Smoke Show

The grillmasters at Barrel & Ashes ruminate on smoking the perfect brisket.

When it comes to smoked brisket, no one does it better than Barrel & Ashes in Studio City. Here is the eatery’s “how-to” on selecting, preparing and cooking their famous melt-in-your-mouth meat.

Choose a large brisket with a good, even fat cap on top. Trim the fat cap to about 1/4-inch.
Keep meat as cold as possible before it’s seasoned and goes into the smoker.
Generously season with salt and freshly ground black pepper all around.
Make sure to cook brisket with the thickest side, or the point, closest to heat source.
Set smoker to 225º, maintaining even temperatures throughout cooking.
Make sure in the first 4 to 6 hours the brisket comes up to temperature as slowly as possible in order to get a better smoke ring.
Cook for about 12 to 14 hours.
Let the brisket rest for 20 to 30 minutes after you pull it out of the smoker.
For slicing, separate the point from the flat and slice both going against the grain