St. Paddy's Q
You barbecue the corned beef, that's what!
I looked on line for general instructions but didn't follow any of them exactly. There are YouTube demos and plenty of recipes. I like to think I took the best part of each.
I started by soaking my brisket in vats of water to remove some of the salt, two changes of water, before simmering it for an hour on top of the stove. Then, I laid it on a very low fired barbecue grill, my beautiful new toy, and let it cook for another hour to get a lightly smoky flavor. Finally, I wrapped it in foil and set it back on the grates for another two hours or so, hoping it would stay moist. When I unwrapped the foil, juices poured out, testament to keeping the meat from drying out.
My biggest problem was throttling back on the fire enough to keep the heat even but low. All the recipes on line said low fire and slow cooking is best for brisket.
In between checking, I surfed the web for my favorite Irish songs and posted some on Facebook.
My new monster kept wanting to soar up into the 300 range when I was trying to maintain 200-250 degrees. Whoa, Nellie! I finally shut down all the vents but the three little holes punched in each end of the fire box and, even then, it kept creeping upwards. Next time, I will try adding less charcoal.
The lightly smoky, still quite salty, corned beef was perfectly cooked, tender but not falling apart, a fitting tribute to Ireland's favorite saint and America's favorite excuse to overindulge.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
posted by Zoomie at
5:50 AM
9 Comments:
A stunning result for your first time out! I remember why I am so jealous of your new Q. I owned one about 32 years ago. It was a little larger. I bought it slightly used at a garage sale for $15 and the guy delivered it and helped carry it in.It lasted forever until the bottom rusted out.Have fun with it.
lovely. sounds like a fun and yummy first trial!
Greg, I keep hearing your story from previous owners of this barbecue. Everyone who has one loves it. I'm pleased to be one of the many now.
Diane, it was a little wacky, to be truthful, trying to figure out my new monster, but all's well that ends well, as they say. :-)
This sounds good. I'm on the fence about corned beef but I think I would like it this way. Congrats on your new toy!
Hungry Dog, I like it best in hash, but once a year I do have to honor my Irish heritage. :-)
Oh yeah, now I remember. Yeah, gotta regulate that, for the most part, with the size of the fire. You're used to the weber kettle which is a ninja at air mixture to control the heat of the fire. That ain't gonna happen. I found that a good thing because I cook with charcoaled wood or baseball hunks of raw wood. Those choices require more air than the briquettes do. Practice, practice, practice. xo, Biggles
Biggles, I will keep tinkering until I get it right. I used the charcoaled wood, too. I will learn and it will be fun.
Hay, if it's any consolation I'm also doing hand to hand combat with my new grill. Am having trouble with learning how to use the lid. I know that sounds silly, yet odd. But that thing is so darned efficient. I've done 3 runs with it and still get a VERY bitter taste either from the wood chips or burning fat when I use the lid. I wanted to let you know you're not alone! xo, Biggles
Meathenge, I'm sorry it's giving you a hard time. Bitter taste is not good! I think the secret may be in those adjustable bottom vents - maybe if you can figure out how to free those, you can get it to work. Good luck!
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