Sauce for brisket?

[Seth Boardman]

So at some point I'm actually going to smoke the brisket I have in the freezer. Now my wife has expressed that she would like some kind of sauce to go with it. Now I don't know much about brisket but is there a sauce anyone has made that doesn't take away from the flavor of the brisket? I'm thinking about no sauce so I can really taste the meat but happy wife happy life. Gotta let her win a few times!

 

[ChuckH]

My only suggestion is, let her pick a sauce that she likes, and serve it warmed on the side. Win, win

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

Make some beef bone “jus” from roast beef bones (or buy some) and make some personal adjustments. The idea of big gooey sauces on a brisket just feels “superfluous” if the brisket isn’t overdone and dried out, I have found that the innate moistness of a brisket do the best job of flavor delight. I’m sure others will have a different point of view but, that’s just one mans opinion.

 

[Lew Newby]

I make an au jus from the drippings but I put some Kansas City sauce by my wife's plate. She likes Kanas City with Brisket and Carolina with Pork. Happy etc.

 

[Tye R.]

Another vote for au jus. Quick and simple - drippings with a bit of beef broth with some fresh cracked pepper and a drop or two of Tabasco and my crew are happy. I serve it off to the side, maybe 2 out of 10 will use it, but they like it so I do it for them.

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

No. 5 sauce is great. It cuts through the fat. It doesn't have liquid smoke to compete with the smoke you worked so hard to put on your Brisket. It's not overly sweet. It's easy to make it your own. You can add drippings to it.

 

[Patrick Sullivan]

I agree with #5 sauce. If you wrap in foil, you can save the drippings and put into a fat separator. The drippings are liquid gold. You can add back to the brisket or add into the #5 sauce.

 

[Jim C in Denver]

Adding the drippings to the sauce is the pro move. I use Aaron Franklin's sweet sauce recipe (fairly similar to #5), but it gets much much better with the drippings. Definitely need a fat separator though.

 

[Mark Foreman]

I like the brisket sauce called Texas-style brisket and perfect brisket BBQ sauce from theheritagecook.com. It’s really good on beef ribs too.

 

[Seth Boardman]

No. 5 sauce is great. It cuts through the fat. It doesn't have liquid smoke to compete with the smoke you worked so hard to put on your Brisket. It's not overly sweet. It's easy to make it your own. You can add drippings to it.

I think I'm gonna have to try this one. It seems very simple and I will probably cut back on the vinegar since I'm not a huge fan of a strong vinegar sauce. I don't know if I'll have any drippings since I'll be using butcher paper but I'm sure I can substitute beef stock or paste.

 

[Jim C in Denver]

You’ll get tons of drippings into the water drip pan before wrapping. Reduce it down and then fat separate.

 

[JKalchik]

I'll concur with the No. 5 sauce. It's a simple, very good, recipe, and easy to dress up to your taste. I've had a version with some curry seasoning, went well on some smoked pork butt. Yes, the drippings do work well in it.

 

[James H]

Strong advocate of the No. 5 Sauce!

 

[Rich Dahl]

#5 sauce with drippings, but like said above a fat separator is mandatory.