Dear Regina Shrambling, we love smoky oven brisket made with liquid smoke, too!
Finally, noted food journalist Regina Schrambling, whose byline we’ve read everywhere from the New York Times to the Los Angeles Times and in all kinds of food magazines, has shared her love of liquid smoke in this story about oven beef brisket. Ms. Shrambling even goes as far as to call liquid smoke a “liquid asset,” a “magic seasoning,” giving her brisket “amazing natural smoky flavor.”
“It’s the only way I would serve brisket to company, and it’s always a hit,’ she writes. Right on, Regina! Regina’s great respect for liquid smoke began with an old food festival cookbook that included a recipe for beef brisket.
She’s not alone. These easy oven recipes using liquid smoke have been popular for generations. It ‘s just recently, since barbecue became an outright religion, that the use of liquid smoke has been condemned as a sinful practice.
Our journey to barbecue freedom and choice began with a brisket as well. Here’s a quick version of the story. We ran into our friend Adele Franzblau at the meat counter in Publix a few years back. Adele, who admits to a high level of uneasiness in the kitchen, was picking out a brisket when she told us about her Texas Aunt Pat’s smoky beef brisket recipe that she makes all the time. It’s the most requested family recipe for birthday dinners and special occasions. She just sprinkles a bottle of smoke, some Worcestershire sauce, and some garlic salt all over the brisket and cooks it in a low oven all day or over night. Works every time.
We had to try it. It blew us away, truly. And it launched us into the project which became Cheater BBQ: Barbecue Anywhere, Anytime, in Any Weather (Crown 2008).
Still on the fence about liquid smoke? Want to know more? Check out this link from Wisegeek., and take a look at The Straight Scoop About Liquid Smoke here at cheaterchef.com.
