Texas Barbecue Brisket Recipe

There's no barbecue like Texas barbecue and this Texas Barbecue Brisket Recipe is one of the best. Beef brisket is a staple of the Texas all-you-can-eat establishments from West to Central Texas. This one is rubbed with just a few spices, simmered in a simple sauce of barbecue sauce and red wine, and then carved into thin slices of pure velvet.

Tender, juicy, and flavorful as only a brisket can be. The long slow cooking is the secret to turning a tough piece of brisket into a luscious dinner.

Easy to prepare and simple to cook, you must add this recipe to your favorites.

Texas Barbecue Brisket Recipe

3 pound beef brisket, flat cut
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons granulated garlic or garlic powder
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
3/4 cup barbecue sauce - your own or your favorite brand
1/2 cup dry red wine.

Season the brisket with the kosher salt and black pepper - cover all the surfaces, even the fat.

Combine the chili powder, brown sugar and garlic. Rub this mixture all over the seasoned brisket.

Put the beef in the bottom of a stockpot or large sauce pan large enough to hold the brisket.

Whisk together the barbecue sauce and the red wine. Pour the mixture over the brisket and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low, cover the pot, and let the meat simmer for 3 hours. The brisket should be fork tender.

Remove the brisket to a cutting board and loosely cover it, either with a domed lid or a sheet of aluminum foil. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes.

Skim the fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and let is simmer, uncovered, for 6 to 8 minutes or until it is reduced to about 1 cup. Stir the sauce occasionally to keep it from sticking.

Trim the fat from the brisket, and slice it against the grain. Lay the sliced meat on a warmed platter and pour some of the sauce over it. Serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Good To Know - It's very easy to make this recipe in a slow cooker. Make sure your piece of brisket will lie flat in the bottom of the cooker. Season it as described above and make the sauce. Pour the sauce over the meat, cover the pot and cook for about 8 hours on low.

Food For Thought - This basic recipe is open for adaptation - you can easily add more spices and a variety of liquids to cook your brisket. Make a spice rub from equal amounts of chili powder, cumin, granulated garlic, dried minced onion, mustard, celery seeds, brown sugar, paprika and kosher salt. Add half the measure of ground black pepper, ground cinnamon and powdered thyme.

To intensify the flavors, score the brisket with a sharp knife before you rub in the spice mix, then wrap it in plastic and refrigerate it overnight. Finish the recipe as directed above.

You can also add beer instead or red wine. Beef broth, a mixture of water and vinegar, apple cider or a carbonated cola would work just as well. Try a variety of combinations before settling on your favorite.

Yield 6 Servings