Smoked Brisket Salad

Chef Kenny Bowers from Kenny's Smoke House is not just a meat and potatoes guy. He makes a smoked brisket salad.

Smoked Brisket Salad

4 ea baby iceburg head (chopped ½ inch)

32 ea grape tomato (halves)

24 ea avocado (chopped 3/4 inch square)

1 cup pico degallo

1 cup cheddar cheese (fresh shred)

8 oz chipotle ranch dressing

24 oz sliced lean brisket (2-3 slices /warm)   ((recipe below))      

4 oz tortilla strips (julienne, fried)

1 cup red bells peppers (chopped 1/4 inch)

Divide ingredients by 4 as this is enough for 4 salads.

Place lettuce in a neat mound in center of plate.  Evenly top with tomatoes, avocado, pico and cheese, (in that order).  Evenly cover salad with 1-1/2 oz of dressing.  

Gently place sliced brisket on top center of salad in a crisscross.  Drizzle brisket with remaining dressing. 

Toss tortilla strips with BBQ seasoning and place them in a neat stack on top center of salad.  Evenly sprinkle salad with red bells.  

Chipotle BBQ Ranch Dressing

2 cups ranch dressing

1/3 cup chipotles (canned/pureed)  

1-1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1-1/2 tsp liquid smoke (Figaro hickory)

1/3 cup  BBQ sauce

Make sure canned chipotles are pureed.  Combine all ingredients and mix well. 

Note: you can easily adjust the amount of chipotles in the dressing depending on how spicey you like it.  As the recipe is on a 1-10 scale it is about a 5 on spice level.

Brisket at Home

1 ea brisket  (sizes will vary 10-17 lbs)

1/3 cup kosher salt & black pepper (50/50 mix)

Evenly trim top of brisket (fat only) leaving 1/4 inch fat cover.  Be careful not to cut too deep and leave any exposed meat. 

Evenly rub brisket with salt & pepper mix. 

Place brisket fat side up in preheated grill or smoker at a temp of 225 degrees.   Cook for approximately 1:15 per pound or until it reaches a temp of 195 degrees in the center of the thickest part and thermometer slides in with no resistance like butter and the whole brisket jiggles like jello slightly. 

Gently remove from heat, let brisket rest for 30 minutes prior to serving.  

Note: if you do not have a smoker that will hold heat over night or you can’t tend to it all day.  You can smoke it for 3 or 4 hours to get good smoke flavor and finish it in the oven at the same temp.