Brisket, the king of barbecue. Smoked low and slow until tender and delicious. This cut of beef knows no equal. But let’s get crazy this week, let’s take it further. Cube up that brisket point, toss it in a homemade beer BBQ sauce, and slap it on a sando. Yes, this is a Chopped Brisket Sandwich recipe! Now we have one hand free to drink beer while eating brisket!
Meat Selection
There are so many ways to make brisket. Some want an easy recipe while others might want a more classic Texas Style Brisket. With so many options, we all learn that brisket takes a while to cook and a lifetime to perfect.
As for this Chopped Brisket Sandwich, we are going to start by using one of its two cut. Now, a full packer brisket is comprised of two muscles: the superior and inferior pectorals (also known as the point and the flat). Yes, it’s a cow boob.
For these Chopped Brisket Sandwiches, the much fattier point is ideal. The flat can be purchased separately, but the point cannot be easily found by itself. This leaves us with two options: cook a whole brisket or separate the two muscles. Cooking a whole brisket is a larger time investment and the better option if you’re cooking for a large group. However, separate gives you more flexibility in how you cook each part.
Separating a brisket sound like an arduous task, but the brisket does most of the work. Most butchery follows the natural seams between muscles in the animal. The brisket is no different since there’s a large fat seam that runs between the brisket point and flat. Use a sharp knife and separate the two along this natural divide. Cut the fatty white stuff, but stay away from the red meat stuff. A little clan up trimming at the end and now you have two BBQ cuts.
For more brisket, check out my Texas Smoked Brisket Recipe, Brisket Burnt Ends and Smoked Brisket Queso.
Build-a-Sauce For Chopped Brisket Sandwich
Barbecue sauce in a funny thing. It’s good, it’s really good. It’s so good, in fact, that BBQ restaurants will use it to cover up poorly cooked barbecue. My rule of thumb is no barbecue sauce when trying a new joint for the first time. The meats need to stand up on their own. But I digress. Since burnt ends are nothing without a crazy good barbecue sauce.
To those ends, we’re cooking up a Guinness beer barbecue sauce. A good sauce, at its core, isn’t that complicated. I usually go for a ketchup/vinegar combo sauce, so that’s what we’re doing today. Reduce down beer as a base and seasoning to compliment. We’re in business.
For more BBQ sauce recipes, check out my Huli Huli Ribs with Sriracha BBQ Sauce, Chipotle BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich and Grilled Butterflied Chicken Drumsticks with Alabama White Sauce.
Chopped Brisket Sandwich Gets Smoked
If you’ve cooked a brisket before, cooking a brisket point is exactly the same. Smoke until you hit the stall, 160 to 170 degrees internal, wrap and cook till probe tender. The brisket point is just slightly smaller and therefore a slightly faster cook. I could even argue that it’s an easier cook then the whole brisket since with a whole brisket the point and the flat cook differently. One being fattier and thicker, one being leaner and thinner. Just remember to crack a beer and enjoy the day!
For more delicious recipes, check out my second cookbook Flavor X Fire or my first cookbook Food X Fire!
Needing more spice in your life? My spice line can help with that. Check them out here.
Chopped Brisket Sandwich
Ingredients
- 18 Lb Brisket
- Mesquite Peppercorn Lager Rub
- Beef Tallow
- 1 Guinness Beer
Sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp onion
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cyanne
- 1 tsp w sauce
- 1.5 cups ketchup
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 Guinness Beer
Instructions
Beer BBQ Sauce
- Prepare bbq sauce, this can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge.
- Pour beer into a small sauce pot over medium heat. Simmer until reduced by half.
- Mix in ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and seasonings. Cook until thickened. Store in a squeeze bottle for maximum servability.
Brisket
- Brisket can be cooked whole or divided for this cook. If cooked whole, the cook time will be longer and, of course, you’ll have more brisket. These instructions will highlight dividing the brisket.
- Divide the brisket in half, separating the flat and the point. There is a natural seam of fat that separates the two. Use a sharp knife and work slowly. We’re using the fattier, thicker brisket point for this cook.
- Pre Heat smoker to 250 degrees. Place a water pan in the smoker with a mix of water and beer.
- Season brisket point with OTFC Mesquite Peppercorn Lager Rub and place on the smoker.
- Smoke brisket until internal tempo is about 170 degrees. Wrap in butcher paper and boat bottom with aluminum foil. Continue cooking until brisket is 205 degrees internal and probe tender.
- Cover brisket with beef tallow and rest in a cooler for 2 hours. Or until internal temp comes down to 160 degrees.
- Chop the brisket point into small bite size cubes. Toss in bbq sauce, place on a bun with pickled onions or your fav topping. Enjoy!
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Nutrition
Jeremy is a small business owner by day; a private chef to a wife and two kiddos by night and creator behind The Kitchen Whitelaw. Specializing in new American cooking, diner fare, country club cuisine, the classics you know and love. Exploring new recipes, creating new dishes, and teaching new techniques.
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