Oak-smoked brisket.

11/22/19

(Above: Though it was by no means perfect, the oak-smoked Wagyu brisket proved to be a delicious first ‘smoke’.)

Active Summary: This morning, the first thing I did was put yesterday’s wood chips into the smoker and initiate the ‘chip burn’ via the Charbroil Smoker App. This was ensued by applying a salt and pepper rub to the Wagyu brisket I started marinating last night (more in TIL) and was soon followed by calisthenics and writing. Then, before venturing out for the morning beef check at 7:00, I was notified via phone that the smoker was ready to accept a prepared 4 lb. brisket. I placed that hunk of beef in the enclosure, stuck a probe thermometer in it, and then hit ‘start’. That is all that was required for the cooking of the brisket*.

In the ensuing 6 hours of cook time, I tended to a large number of tasks. This included: extending the outer electric fence around the east perimeter of the garden**, fashioning a makeshift pea trellis to bridge the gap between mound and fence, tending to a Master Blend customer, smelling the smoking beef brisket with Padre and Wag, fixing the electric gap at the front of Jacobhouse, sorting PVC pieces in the grain room, cleaning off shelves in the grain room to make room for freezer room painting supplies, moving said supplies to the grain room, sweeping the freezer room floor, performing the weekly cleaning at Jacobhouse, and writing for about 40 minutes. Lunch ensued, and about 95% of the smoked brisket was consumed.

(6:44 PM Update:) Afternoon activities included schoolwork, which was then followed by my scraping off the various grates that were utilized in the smoker this morning. I also emptied the chip box, and discarded the grease***. This was followed by a little more freezer room clean up, grain room organization, and then by a beef pasture check. I finished off my evening outdoors by testing out the various breakers in the office/freezer-room building and writing labels for their corresponding circuits.

TIL: Today I learned how to cook a brisket in the Charbroil Electric Digital Smoker. All I needed to do was marinate the beef for about 7 hours, then dry it, and rub it with salt and pepper in the morning (less salt next time, by the way). Other than that, I simply needed to follow the smoker’s directions which – in a step-by-step fashion – told me to insert woodchips, wait, and then place the brisket onto the central rack. There, it told me via phone to insert the probe thermometer into the center of brisket… and that was all. It took care of the rest: the temperature (which it provided real-time on my phone), the smoke regulation, and the moisture monitoring. All I had to do was wait impatiently while delicious oak-and-brisket smoke wafted about Jacobhouse.

Commentary: As can likely be told by the TIL and by the fact that 95% of the Wagyu brisket was consumed, the entire smoking process was today’s primary highlight. It was tremendously easy, and the result was absolutely delicious. Saying all this, I must give a nod to today’s other highlights: the sheer amount of morning accomplishments and the assurance that the peas can now grow without ravenous bovines nibbling and gnawing and ripping at their exploratory tendrils.

Final Note: Tomorrow, after what will hopefully be an early Farmers’ Market visit, I will return to the farm where I plan on cleaning up the freezer room a tad more / begin removing various fixtures that do no function appropriately… namely, the fan against which I have accidentally bashed my skull three times over the past two days.

* I did not have to tend to the brisket until about 30 minutes before lunch which is when I wrapped it with foil.

**So the cows will not eat the peas which will end up climbing the east fence.

***The grease smelled so good that I felt the need to dunk a finger in and taste it. I would not recommend this. It tasted solely of smoke… though, now I wonder if I could have saved it and utilized it as a ‘liquid smoke’ of sorts. Probably not worth it.