Brisket Rub

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Brisket RubBrisket Rub

You need a beef brisket rub if you want to make a delicious, world class brisket. This gives your meat spice and flavor and helps promote a nice, dark, crunchy bark.

Secrets and Mystery

There's a lot of mystery surrounding barbecue rubs. They're just spice mixes that you put on meat before you cook it.

But a lot of people want to be so secretive.

Some people won't tell you what they use. Others will tell you that they just use salt and pepper, which most of the time, is code for I'm not telling you what I use. (Some barbecue cooks do use just salt and pepper. It's affectionately called Dalmatian Rub)

Most pitmasters do use some kind of a rub for their beef brisket.

Some people just like to complicate things. They think if there's some "secret ingredient" you don't know about, they'll have an advantage over you. But like I've said before, being a great pitmaster is more than following a good recipe; it takes knowledge, skill and experience, a can-do attitude and the ability to roll with the punches.

I've researched barbecue beef brisket extensively. I've read countless books, watched a ton of barbecue videos and I've eaten mountains of beef brisket. (Research is a lot of fun!) I've also cooked a lot of beef brisket. All this to try to decode the secret to excellent beef brisket.

Mystery Solved!

One day, as I was conducting my research, I came across a very interesting article about barbecue and beef brisket. It was an interview with famed pitmaster John Lewis.

John helped legendary pitmaster Aaron Franklin open Franklin Barbecue and is an owner of La Barbecue in Austin TX.

As of this writing, he is preparing to open Lewis Barbecue in Charleston S.C.

He was asked how he got into barbecue, where he's worked, etc. The typical kind of interview questions.

At the end of the interview, he says some very interesting things and reveals the ingredients he uses to season his beef brisket.

From this interview, I formulated a recipe. And I gotta tell you, it works wonders on beef brisket.

Now this recipe is deceptively simple. Don't let that fool you. It's easy to make but big on flavor. 

The ingredients don't overpower the brisket. Instead, they enhance the meat and let the beefy flavor of your brisket shine through.

If you're serious about making an outstanding beef brisket, you have to check out this recipe.

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Brisket Rub

Note: Always use freshly ground black pepper. Never use the pre-ground stuff.

If you don't have a spice grinder, get one. An inexpensive coffee grinder works great for this.

Makes about 1 cup. It takes about 1/2 cup to season a 12-pound brisket.

  • 1/2 Cup freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 Tbsp. Seasoned salt like Lawry's Seasoned Salt
  • 3 Tbsp. Kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp. Granulated garlic

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl or spice container. An empty spice container with holes in the lid works great for storage and easy sprinkling.

Make your spice rub the day before to let the flavors come together. The longer it sits the better it gets, to a point.

You should use it within three months.

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