12/6/21 Brisket In The Oven?

     Well, another sign of my domestication, I cooked a brisket in the oven.  My pellet grill is still waiting to get fixed (mostly me being lazy), so if I want to eat some grilled meat we are resorting to using charcoal.  Charcoal works fine to make some fajitas, burgers or chicken.  I was even able to smoke the ribs I started in the oven on Friday, but a brisket takes a long time and I can't keep a charcoal fire going for hours.  It is not something I care to do.  That doesn't change the fact that I do enjoy eating brisket a couple times a month.

    Since my people were sleeping in on Sunday, I went to the store early, around 9:00am, and bought a small brisket, Wife has had the discussion with me that she doesn't like brisket enough to eat more than on the day, she doesn't like it as leftovers (what do you expect from a non-Texan, born basically in Canada).  We do have three briskets in the freezer right now, but I wanted a small one, in case it didn't work out.  Shit, I bought one weighing 4.9 pounds (just the point, not a whole brisket) or so and it was like $31.  I figured this would do for dinner and practice.

    I have only become this brave to cook without supervision because of Youtube.  I looked over a couple guys to see what they do, specifically when it comes to cooking in the oven versus outside on a grill.  I had seen before that to approximate the taste and "smell" of smoked, they use the liquid smoke stuff, which actually does add a flavor and feel that there is a smoky fire nearby.  The guy in the video got really technical, he had a syringe and injected the liquid smoke concoction he made into the brisket, I do not own a syringe like he does, so I just stabbed my brisket and massaged it on the surface.  He then also had a spray bottle and he sprayed the liquid smoke diluted in water over the brisket every hour.  He suggested cooking for about an hour for every pound, at 275.  I followed those instructions, along with using pink curing salt to get a nice "smoke ring" and it worked, more or less.  

    My brisket had a great flavor, but it was a little gummy, I think maybe it could have used a little longer in the oven, or I need to get fattier briskets, not sure but hey, like the guy said "it takes practice practice practice to produce a fine product."  We still ate what I made and nobody got sick.  I think I'll have the little bit that is left as my lunch, as a matter of fact, I won't leave any for Wife, since she don't appreciate my day old meat anyway.