All Things In Their Own Time

Prepping a brisket

I had a grand plan for Christmas day. A brisket would smoke on the grill in ten to twelve hours, the recipe told me. I woke up around 4 AM to get it started, so we could have an early dinner before I headed to the airport to pick up my parents.

Oops. Too big for the
grill, we divide it.

In actuality, the brisket still was not done when I got home from the airport. After another hour, I gave up, carved a close-to-tender chunk, and put the rest in the oven. In total, our brisket spent about 15.5 hours on the grill, and a combined seven hours in a low oven (200-225 degrees.)

Life can be full of variables we cannot fully control. Sometimes things just fall into place and other times it is a struggle. Patience helps, as do naps while someone else keeps an eye on things. 

In the end the brisket was delicious--something of a hybrid of barbecue and pot roast. No one minded that it had taken half of forever, or that the smokiness wasn't spot on, or that the combination of techniques gave it something of a corned beef taste and texture. And I've got some notes for next time, whenever that might be.