Try These Marcus Samuelsson BBQ Brisket Hacks For Maximum Flavor

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Even if you spend a lot of time at the grill or the smoker, some dishes can feel a little intimidating. Brisket falls into that category for many of us (myself included). Eight-time James Beard Foundation Award winning chef, restaurateur, author, and Food Network star Marcus Samuelsson spoke exclusively with Chowhound at the fifth anniversary of Marcus Fish + Chop House and the grand opening of Vibe BBQ by Marcus Samuelsson at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar. The multihyphenate food phenom shared some of his top tips for maximizing the flavor of Texas-style barbecue brisket.

Samuelsson suggests drawing inspiration from Texas tradition (among others — more on that in a moment) when creating top-notch brisket. In America, barbecue variations are regional. In South Carolina, for example, you'll find that pork one of the more frequently barbecued meats. In Kansas and Texas, beef takes the crown, according to Samuelsson. In addition to creating a Texas-style brisket, Samuelsson also recommends drawing inspiration from Jewish delis when it comes to slicing it up.

When it's time to slice your brisket, think about what you'd want if you ordered a pastrami on rye from a deli. "If we look at how to obtain the best flavors and how to get that to slap, we're kind of creating our own thing by being truly inspired by Texas on the brisket and then slicing it thin, almost closer to Jewish pastrami culture," Samuelsson said. "We're basically mixing two different cultures."

To get thin slices of brisket just like you'd expect when ordering pastrami from a Jewish deli, you'll need to put in a bit of extra work. First, you'll want to pop your brisket into the fridge — this can help make it easier to get the thin, deli-pastrami-esque slices Samuelsson recommends for authentic Texas style brisket. You certainly can go through the process by hand. Use a serrated knife to stop your barbecue brisket from falling apart. You can also use an electric slicer, if you prefer — this can save you some time and effort, and make it easier for you to create uniform slices.

Marcus Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia, and recommends using an Ethiopian spice blend called berbere to bring a little bit of heat to your brisket. "We end up with a little bit of berbere in the end. That's like where the Ethiopian flavors come in, but it's a blend between salt, sugar ... cumin is in there, paprika is in there," Samuelsson said. "We want to get flavorful, but not super spicy."

Berbere is a staple of great Ethiopian food, and it's well worth it to pick up a canister of it from the grocery store (or you can order it on Amazon for $7.99). In addition to using it to add flavor and a touch of heat to brisket, it's also one of the best spice blends for prime rib. You can also use it to season lentils, collard greens, pizza, eggs — basically, it adds a warm, flavorful kick to anything savory, so it makes sense to keep it on hand even when you're not smoking brisket.

Finally, Marcus Samuelsson hits his brisket with some extra flavor. "We toss it in rendered beef fat," Samuelsson said. "That's also not always traditional." Samuelsson said that he's always looking for authentic ways to add flavor to his dishes. "You have all this amazing moisture around. Why would I throw that out? That's my flavor component," he said.

To make this work, you can cook down the fat trimmings that you removed while preparing your brisket. After you've sliced your brisket, give it a good toss in the liquified beef fat. After the tallow has been tossed in beef fat, you'll want to throw it on a flat top to give it a final crisp, Samuelsson style. From there, the world is your beefy oyster. While you'll likely enjoy brisket on its own as soon as it's done crisping up on the flat top, there are plenty of ways you can use leftovers as well. Try adding brisket to mac and cheese for a serious upgrade (you can also hit the mac and cheese as a whole with a heavy shake of berbere), use it to fill tacos, or load up a quesadilla with a ton of your Samuelsson-style brisket.