Unfortunately, the Danish style of BBQ is BYOM (bring your own meat)! The host provides a hot grill and sides (usually bread and salad), and you bring your choice of meat and drinks. This does not really inspire the slow smoked BBQing that I am used to doing. So, I have improvised my brisket recipe to be done in a kitchen, or more specifically in my toaster oven.
Cooking brisket in the oven is surprisingly simple and tastes remarkably similar to the slow smoked BBQ version. The only thing missing is the char on the fat and the beauty and taste of a smoke ring that only develops after hours on the grill. Still, on a cold rainy Danish autumn day like today, oven brisket tastes heavenly.
To start, we need the brisket (oksespidsbryst) and spices for our dry rub. Look for a cut of brisket that has some fat on top and seems to have two layers of muscle on the side. Larger cuts will cook better than smaller cuts. I usually choose a 1-2 kg (2-4.5 lbs) brisket (0.3 kg (0.6 lbs) per person. It shrinks a lot!) and hope for leftovers for sandwiches and salads.
To make the dry rub, we combine (clockwise from the top) black pepper, white sugar, brown sugar, oregano, thyme, cumin, coriander, chipotle pepper, paprika, and salt (center). The black pepper, sugars, salt, and paprika make the basis of almost every BBQ spice rub out there. The other ingredients can be tweaked to your own tastes. Try adding some cayenne for heat, or cinnamon or fennel to jazz it up, or some of your favorite chili powder to round out the flavors. The chipotle pepper adds a little bit of heat but more importantly adds a smokey flavor that is otherwise missing. You can also use smoked paprika, if available. I haven't been able to find any in Denmark yet.
Next, we have to prepare the beef. Wash and dry the brisket thoroughly. Trim the fat to about 1 cm (0.5 in) thick. A little bit of fat is necessary on this cut of meat. Brisket is a tough muscle with a lot of connective tissue that only breaks down after long roasting at very low temperatures. The fat layer protects the meat from drying out during the long cooking time.
Brisket is made of two different muscles on the breast of the cow. Try to find a piece that clearly shows those two muscles like mine above. Check out this website for a very detailed explanation of how to pick a good brisket and how to grill it low and slow. (This was one of my favorite references while I was learning how to smoke brisket on a grill.) I have found Danish butchers trim most of the fat off of ALL cuts of meat, including the brisket. My brisket here has a little too much fat trimmed off so there's nothing for me to do.
Liberally coat all sides with the spice rub. For my 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) brisket, I used about half a cup of dry rub.
Transfer the brisket to a baking dish and add all of the extra spice rub from your cutting board on top. Choose a baking dish that is not too much larger than your brisket. The meat will shrink with cooking by a lot and you do not want the drippings to dry out and burn. I use the largest baking dish that will fit into my toaster oven. Cover and refridgerate overnight if you can, otherwise you can start cooking right away.
Bake uncovered in a 130°C (250°F) oven for 4-8 hours. Plan on about 4 hours for the first 1 kg (~2 lb) and 2 hours for each additional 0.5 kg (~1 lb). The internal temperature of the brisket should be close to 80°C (180°F) when it's done. I don't have a meat thermometer yet here, so I usually test by pulling a little piece off the corner and tasting it for tenderness and flavor. Above is after 2 hours of baking, with 4 more to go.
This is what my brisket looks like when it's done. It has shrunk a lot and released yummy juices. It has a dark spice bark that tastes like the perfect combination of salty, sweet, spicy, and BBQ. You can turn the oven to broil for 2-4 minutes at the end to achieve the caramelization necessary to turn the spice rub into a crunchy bark and get a little bit of "char" that will remind you of a god BBQ.
When the brisket is done, remove it from the oven and cover with foil for at least 20 min. Slice across the grain and serve with some of the drippings as a sauce and a side of your choice.
Here, I'm serving brisket tonight with oven roasted garlic-herb potatoes (recipe found here) and sunchokes (from Diane Morgan's awesome "Roots" cookbook.) Enjoy! Here is the condensed recipe for oven roasted Texas-style brisket.
