Overnight Brisket

Everyone loves barbecue, right?

I know I do, which is why I have been taking the series of “BBQ Bootcamp” classes from Mason-Dixon BBQ. The final class I needed was the Overnight Brisket, and the class did not disappoint.

We gathered around 6pm on a Friday, everyone getting to know each other as we all chipped in to assist in making a quick dinner. Rules and a rough outline of how the class will go were covered next, and then we got into it.

As with all of the bootcamp classes, Roger from Penn Avenue Meats was there to show us how to prep the brisket, giving us tips, tricks, and a few * cough cough * “good” jokes. Marvin showed us another method of prepping the brisket, explaining what a competition chef would do for efficiency and winning outcomes. After that, we all got to work on our individual slabs of meat!

Once all the briskets were trimmed, rubbed and resting, we began with making some snacks, and then went over all the different cooker systems available for us to use. Most everyone had their own smoker, with a few pairing up due to the large size of a couple cookers. Lighting and brining up to temp took no time at all, so it seemed, and around 11pm, all the briskets were smoking away.

While some wandered to their cars to nap, a large group of us surrounded a campfire, enjoying a cigar, some adult beverages, and many “midnight snacks”. The few of us that were still awake at 3am wrapped all the briskets in foil to maintain moisture levels, and by 6am, everyone was awake and checking on their briskets.

After a large breakfast, demonstrations on slicing were done, and then we all prepped and cooked our burnt ends and sliced our briskets, packaging most of it to be taken home. By then, we were all ready for a shower and a long nap.

If you have the opportunity to take one of Mason-Dixon’s bootcamps, I highly suggest it! And having completed all 5, I was given a coveted shirt and invited to assist with upcoming classes, and I cannot wait! Maybe I will see you at your class!

Until then, remember to always Spin the Compass.