4th of July brisket

[ctom]

18 pounds of it is in the smoker. I was up early and praying that it would stay nice and so far its a beautiful morning.

I got the meat in the smoker and made sure things were drafting ok, then I fired up the lawn mower and tackled our back yard and the piece of park land I do. I'll save the rest of the mowing for tomorrow morning. I checked the meat when I finished my mowing and flipped the brisket over. 2 1/2 hours using hickory and it looks like it has about 3/4" of honey laying on it.  I switch woods now at three hours and give the meat another three hours using apple, which will darken it up quite a bit. Then it gets a cool-down and wrapped in foil before going to the fridge until Thursday morning when I hand shave the animal to be served along side potato slad, various other salad, and a big bowl or two of bbq sauce. The meat goes on steak buns to start a sandwich. The eating is extraordinary.

My waistline takes a whoopin on Thursday.

[Denny Welch]

Whose army are you feeding?

[ctom]

Denny, we have about thirty to 40 people here on the 4th. Kids, grandkids, whoever shows up is fine.

We sit around for a few hours swapping tall tales and telling of vacations. Some have a few beers, I have my iced tea. Dinner starts at about 4 and lasts until around 8 when we pack things away and go to the lake a couple blocks away for the fireworks. Then we all come back to our home and really celebrate. I am a firm believer in celebrating the 4th with some smoke and noise. None of the spit and fizzle stuff the state allows....I am talking boomers. My theme song during all of this is "you light up my life" by whoever it was that sang it.

During the day I have stuff for the young children to do but I supervise very closely. If theyt are 3 years old or more, they get their own chance to play with some of the ground toys. I spend time with each child one at a time. If they do not care for the noise, we don't force them. I've got grandsons 16 years old that are still under my thumb when it comes to the playthings. I am a huge fan of celebrating this holiday to the max but I am also a staunch believer in safety and that aspect gets pounded into these kids heads from the get go.

[Denny Welch]

Hey Tom...Wasn't that Norman Rockwell I saw over at your place?

[ctom]

Not at this house. I have a couple Rockwells hanging in the outhouse at the cabin.

Here.....this is what my dinner looks like for tonight.

[Bassman2169]

Looks great!  We got harvest finished, so we get to do our farm party for the fourth.  Got a brisket and pair of pork butts to smoke.  I always do mine the day of, which means getting up at bout three.  Usually to dern tired to enjoy much by nine.  I built a big trailer smoker a few years back and use it quite often in the summer.  Any tricks on how to store the brisket and heating it up when pre cooking it?  Save me some time.  Since we are on it, pulled pork reheating?  Does it still taste pretty fresh?  Is that enough questions bout cooking on a fishing forum?  Thanks, Joey

[ctom]

I hand shave mine and then put the meat in a large crock pot set on low. I add one can of beef broth to help keep the meat moist. I add the broth straight up, no extra water.

We serve the meat with bbq sauce, or ketchup or whatever people prefer to add. Sliced onions and some relish and pepper rings are always available too. People build there own sandwiches to their own liking. We serve hot dogs too for those light-weights who don't care for smoked food.

I'm too busy on the 4th to fart around with cooking so I do this a day or two ahead. The smoke has a chance to lose its bite too when the meat can rest in the fridge for a day or two. The only thing I do with the meat on the 4th other than eat it is slice it. The brisket stays whole until it goes into the crock pot.

[Jerry V]

That's an inspiring menu Mr. Tom...  I'll have to give this a try one day for one of the handful of family gatherings we have the opportunity to host or attend on a yearly basis.  I do appreciate your insight on something other than plastic colors, fishing or crappy weather... Very Nice.   

Jerry

[ctom]

Crappy weather? Its beautiful today.

Carole and I "sampled" a small portion of the finished product for our din-din. Now it weighs maybe nine pounds. lol

I shaved off a half pound from the thin end and heated it ever so slightly in a covered skillet while I sauted some fresh shitaki mushrooms and sliced onion in another. All of this was heaped up  on a steak bun with a squirt of BBQ sauce and finished with a tall glass of whole moo juice. I ain't gonna waste a bit of it even on a burp, it was that good.