Beef Brisket Sandwiches

You'd think this cowgirl would already have a BBQ beef sandwich recipe, but I really don't! I make a mean pulled pork sandwich, (and by "mean" I do mean "delicious") but I think we've just come to rely on our yearly fill of Uncle Brian's BBQ Beef at the annual Bull Sale.So I found this one at Williams-Sonoma Kitchen, and it's bound to be a winner if only because it smells so good cooking. I used my favorite dry rub recipe, and I'm planning to top the sandwiches off with the Redd's Famous BBQ Sauce.

I started this recipe two nights in advance, and I've doubled it. I let the beef sit with the rub overnight, then in the morning I put it in the two crockpots. I didn't slice it, it was so tender and falling apart tonight that I just "pulled" it with a couple forks, sort of shredded it all up when it was done. I put the meat back with the juices in the crockpot, and refrigerated it overnight. In the morning, I plugged the crockpot back in and set it to "Warm" to reheat the meat without cooking it. I also poured some barbecue sauce into a separate crockpot to warm it.

Just before lunch time, I toasted the buns and assembled the sandwiches, wrapping them in aluminum foil for our lunch in the corral. The BBQ Sauce was plentiful in two 16-Ounce squeeze bottles, although I promised Number One he could have one bottle of BBQ Sauce all to himself...

We have found a winner! This will be the recipe I turn to for barbecue beef sandwiches. All the hungry cowboys loved them, especially topped off with our famous barbecue sauce, of course.

*picture next time!*

Beef Brisket Sandwiches
Serves 10

Beef brisket is a tough cut of meat that benefits from long, slow cooking. Here, we accomplish this task by using a slow cooker, which produces juicy, exceptionally tender meat. To create the ultimate sandwiches, layer slices of beef between toasted sandwich rolls and drizzle with your favorite barbecue sauce.

1 beef brisket, 4 to 5 lb.
Salt, to taste
1⁄4 cup beef grilling rub
2 small yellow or red onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1⁄2 cup beef stock
1⁄2 cup lager-style beer
10 sandwich rolls, toasted
Barbecue sauce, warmed, for serving

Season the beef brisket generously with salt and coat with the grilling rub. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.

Put the onions, garlic, stock and beer in a slow cooker. Add the brisket, fat side up. Cover and cook on high for 8 hours. Transfer the brisket to a carving board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let stand for 30 minutes.

Slice the brisket across the grain and fill the rolls with meat. Pour barbecue sauce into a bowl and pass alongside.