How to Cook Smoked Brisket With Salsa Pibil

Serves: 6-8

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 7 hours

Ingredients needed to make Smoked Brisket With Salsa Pibil:

For the brisket:

• 7-8 lb brisket, fat trimmed off
• 1/3 cup brisket rub (recipe below)
• Wood chips

For the brisket rub:

• 1 ½ tsp ground paprika
• 1/8 heaping tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 heaping tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1/8 heaping tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp ground ancho chile pepper
• 1 tbso whole black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar

For the salsa pibil:

• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 ½ tsp fresh lime juice
• 1 ½ tsp white vinegar
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 2/3 cup tomatoes, chopped and seeded
• 1 cup chopped onion
• ½ tsp garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp + ¾ tsp achiote paste
• ½ habanero pepper, halved longitudinally
• ¾ tsp dried oregano
• 1 small bay leaf
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Cooking instructions for Smoked Brisket With Salsa Pibil:

• To make the brisket rub, throw in all its ingredients into a medium bowl and stir them all together thoroughly until well blended.
• Transfer the rub into an air-tight container, seal and store it in a cool, dark place until required.
• To make the salsa pibil, drizzle oil in a pan, along with a splodge of butter and heat them over moderately high heat until the butter melts and the oil is hot.
• Throw in the onions and stir-fry for about 5-7 minutes or until it turns translucent and stir in the garlic.
• Continue to sauté the mixture until the garlic turns fragrant and add the chopped tomatoes into it.
• Give it a nice stir and reduce the mixture to a gentle simmer.
• Spoon the achiote paste into a blender, along with the chicken broth and pulse until well combined.
• Pour the puree over the simmering mixture and stir in the orange juice.
• Drop the habanero pepper and bay leaf into it, followed by sprinklings if thyme plus oregano and stir them all together to mix well.
• Cook the mixture for about 15 minutes and then discard the habanero.
• Tip the contents of the pan into a blender and pulse them into a smooth puree.
• Adjust the seasonings and drop the habanero back to the salsa.
• Whisk in a splash of lime juice, followed by white vinegar plus honey until well blended and set aside.
• For the smoked brisket, roughly chop it into 4’’ chunks and massage the prepared seasoning all over each chunk to coat well.
• Arrange the seasoned meat in a large baking dish, in a single layer and leave in the fridge overnight.
• On the following day, warm up your oven 250 degrees F.
• Spread a foil across the baking dish and grill the brisket for about 6 hours or until it is cooked through.
• Remove from the oven, and set aside to cool completely.
• Wrap it up in a foil and leave in the fridge until the time of serving.
• Before serving, warm up your brisket in an oven set at a temperature of 250 degrees and place them on an outside smoker.
• Once the smoker gives out smokes, seal and smoke the meat for about 5 minutes.
• Remove from the smoker and carve out slices.
• Serve them along with salsa pibil.

 Image credit: Wikimedia Commons