Coffee-Spice Rub Brisket
This brisket features a spicy coffee-based dry rub that adds smoky, chocolatey flavor to the beef. Ancho chiles, cumin, and smoked paprika provide the deep-rounded spice, for a satisfying and utterly delicious BBQ main.
Prep Time: 1 hr.
Cook Time: 8 hrs.
Total Time: 9 hrs. 15 min
Makes: 18 servings
Ingredients:
4½ – 5 lb., 3-inch thick, flat-cut brisket
1½ tbsp. ground coffee
1½ tbsp. muscovado sugar
1 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. ancho chile powder
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
For Smoking:
6 – 8 cups hickory or oak wood chips
Directions:
- Soak the wood chips in water at 1 hour, and then drain. This will prevent the wood chips from burning.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the coffee, muscovado sugar, salt, ancho chile powder, smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Using kitchen paper, pat the brisket dry, and then cover with the coffee-spice rub.
- Remove the grill rack, and set aside.
- Prepare the grill for the indirect grilling method, by heating one side to high heat and leaving the opposite side of the grill with no heat.
- Pierce holes into the bottom of a disposable foil pan several times with the tip of a sharp knife.
- Put the pan on the heated side of the grill, and add 1½ cups of wood chips to pan.
- Put another disposable foil pan (this time, do not pierce any holes into the bottom of the pan) onto the unheated side of the grill.
- Pour 2 cups of water into this pan.
- Allow the chips to stand for 15 minutes or until smoking, and then lower the heat to medium-low.
- Make sure to maintain a temperature of 225F.
- Put the grill rack back onto the grill, place the brisket into a small roasting pan, and place the pan onto grill rack, on the unheated side of the grill.
- Close the lid, and cook for 6 hours or until an instant-read meat thermometer registers a temperature of 195F.
- Add 1½ cups of pre-soaked wood chips every 1 hour for the first 4 hours.
- Cover the pan with foil for the remaining last 2 hours of cook time.
- Remove the brisket from the grill and allow to stand, covered, for about 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, uncover the brisket, reserving the cooking juices.
- Trim and discard any excess fat.
- Place a large Ziploc bag inside a 4-cup glass mixing jug and pour the brisket juices through a fine-mesh sieve into the bag, discarding any solids, caught up in the sieve.
- Allow the drippings to stand for 10 minutes (all the fat will separate from the brisket juices, and rise to the top).
- Seal the Ziploc bag, and carefully snip off a bottom corner of bag.
- Drain the drippings into a Pyrex glass jug, stopping just before the fat reaches the opening of the Ziploc bag. Discard this fat.
- Slice the brisket across grain into thin slices, serve with the cooking juices and enjoy.
Nutrition Facts per Serving:
Total Calories: 156 kcal. Protein 24.9 g, Carbohydrate 2.3 g (Dietary Fiber 0.2 g), Fat 4.4 g (Saturated Fats 1.6 g, Mono-unsaturated Fats 1.8 g, Poly-unsaturated Fats 0.2 g), Sodium 414 mg, Iron 2.4 mg, Cholesterol 47 mg, Calcium 25 mg.
