Slow-Smoked Beef Brisket with Salt and Pepper Bark

Apply the rub. Pat the brisket dry, mix the salt and pepper and press it all over the meat. Ideally the night before, refrigerate it uncovered on a rack over the tray for 8-24 h, though you can cook straight away. Resting uncovered dries the surface, which helps the bark form.

Set up the cooker. Heat the smoker or kettle for indirect cooking to 110-120°C and add 2-3 wood chunks to the coals. On a kettle, bank the coals to one side with a tray of water under the cooking area. The water steadies the temperature and keeps the air moist.

Smoke low and slow. Place the brisket fat side up over the indirect zone with the thicker point towards the heat, and insert the leave-in probe into the thickest part of the flat. Close the lid and hold the cooker at 110-120°C, adding charcoal and the last wood chunks as needed. Smoke for 6-8 h, until the bark is dark and set and the probe reads about 75°C.

Wrap and finish. Wrap the brisket tightly in 2 layers of butcher paper or foil, fat side up, and return it to the cooker or a 120°C (fan 100°C) oven. Cook for 2-4 h more, until the probe reads 93-95°C and slides in like soft butter in several places. Wrapping pushes it past the stage where evaporation slows the cooking, while the long heat melts the collagen.

Rest in a cool box. Wrap the parcel in towels, place it in the cool box and rest for 1-2 h; it stays well above 63°C. Serve within 4 h of finishing, or chill it. Resting lets the juices redistribute so they stay in the meat when you slice.

Quick-pickle. During the rest, warm the cider vinegar and sugar until dissolved, then pour over the cucumber and jalapeño and leave for 30 min. Drain before serving; the sharp pickles cut through the rich beef.

Slice and serve. Separate the flat from the point. Slice the flat across the grain about 6 mm thick, then turn the point 90° and slice it across its own grain a little thicker. Spoon over the juices from the paper and serve with sliced onion and the pickles.