We are due to have another dinner for 20 plus tonight, and I thought I'd share my secret weapon - neverknowntofail menu and the means to accomplish it.
First the menu:
- Smoked Beef Briscuit
- Smoked sausage
- Baked Beans
- Cole Slaw
- Buns
- Brownies a la mode
- Beer
- Lemonade
Now - run, don't walk to your nearest hardware superstore and get yourself an electric smoker. This one cost us about $69 dollars 6 or 7 years ago, and has paid for itself many times over. Then either find a friend in Texas who can send you this brisket rub seasoning mix or go here and order some for yourself. I haven't ever found a spice rub as good as this one, and it's worth the shipping costs to have it sent to you. Their steak rub and fajita rubs are excellent too. There's magic in these two items - the rub gives the brisket the flavor that you get when you find one of those small authentic barbecue shacks where the proprieter and the inside of the restaurant are equally smoky - where everything is served on sheets of waxed paper or red plastic baskets lined with waxy tissue and where the last items tossed into the order are two slices of white bread and a dill pickle spear. The smoker gives you the ability to replicate the hours in a smoke house that produces the can't-cut-it-because-it's falling-apart texture. And - it's so easy!
The night before the dinner, pull out your briskets (we're using three big briskets tonight because we're feeding midshipmen and they're bottomless),and rub them with generous amounts of the seasoning. Your hands should be bright orange when you're done with this step. If they aren't, go back and put some more seasoning on. Cover the brisket with plastic wrap and place back in the fridge overnight. The morning of your party, bring your briskets to room temp and prepare the smoker according to the directions that came with your smoker. That's an easy process that basically involves spraying oil spray on the racks that fit inside the smoker, lining the water bowl with foil, then filling it with hot water and hardwood smoked chunks that have been soaking in water. We bought a bag of hardwood hickery chunks - again at the hardware store - several years ago, and are just now at the point of needing to buy more. Since you use only a small quantity each time you smoke, the bag of chunks lasts a long time. Plug your smoker in to a convenient outlet outside, and set the temp to medium-high temp. Place the briskets on the racks, close the lid and go do your thing. That's it! We typically allow 8 hours for a full smoker. We'll take them off between 4 and 4:30, and then throw the sausage links in for a hour or so. When they start to plump up, we pull them off, turn off the smoker and go enjoy the party.
I make a simple baked beans recipe, and I buy the pre-shredded cole slaw mix to further simplify things. I have hamburger buns and pickles in the event that people want to make a barbecue sandwich, and a barbecue sauce to go with it. The best and most authentic sauce around is this one. Sometimes you can find it in bigger supermarkets or specialty shops, but if you can't, by all means, place an order. I have a great triple chocolate brownie mix that I get in industrial size packaging at Sam's Club, and several caramel, chocolate, and butterscotch sauces to add to the brownies a la mode. I even pre-scoop the ice cream and put the scoops into muffin pans in the freezer, so that when it's time for dessert, I am ready.
This menu allows you to do everything before the party, so that you're not frantically cooking as guests arrive. You can be ready with a cold longneck in hand and some Lyle Lovett or Guy Clark playing in the background. I promise that your guests will love this dinner - and in the unlikely event that everything isn't gone by the time the party's over - this menu is great as leftovers!
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