Brisket Melts (Printer-Friendly Layout)
Rich brisket, stretchy cheese, crunchy onions, and smoky zing all packed onto crispy sourdough.
# Ingredients You'll Need:
→ Brisket Prep
01 -
Butcher's paper for wrapping
02 -
A whole brisket with extra fat trimmed off
03 -
Beef tallow, 3–4 tablespoons
04 -
Enough mustard to lightly coat the brisket
05 -
Hickory pellets for smoking
06 -
A pepper-heavy brisket rub, used generously
07 -
A splash of apple cider vinegar for wrapping
→ Caramelized Onions
08 -
2 tablespoons avocado oil
09 -
Kosher salt, about 1 tablespoon
10 -
A couple whole onions, diced up
11 -
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
→ Sandwich Building
12 -
Colby Jack cheese, 2 slices per sandwich
13 -
Your best-loved BBQ sauce, dash as preferred
14 -
Unsalted butter for both toasting and spreading
15 -
Sourdough bread, as much as you want
16 -
Fried crispy onions, add as much as you like
17 -
2 slices provolone cheese for each melt
# Step-by-Step Instructions:
01 -
First, trim off the big bits of fat, then slather mustard all over the brisket.
02 -
Coat every side with a fun amount of peppery brisket rub. Stick it in the fridge for about 1 to 2 hours so the flavors sink in.
03 -
Crank up your pellet smoker to 100°C. Toss in some hickory pellets, throw a pan of water below the brisket, and let it smoke for about 9–10 hours until the middle of the brisket hits 74–77°C.
04 -
Once you're there, pull it out, splash some apple cider vinegar and a few tablespoons of beef tallow, then wrap it up tight with butcher's paper. Smoke again at 120°C until the temp reads 96–97°C deep in the meat.
05 -
Drop the whole wrapped brisket into a cooler and let it chill out for 2 to 3 hours so it holds onto all that tenderness.
06 -
Warm up a skillet on medium, dump in avocado oil, butter, onions, and some salt. Stir often and cook 'til the onions turn a deep golden and sweet.
07 -
Stack some sourdough with Colby Jack, slices of brisket, a handful of caramelized onions, crispy onions, a hit of BBQ sauce, some provolone, and then cap it off with another slice of bread.
08 -
Heat your cast iron pan on medium. Add butter, drop in your sandwiches, cook for 3–4 minutes each side, flip once, and pull them off when the bread is golden and the cheese is gooey.
# Extra Tips and Tricks:
01 -
Letting the brisket sit in a cooler makes it extra juicy and super easy to slice for the melty sandwiches.