Recipe: Smoked Moose Brisket

It’s hard for meat eaters to not get excited when they hear the words “smoked brisket.” The flavors and textures send visions of meat with a tasty, long-grilled bark running through your head until you start to salivate.

A big old beef brisket will be thick, with a generous cap of fat to top it off. A brisket off a moose, elk or bison is lean in comparison to domestic versions, but cook up with an exciting flare that will tantalize anyone’s taste buds.

Brisket is cut off the sternum, or breastbone of a large animal. Because most hunters make their initial field incisions down the center of the chest, they cut right between the briskets that can be carefully removed from the animal. The brisket grows over the sternum and curves up around the bottom edge of the ribs. Make sure to keep it clean of debris and hair and don’t just add it to your burger meat.

Spice rubs work great on brisket to add depths of flavor when grilling. A crutch or some form of liquid is used to finish the brisket, wrapped tightly in aluminum foil. Brisket is easy to do; it just takes time. There are no shortcuts, so remember to go low and slow for best results.

Ingredients
• 1 moose brisket

Brad’s Brisket Rub
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon onion salt
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions
1. Trim the brisket of any heavy silvers and make sure it is clean.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients for the brisket rub and blend thoroughly.
3. Sprinkle generous amounts of the rub over the surface of the brisket and message in with your fingertips. Make sure to get the edges and any oddly shaped ends. Turn over and add the spice rub to the other side.
4. Place the brisket on a Camp Chef pellet grill (you can use any smoker or barbecue where you can control the temperature) and turn it to 250°F.
5. Monitor the internal temperature of the brisket until it reaches 180°F, then remove it from the grill and wrap it with aluminum foil.
6. Before sealing the foil, add some dark beer, apple juice, or a mop sauce, so the liquid comes halfway up the brisket edge. The liquid added will help hydrate the meat while it cooks to a higher temperature and ensures tenderness.
7. Place the wrapped brisket back on the grill for 3 hours or until the internal temperature reaches between 190° and 205°F. Let brisket rest in aluminum foil for 1 hour in a cooler.
8. Slice the brisket thin for serving as an entrée or eaten in a sandwich.

*Moose briskets are much thinner than beef and will take less time to cook. When possible, rub all four sides of two briskets and stack them together when you put them on the grill. It will extend the time they are on the grill to develop that beautiful smoke ring.

Red Mop Sauce
Ingredients
• 1½ cups cider vinegar
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Directions
1. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and whisk to blend. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook on low heat for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.
2. Pour the sauce into a sealable jar to store it in the fridge.