Andrew Mark Veety

Revisiting The BLT Cocktail

Last year Kelli Best-Oliver and I joined forces to create the BLT Cocktail in honor of the fifth annual Tour de Moose. Kelli took on making tomato water and lettuce ice cubes while I took a shot at making bacon infused vodka.

Simply, the goal was to turn this delicious looking sandwich...

...into a breakfast drink that would fortify a thirsty biker for the twenty mile bike ride and bar crawl that followed. 

A Super Bowl Brisket - Part 1

Its the afternoon before the Super Bowl, and while I don't have a dog in this fight, I am gearing up for the eating. For me, the menu for tomorrow's game has to include some barbeque, and for the game I'm making a smoked beef brisket with a jalapeno and peach barbeque sauce on the side for folks who would like to add it on their plate.

Preparation for this project began a full two days before the game with a visit to Legrand's in St. Louis. I've been really happy with the selection and the staff at Legrand's, but they really came though on my last visit. 

When I arrived I was sad to find only a few small briskets in the case which had been trimmed of all the fat needed to protect a brisket over a twelve to fourteen hour ride in a smoker. After some persistent questioning and arm twisting the butcher disappeared into the cooler and eventually emerged with a six pound choice cut brisket with a creamy fat cap about a quarter inch thick after initially telling me that the trimmed cuts were all he had.

I'm in no way upset with my recent experience at Legrand's, because I've come to expect an adventure with each visit to their shop. Conversations with the staff have an interview feel to them, almost like the butchers are trying to match a cut with a shopper, steering a person to the product that will give them the greatest chance of success. In my case I'd like to think that I earned this brisket that I can only assume was being held in reserve for their own smoker. 

As always - know thy butcher.

For this brisket, I created a rub of brown sugar, kosher salt, cracked pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ancho chili powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, powdered mustard and powdered ginger following a basic 8-3-1-1 ratio. 

I liberally covered each side of the brisket with the rub and planned on a thirty six hour rest in the fridge. This extended period of time allows the meat to absorb the salt and seasoning, brining it into the meat much like a brine. 

The term rub has a hint of personal interpretation to it, I know cooks who simply cover the meat with rub and then wrap and others who don gloves and rub the spices right into the meat. My method rests someplace in between, covering and then patting with a hand to prevent cross contamination of my prep surfaces.

After a rubdown, the brisket is wrapped in plastic wrap and then in foil to keep as much air away from the meat as possible. I also reserve the package of rubbed brisket to a cookie sheet, an additional precaution to prevent raw meat juices from contaminating my fridge.

With a 5:30 PM central kick off time, my plan is to get this brisket in the smoker around 3 AM on Sunday morning for a long day of low and slow heat provided by hickory and apple woods.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this Super Bowl brisket, I've got a mop and barbeque sauce to make before grabbing a few hours sleep.