A Pretty Pig and a Hunk of Bull on Meadow Creek SQ36 Smoker

On Labor Day I had the privilege of working instead of sitting in my La-Z-Boy all day. One thing I accomplished was turning a little bit of meat into some pretty good looking morsels.

We had a brisket sitting in the freezer from a young bull I had raised. I was inspired to try my hand at it. The butcher trimmed the brisket a little funny and it was pretty thin, but it turned out tender and delicious. I also threw a couple sausages on the smoker for brunch.

I used my Meadow Creek SQ36 Offset Smoker and fired it with 100% Hardwood Charcoal Briquettes. I added a piece of wood at the beginning for some extra smoke. I enjoy smoking with only wood, but I usually end up making so much smoke the meat turns really dark. Also, wood tends to burn hotter and quicker, so it’s harder to keep the smoker steady. It was refreshing to use mostly charcoal this time, but I am all for using what you’ve got access to if you can get the results you need.

First, I cut out most of the fat vein that ran through the brisket cause I didn’t want that in my finished product.

The brisket was quite lean so I decided to brine it in salt water overnight. I dissolved 1/4 cup salt in a little bit of hot water. Then I mixed it with a cold water in a 2 quart pitcher. This gave me my 1/2 cup salt to 1 gallon ratio. Then I put my small brisket into a glass cake pan and poured water over it until the pan was almost full.

The next morning, I rinsed the brisket and put it on a large cutting board to season it. I used fresh ground black pepper and sea salt. Also a little garlic powder.

I fired the smoker and put it on at 9:00 AM.

I wrapped the brisket in foil around 1:00 PM.

By 4:00 in the afternoon the internal temp on the brisket had topped 200 degrees F, meaning it was done. I sliced and sampled it with curious excitement. Pointedly, whether this hunk of meat I had just cooked was the flat or point or both, this thing was flat out delicious!

This stuff is outstanding reheated and in sandwiches with onion, lettuce, barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, and cheese. Or in a quesadilla. We cut the brisket into small pieces, fried it lightly, then dropped it into a quesadilla with onion and cheese, topped with sour cream. You gotta taste it to begin to comprehend the goodness.

To prepare the sausage fatties, I unwrapped the one-pound packages and made a slit along the top, the full length of the log. I seasoned them on all sides with Meadow Creek Brisket Rub and dropped some chopped onion and barbecue sauce into the channel. Then I topped them with some pepperoni slices.

When the sausage was about ready to pull off the smoker, I spread shredded Mozzarella cheese on them and let that melt. I took them up to 150-160 degrees F internal temp.

Same story on the smoked sausage…

Absolutely perfect on toast or a fried egg sandwich.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures and got a little hungry for smoked brisket and sausage.

Have fun,

Lavern Gingerich

PS. Check out Meadow Creek’s smokers or download my Meadow Creek Buyer’s Guide to learn more about these high quality Amish-made barbecue smokers.

Tags: Barbequed Food, meadow creek smokers, smoked brisket, smoked sausage, sq36 bbq smoker

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