Texas Memories: Mesquite Smoked Brisket with Orange-Chipotle BBQ Sauce

I cooked this brisket on my Bull Bison Charcoal Grill with lump charcoal and mesquite wood chips for smoke.  However, it’s just as easily prepared on a gas grill with mesquite chips in a foil pouch or a V-shaped smoke box. Whether you like your brisket sliced or chopped, serve it sandwiched on your favorite bun or  Texas toast and slather it with my Orange-Chipotle BBQ Sauce (you can actually taste the orange and the chipotle!).

Mesquite Smoked Brisket with Orange-Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Makes 10 to 12 servings

One 4 to 5 pound beef brisket roast, fat cap trimmed to 1/4 inch
Garlic Rub, 1 teaspoon per pound of beef
Orange-Chipotle BBQ Sauce (recipe follows)

Extras:
Bull V-Shaped Smoker Box, for gas grills
Mesquite wood chips, soaked for 1 hour in water

Grill Set-Up:
Indirect with smoke box

Season the brisket with Garlic Rub.  Let sit at room temperature for an hour or so to take the chill off the meat.

Set up grill for indirect cooking over medium low heat.  Place a dip pan below where the brisket will sit. If using gas, be sure you have a full tank of gas!  Place soaked wood chips in smoke box and turn the burner under the box to high. When the chips start to smoke, set up grill for indirect cooking over low-medium heat (around 275°F) .  For charcoal, light the equivalent of 10 to 15 briquettes.  Once they ash-over, scatter a handful of soaked chips on top.

Place the brisket on the unlit potion of grill over the drip pan and close the cover.   After an hour, add another handful of chips to the smoke box for gas grills  or for charcoal, add another 10 briquettes and a handful of chips.  

After a couple hours the brisket has had plenty of smoke. To keep it moist, wrap the brisket in aluminum foil and return it to the indirect side of the grill, close the cover and continue cooking.  If you are using charcoal, you will need to add 10 more briquettes every hour to maintain the temperature.  Total cooking time will be 5 to 8 hours depending on actual temperature of your grill and the size of the brisket. Brisket is cooked when the internal temperature reaches 190°F to 195°F.  It should be tender enough to slice 1/4-inch thick without falling apart, but super easy to pull apart.

Transfer brisket to cutting board and let rest 20+ minutes.  Chop or thinly slice the meat against the grain and serve on buns with Orange-Chipotle BBQ Sauce on the side.

Orange-Chipotle BBQ Sauce

makes about 2 cups

Note:  Have all ingredients prepped and ready to go before cooking.

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest, finely chopped and packed
1 jalapeno, minced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 canned chipotles en adobo, seeds and stems removed, minced
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from canned chipotles
2 teaspoons soy sauce

Combine brown sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil (without stirring) until the bubbles get smaller and the mixture looks molten; about 5 minutes.  Add the orange zest, jalapeno, garlic, and chipoltes and stir until fragrant; about 30 seconds.  Carefully stir in the orange juice, lime juice, ketchup, adobo sauce, and soy sauce.  Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the mixture is thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. Keep warm until ready to use or cool and refrigerate for up to one week.

Cheers and Happy Grilling!
~Jeff