Brisket Barbacoa Tacos
Recipe by Josh Butler, Executive Chef, La Mesa del Sur, Zac Brown’s Southern Ground Social Club
Photography by, Kyle Ripley, Haigwood Studios
Photography by, Kyle Ripley, Haigwood Studios
Yield: 8 servings (2 tacos with 3-ounce portions of brisket per person)
1 9–12 pound whole packer* beef brisket, untrimmed (preferably Certified Angus Beef)
1 cup Brisket Rub (recipe included)
1/2 gallon Brisket Braising Liquid (recipe included)
16 taco shells or small tortillas
Guava Barbecue Sauce as needed (recipe included)
Pickled Red Onions as needed
8 ounces Cotija or Queso Blanco cheese, grated or crumbled
1 bunch micro cilantro or regular cilantro leaves for garnish
Twenty-four hours before cooking, score brisket’s fat cap in a 1-inch diamond pattern just until meat underneath can be reached. Liberally rub Brisket Rub all over meat, making sure to coat all surfaces, especially scored cap and sides. Refrigerate overnight and keep covered. Preheat grill/smoker to 225 degrees and add soaked hickory chips to create heavy smoke. Depending on the type of smoker you have, you may need to add new smoke chips every few hours. Place brisket, fat cap side up, over indirect heat and cook 4 to 5 hours at a constant temperature of 225 degrees until the internal temperature reaches between 150 and 160 degrees. Take meat off grill or smoker and place in 2 full-size aluminum hotel steam pans, doubled one inside the other for added stability. Pour Brisket Braising Liquid over meat until it comes no higher than halfway up the meat (do not fully submerge). Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place back on smoker for 4 to 6 hours, or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 200 to 225 degrees. Uncover, drain, reserve and refrigerate Brisket Braising Liquid and cool meat completely overnight in refrigerator. The following day, trim excess fat cap off meat and cut meat against the grain in 1-inch cubes. In a large sauté pan, melt a few tablespoons of the solidified beef fat (that rose to the surface of the refrigerated Brisket Braising Liquid) over medium-high heat. Add meat cubes and sear until they are uniformly browned and caramelized, then deglaze pan with 1 cup Brisket Braising Liquid. Keep cooking until liquid is reduced by half. Brisket is now ready to be used in tacos. (A 9-pound brisket will yield about 32 three-ounce portions for tacos. Any remaining meat can be used in sandwiches, on salads or to make more tacos!)
To serve, place meat in taco shell or tortilla, drizzle with Guava Barbecue Sauce, then top with Pickled Red Onions, cheese, and cilantro. Any leftover brisket can be sealed and frozen for several months.
*A packer brisket is a whole brisket that includes both the “flat” portion and the “point.”
Brisket Rub
15 ounces Badia Adobo Seasoning without pepper
1/4 teaspoon habañero powder
3 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 1.41-ounce packs Sazón Goya con Culantro y Achiote
(coriander and annatto)
1 tablespoon light chile powder
1 tablespoon chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 cup kosher salt
For the Brisket Rub
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight container.
Brisket Braising Liquid
2 quarts beef stock
1/8 cup garlic powder
1/8 cup smoked paprika
1/8 cup cumin
1/5 tablespoon chipotle powder
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup agave syrup
1 bay leaf
For the Brisket Braising Liquid
Mix all ingredients together and whisk thoroughly. Transfer liquid into a container and reserve until ready to use.
Guava Barbecue Sauce
16 ounces guava paste, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup apple cider vinegar
4 ounces guava jelly
1/2 cup dark Jamaican rum
6 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 scallions, white part only, sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 whole habañero or Scotch bonnet chile, seeded and finely minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
For the Guava Barbecue Sauce
Combine all ingredients except salt and pepper in a medium saucepan with 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, then simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes until sauce has thickened slightly. Strain sauce in a fine-mesh chinois using a small ladle to push sauce through.Discard solids. Season sauce with salt and pepper and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Sauce will keep for several weeks.
Pickled Red Onions
1 quart red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/8 cup salt
4 bay leaves
4 small dried arbol chile peppers
4 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
For the Pickled Red Onions
In a nonreactive saucepan, heat vinegar, sugar, salt, bay leaves, and chiles until boiling. Place onions in a heat-resistant container, then pour hot pickling liquid over them. Let onions sit in pickling liquid for 1 hour or until they reach room temperature. They will turn bright pink in color. These onions will keep for several months when stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
La Mesa del Sur
18 Main Street, Senoia
770/727-9072
southerngroundsocialclub.com
1 9–12 pound whole packer* beef brisket, untrimmed (preferably Certified Angus Beef)
1 cup Brisket Rub (recipe included)
1/2 gallon Brisket Braising Liquid (recipe included)
16 taco shells or small tortillas
Guava Barbecue Sauce as needed (recipe included)
Pickled Red Onions as needed
8 ounces Cotija or Queso Blanco cheese, grated or crumbled
1 bunch micro cilantro or regular cilantro leaves for garnish
Twenty-four hours before cooking, score brisket’s fat cap in a 1-inch diamond pattern just until meat underneath can be reached. Liberally rub Brisket Rub all over meat, making sure to coat all surfaces, especially scored cap and sides. Refrigerate overnight and keep covered. Preheat grill/smoker to 225 degrees and add soaked hickory chips to create heavy smoke. Depending on the type of smoker you have, you may need to add new smoke chips every few hours. Place brisket, fat cap side up, over indirect heat and cook 4 to 5 hours at a constant temperature of 225 degrees until the internal temperature reaches between 150 and 160 degrees. Take meat off grill or smoker and place in 2 full-size aluminum hotel steam pans, doubled one inside the other for added stability. Pour Brisket Braising Liquid over meat until it comes no higher than halfway up the meat (do not fully submerge). Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place back on smoker for 4 to 6 hours, or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 200 to 225 degrees. Uncover, drain, reserve and refrigerate Brisket Braising Liquid and cool meat completely overnight in refrigerator. The following day, trim excess fat cap off meat and cut meat against the grain in 1-inch cubes. In a large sauté pan, melt a few tablespoons of the solidified beef fat (that rose to the surface of the refrigerated Brisket Braising Liquid) over medium-high heat. Add meat cubes and sear until they are uniformly browned and caramelized, then deglaze pan with 1 cup Brisket Braising Liquid. Keep cooking until liquid is reduced by half. Brisket is now ready to be used in tacos. (A 9-pound brisket will yield about 32 three-ounce portions for tacos. Any remaining meat can be used in sandwiches, on salads or to make more tacos!)
To serve, place meat in taco shell or tortilla, drizzle with Guava Barbecue Sauce, then top with Pickled Red Onions, cheese, and cilantro. Any leftover brisket can be sealed and frozen for several months.
*A packer brisket is a whole brisket that includes both the “flat” portion and the “point.”
Brisket Rub
15 ounces Badia Adobo Seasoning without pepper
1/4 teaspoon habañero powder
3 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 1.41-ounce packs Sazón Goya con Culantro y Achiote
(coriander and annatto)
1 tablespoon light chile powder
1 tablespoon chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 cup kosher salt
For the Brisket Rub
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight container.
Brisket Braising Liquid
2 quarts beef stock
1/8 cup garlic powder
1/8 cup smoked paprika
1/8 cup cumin
1/5 tablespoon chipotle powder
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup agave syrup
1 bay leaf
For the Brisket Braising Liquid
Mix all ingredients together and whisk thoroughly. Transfer liquid into a container and reserve until ready to use.
Guava Barbecue Sauce
16 ounces guava paste, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup apple cider vinegar
4 ounces guava jelly
1/2 cup dark Jamaican rum
6 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 scallions, white part only, sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 whole habañero or Scotch bonnet chile, seeded and finely minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
For the Guava Barbecue Sauce
Combine all ingredients except salt and pepper in a medium saucepan with 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, then simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes until sauce has thickened slightly. Strain sauce in a fine-mesh chinois using a small ladle to push sauce through.Discard solids. Season sauce with salt and pepper and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Sauce will keep for several weeks.
Pickled Red Onions
1 quart red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/8 cup salt
4 bay leaves
4 small dried arbol chile peppers
4 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
For the Pickled Red Onions
In a nonreactive saucepan, heat vinegar, sugar, salt, bay leaves, and chiles until boiling. Place onions in a heat-resistant container, then pour hot pickling liquid over them. Let onions sit in pickling liquid for 1 hour or until they reach room temperature. They will turn bright pink in color. These onions will keep for several months when stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
La Mesa del Sur
18 Main Street, Senoia
770/727-9072
southerngroundsocialclub.com