Brisket in a crappy charcoal grill?

[Nivek]

So I have a crappy charcoal grill that is decent sized for most small parties and I want to take a crack at making a brisket.

Im thinking of tossing 8-10 coals in 1 corner along with a few wood chips to simulate a non-direct fire, and adding pre-lit charcoal to that corner (3-4 at a time) every 1.5 hours. Think this would work?

Got any tips or suggestions... I really am motivated to do this on the grill and not in an oven.

This is going to be my first attempt at cooking brisket, so any recipes that do not involve liquid smoke would be appreciated, especially to set up a good rub.

Also any thoughts on the use of dill?

 

[Brisketexan]

Dill? Ummm. No.

All you NEED for a rub is salt and pepper. If you have paprika, a LITTLE sugar, garlic powder, etc. in there, fine. Or, just buy a pre-made brisket rub -- Adam's and Bolners, and HEB, all make good ones. I usually just use a pre-mixed rub, and sprinkle it liberally on both sides.

To cook it, you need an indirect heat source that will (a) generate some smoke, and (b) get your cooking chamber (the inside of your grill, in this case) up to the 200-225 range and keep it there for a while.

If there's room to build a small fire that will be at least 8-10 inches away from your brisket, do that. Add fuel as often as needed to maintain the fire and temp. If you use some wood chunks (I wouldn't use chips -- they burn too fast and hot), you'll get some smoke.

Cook it in the grill for 8 hours or so (fat side up, of course), then wrap in foil and finish in the oven (still fat side up)for 4 hours at 225 (much easier than trying to hold that temp in a little grill).

It won't be perfect, but it will probably be passable.

 

[Luke Duke]

I think that it will be alot of work. If you decide to do it then I would recommend getting the smallest brisket that you can find.

 

[Steel Shank]

Don't forget to brine!

 

[Mack Tripper]

If there isn't enough space between the fire and the brisket, you need to build a little heat shield out of aluminum foil so that the part of the brisket closest to the fire isn't burned beyond recognition.

 

[Nivek]

That is a good idea about the heat shield. I think I can manage that easily.

I was looking to getting the smallest brisket... I figure I should try to maintain the temps at about 200-250.

thanks for the tips given and any more to come!

 

[Smoky Brisket]

Here's a rig I threw together a while back. To make matters worse, all they had at the store were trimmed flat cuts. Its definitely not pretty, but it tasted like barbecue at the end of the day.

 

[Nivek]

Looks good to me! I am feeling more inspired now.