Slow-cooked BBQ Brisket

(Cheater's edition)

Ingredients:

For the brisket:

o   One 5- to 6-pound beef brisket

o   1/4 cup Cheater Basic Dry Rub (recipe follows)

o   1/2 cup bottled smoke

o   Barbecue sauce of your choice (we like Dinosaur BBQ)

For the rub: Makes about 2/3 cup*

o   1/4 cup paprika

o   2 tablespoons kosher salt

o   2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

o   1 tablespoon garlic powder

o   1 tablespoon dry mustard

Instructions

To make the brisket:

1. Sprinkle the meat with the rub, turning to coat evenly and transfer to a large slow cooker. Add the bottled smoke.

2. Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours or on low for 10 to 12 hours, until the meat is pull-apart tender and reaches an internal temperature of 190 F.

3. Using tongs and a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a rimmed platter or baking sheet. Let rest until cool enough to handle. Pull the meat into strands. It should shred very easily. Serve the barbecue piled on buns with your favorite barbecue sauce.

4. To serve the barbecue later, cover and refrigerate the meat when it has cooled. Pour the meat juice into a separate container and refrigerate. Before reheating the juice, skim and discard the congealed fat layer on the top.

5. To reheat the barbecue, place it in a saucepan moistened with some of the reserved juice. Gently heat the meat on medium-low, stirring occasionally. Or, place it in a covered casserole with some of the reserved juice and heat in a 350 F oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

6. While the meat warms, combine the barbecue sauce and some of the additional reserved meat juice in a saucepan. Heat through and serve with the barbecue.

*To make the rub:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to blend.

Adapted from Cheater BBQ: Barbecue Anytime, Anywhere, In Any Weather by Mindy Merrell and R. B. Quinn (Broadway Books, A Division of Random House, Inc., 2008) Copyright 2008 by Mindy Merrell and R. B. Quinn. The original recipe calls for pork butt.