FROM BRATS TO BBQ

In June, 2006, 'the husband' and I made a huge lifestyle change.  We moved from Wisconsin, to the mountains of Western North Carolina.  This view of our home was taken just prior to moving in.....I'll share updated photos soon.  NC is the land of BBQ, not Brats, which I consumed regularly each Saturday night in Cheesehead land.  My favorite comes from Meisfields in Sheboygan, WI.  Wisconsin has 4 major food groups:  cheese, brats, beer, and bars (not the drinking establishments, think brownies instead.)

Though I'm not that much of a meat lover, my spouse is.  He loves experimenting with various methods of cooking on our Big Green Egg.  It's a ceramic outdoor grill that can sear steaks at 700 degrees, or smoke slowly at 275 degrees.  Since beef brisket is readily available at our market, we decided to give one of my standby recipes, Beef Brisket in Beer Gravy, a Southern BBQ flavor. 

I wish this was aroma-vision......the picture actually does not do it justice.  The meat fell apart and was divine.  We'll be eating brisket for the next 2 weeks.  Well, one of us will be, I'm off to teach in TX next week.....hummmm, they are known to create some pretty tasty BBQ there too!

Here's my newly adapted recipe:

1 beef brisket (about 4 pounds)

2 large (that means BIG....really big) yellow onions, sliced

1 - 16 oz. bottle Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce

2 cans beer 

Cook the trimmed brisket over hot coals mixed with a little pecan wood, till nicely browned and crisp on both side.  Remove and place in a large foil pan, cover with onions.  Mix the beer and BBQ sauce and pour over the meat.  Cover with foil put back on the grill.  Close the lid and simmer slowly about 5 hours.  Add more beer if necessary.  Yummy.....