Brisket Queso

Chef Roland Dickey returns to Good Day to make smoked brisket queso.

Hickory Smoked Brisket

Serves 8 to 10
Smoking Temperature: 225 to 250 degrees F
Smoking Time: 45 to 60 minutes per pound
Kindling: Hickory log, quartered

One (4 to 6 pound) beef brisket
¼ Rib-Ticklin' Rib Rub (see below)
3 Tablespoons canola oil

Place some kindling and a few pieces of newspaper sprinkled with canola oil inside your firebox and light it. 

Once the fire burns steadily (in about 3 to 4 minutes) add a hickory log.  Bring the temperature inside your smoker to between 225 and 250 degrees F.  (Make sure your thermometer is calibrated correctly.)

Trim the fat cap on the top portion of the brisket if needed, allowing a ¼- to ½ -inch thick cap to remain on the brisket.

Mix the barbecue rub with the canola oil.  It should have the consistency of wet sand.  Rub the entire brisket with the rub-front, sides, in all cracks and crevices.  Place the brisket fat- side up on the smoker.  Place a foil loaf pan full of water as close to the firebox as possible and replenish the water as needed.

Maintaining a temperature between 225 and 250 degrees F, smoke the brisket for 8 to 9 hours (45 to 60 minutes per pound).  You will need to check your temperature, adjust the vent, or replenish the wood, every 20 minutes during the smoking time.

Do not flip, turn, or poke the brisket with a fork at any time during the smoking process.  When an instant thermometer reads between 190 and 200 degrees F, the beef is done.  At Dickey's we perform what's called a "fork test." We place a meat fork in the fatty end (the deckle) of the brisket, and gently turn.  If the meat is done, it should turn without resistance.

Place the brisket on a chopping block, and let it rest for 15 to 25 minutes.  Slice against the grain, and serve.

Rib-Ticklin' Rib Rub

½ cup salt
1 cup sugar
¼ cup paprika
1 ½ tablespoons granulated garlic
½ tablespoon ground cumin
1 ½ tablespoons lemon pepper

Thoroughly combine all ingredients.  You can store this rub in an airtight container for up to three months.

Smoked Brisket Queso

One (16- ounce) block Velveeta cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
5 ounces tomatoes, seeded, ¼-inch dice
6 ounces canned green chilies, drained
4 ounces Dickey's chopped brisket
Milk, as needed
Cracked Black Pepper, to taste
1 large bag thick tortilla chips
1 teaspoon Dickey's Grill Spice

Mix the cheese, tomatoes, green chilies, and chopped brisket, and place in a crockpot on medium heat. Stir every 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese melts completely. If the consistency is too thick, add a little milk and stir until heated through. Serve with thick tortilla chips dusted with Grill Spice. 

LINK: www.dickeys.com