and macadamia wood for flavour.

3:15pm - Pork Belly has been on for 3hrs. After 3hrs remove the pork belly from the smoker and place in an aluminium foil tray. Add 1 cup of your favourite BBQ sauce, 4 tablespoons (approx.) of butter and 2-3 tablespoons of agave syrup (or honey if you prefer) and mix well. Cover with aluminium foil and place back into smoker for another 90mins or when internal temp is 203F.

3:30pm - Brisket has been on for 6.5hrs and both point and flat has reached an internal temp of 165F and a nice bark has developed on both. Double wrap in a good quality aluminium foil. Prior to wrapping I poured a mix of Worcestershire Sauce (1/3 cup), Soy Sauce (3 tablespoons) and Brown Sugar (1.5 tablespoons) around the perimeter of the flat and point to add a little flavour and liquid into the mix which will absorb into the brisket. Place back into Smoker.

Point end prior to wrapping. (165F internal temp)

5:15pm - Brisket Point has reached 195F internal temp. Remove from smoker and cut it into 1” cubes (approx.) and place the cubes into an aluminum foil tray. Season and toss the cubes with a little more SPG and Holy Cow rubs.

Cover the cubes with your favourite BBQ sauce (mixed with a little butter) and toss thoroughly to ensure they are completely covered. Return the tray to the smoker and cook for another couple of hours or until all the liquid has reduced and the BBQ sauce has caramelized.

5:00pm - Pork Belly has been wrapped in foil for 90min and internal temp is 203F. Remove foil and place back into smoker for a further 15-20mins to allow the sauce to thicken. Serve as per pic! Burnt ends should be squishy and sticky and melt in your mouth! If they're ready a little earlier than you were expecting just re-wrap with foil, wrap tray in a beach towel and place in esky until you're ready to eat.

6:00pm - Continue to smoke your brisket flat until the meat is “probe tender” which means when you probe it with an instant read thermometer there is no resistance. Our brisket was removed from smoker when an internal temperature of 203F was reached. Then rest your brisket flat (leave in foil and wrap in beach towel) in an esky for at least two hours. Slice and enjoy! Any excess liquid in your foil can be brushed over the brisket after it has been sliced or slices can be dunked into juices prior to serving. Burnt ends should be squishy and sticky and melt in your mouth!

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PRODUCTS USED

Jakalope SPG Rub - The perfect ratio of kosher salt, restaurant grade pepper and garlic, this rub is perfect for low and slow cuts of beef, or as an easy steak seasoning. From bolognese to chicken, sprinkle the SPG anywhere you’d season. Jackalope Slow Food rubs are made locally in Brisbane with no Flavour enhancers or anti-caking agents.

Jackalope Memphis Magic Dust -

Memphis Magic Dust is a great all rounder. Use on ribs or pulled pork, also great for chicken. Mix 50/50 with flour for perfect deep fried buffalo wings! Memphis Magic Dust is a great all-rounder. Memphis Magic Dust was developed especially for white meats and pork. Jackalope Slow Food rubs are made locally in Brisbane with no Flavour enhancers or anti-caking agents.

Meatchurch Holy Cow Rub - This BBQ rub screams Texas! If you have been to Franklin, Kreuz, Blacks or Smittys then you know what I am talking about. This beefy BBQ seasoning is fantastic on brisket, tri-tip and steaks, but can be applied to anything you like. Many folks love it on chicken and burgers. Huge 283g shaker. Ingredients: Salt, spice, dehydrated garlic & spice extractives. Gluten free. No MSG.

Lanes Kinda Sweet Sauce - Lane’s BBQ “Kinda Sweet” sauce tastes just like it sounds. A perfect combination of tangy and a kiss of sweet makes this perfect for all kinds of meats. Pair it with our “Sorta White” sauce and you have a match made in Heaven.

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