Super Bowl BBQ Tips From Local Pitmaster

Chef Andy Husbands is an award-winning chef and a big Patriots fan. He's also the owner of Cambridge's "The Smoke Shop."

So what would he recommend for a Super Bowl feast? Brisket and buffalo mashed potatoes were two of his suggestions.

Here's how to make them!

Slow-Grilled Beef Brisket

We offer a lot of advice in this book about the finer details of different grilling methods. But from direct grilling to grill roasting to low offset cooking, one of the most important tasks for grilling meat, in particular, to perfection doesn’t actually take place on the grill. We cannot stress enough the importance of resting meat before serving it. If you cut into or serve it right away, the juice will not have time to redistribute and will drain the meat, leaving you a dry meal.

We suggest resting smaller pieces of meat for 5-10 minutes; and larger pieces for 15-30 minutes.

Serves 10

  • Ingredients
  • 5-7 pound/2.3-3.2 kg beef brisket flat, with fat
  • 1/4 cup/60 mL yellow mustard
  • 3 tablespoons/45 mL kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon/15 mL freshly cracked white pepper
  • 1 head roasted garlic, processed to paste
  • 1/2 cup/120 mL red wine
  • 1/2 cup/120 mL low-sodium beef both
  • 1/2 tablespoon/15 mL fresh oregano
  • 1/2 tablespoon/15 mL fresh thyme
  • 8 cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 sweet onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 carrot, sliced

Equipment: Drip pan, roasting or aluminum pan, heavy-duty aluminum foil, probe thermometer

Cooking Instructions

Brush the brisket with the mustard, then sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate.

Prepare grill for low two-zone grilling. Pile unlit charcoal on one side of the grill. Fill a chimney with charcoal. Stuff two sheets of newspaper in the bottom of the chimney and light it. When the coals are fully engaged – you should see flames peeking over the top – pour them over the unlit charcoal. Cover the grill and close the vents 75 percent. If you are using a gas grill, light the gas and adjust the temperature on one side of the grill to medium.

When the temperature reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit, clean the grill grate. Place the brisket on the cool side of the grill, fat-side up. Position a drip pan below the brisket. Cover the grill and cook for 3 hours, or until a thermometer inserted into the meat reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Rotate the brisket after 1 hour to develop an evenly caramelized crust. Add more charcoal and adjust vents as necessary to maintain fire temperature.

While the brisket is cooking, prepare the braising liquid. In a blender on high speed, mix together garlic, wine, broth, oregano and thyme. Pour into bowl and set aside until ready to use.

In the bottom of a roasting or aluminum pan that is large enough to hold the brisket and also fits on the grill, layer the tomatoes, fennel, onion and carrot.

After 3 hours, place the brisket, fat-side down, on top of the vegetables. Pour the braising liquid over the brisket and cover the pan tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Return the covered brisket to the grill and cook about 2 hours more, until a thermometer registers 195 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the pan from the grill and rest the brisket. Place the brisket fat-side up in a 9" x 13"/23 cm x 33 cm baking dish. Process the braising liquid and vegetables briefly in a blender or press them through a fine sieve. Pour the liquid over the brisket, tent with foil and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Slice the brisket against the grain in 1/4"/6 mm-thick slices. Fan the slices onto a platter and drizzle with some of the braising liquid.

Smoke Shop’s Buffalo Mashed Potatoes

Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish

  • 2 pounds Baker potatoes, peeled, washed and quartered
  • 4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • ½ stick butter, diced
  • ½ cup half & half
  • ¼ cup Franks Red Hot
  • Tabasco as/if desired
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Blue cheese dressing and minced celery as garnish

Place the potatoes and garlic in a medium-size saucepan with cold water to cover by at least 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the potatoes can easily be pierced with a knife, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and return the potatoes to the pot. Add the butter, half & half and mash with a fork or potato masher to desired consistency. Season with Franks, Tabasco if you like it spicy and salt and pepper, serve hot.

Garnish with blue cheese dressing and minced celery. YUM

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