Ask anybody who enjoys making barbecue at home, and most of them will probably say that they love to smoke pork shoulders and ribs, but that brisket can be a little intimidating. Usually seasoned with just salt and pepper, it’s harder to cover up your mistakes with sweet and spicy rubs and sauces. Plus, a full beef brisket is irregularly shaped, requires careful trimming of its fat cap and has grains that run in different directions, making it harder to cook evenly and carve afterward.
But an expertly cooked brisket is a thing of beauty and one of the greatest accomplishments of a great pitmaster. A Texas-based group called the Backyard Pitmasters feels your pain and wants to help you up your brisket game with a three-hour class they call BrisketU. For just $89, they will demystify the process of brisketry and teach you the art of smoking beef from beginning to end.
During one of the three-hour courses, you’ll learn all about Texas pits, how to select and trim the right brisket and how to make rubs and prep your meat. The classes also cover topics like wood selection and smoke profiles, how to start and manage your firebox, how to time your cook and how to properly slice up your end product.
Backyard Pitmasters has partnered with a bunch of local breweries to host the classes, so there’s sure to be one near you coming up sometime in the next month. They provide everything you’ll need for the class, from notepaper and pencils and the full smoker setup for the cooking demo. In most cases, you’ll get to sample the final product, but don’t plan on taking any home. They want to teach and encourage you to make your own brisket — not feed you!
If this sounds like something that you’d like to take part in, check out their upcoming schedule and click the link to hold your spot around the fire ASAP.
Saturday, March 19: East Nashville Beer Works, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Sunday, March 20: Mill Creek Brewing Co., noon-3 p.m.
Saturday, March 26: Tailgate Brewery, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Sunday, March 27: Mayday Brewery, noon-3 p.m.
Saturday, April 2: Fat Bottom Brewing Co., 9 a.m.-noon
Sunday, April 3: Black Abbey Brewing, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Sunday, April 10: Mill Creek Brewing Co., noon-3 p.m.
Saturday, April 23: East Nashville Beer Works, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
