Barbecued beef brisket
When you place the brisket on your barbecue, try to move the coals to either side so they are not directly under the meat. This will avoid drying it out.
Ingredients
A piece of brisket, about 5kg
Barbecue sauce
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
500ml tomato sauce
100ml Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp malt vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 tsp chopped thyme
Rub
2 tbsp each chilli powder and mustard powder
1 tbsp each paprika, ground cumin, garlic powder, ground black pepper, castor sugar
1 bay leaf, crushed
Method
To make the barbecue sauce, heat the oil in a frying pan, then cook onion and garlic for a few minutes until soft. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients to the pan with a good pinch of salt and simmer for 20 minutes. Use a hand blender or food processor to whiz it to a smooth puree.
Heat the oven to 150C. Make the rub by mixing all the ingredients with a pinch of salt. Rub the mix all over the beef and set aside.
In a large roasting tray, mix the barbecue sauce with two cups of water. Add the brisket to the tray, cover tightly with baking paper and then foil, then cook for four to five hours until the meat is really tender when you push a fork into it. The beef can be cooked the night before – just leave it to cool in the tin covered with foil.
To finish the beef, fire up a barbecue and wait until the coals have settled – you want a low, not fierce, heat. Lift the beef out of the roasting tin and place on the barbecue to char. If your barbecue has a lid, close it. Cook for about 20 minutes, turning the meat carefully with tongs, until lightly charred all over and heated through. Lift on to a board and serve sliced with the remaining barbecue sauce on the side.
Serve with collard greens, corn bread or my macaroni and cheese (pictured).
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Frank Camorra is chef and co-owner of MoVida Sydney and Melbourne's MoVida Bar De Tapas.
