2 days ago
Fast brisket? Let the Meat Teacher show you how with this ingenious method
How Matt Groark went from a physical education teacher to a certified barbecue phenom with more than 5 million followers on TikTok and a book deal is a path that winds through tragedy, community, and hard work.
For years, Groark was raising two young boys with his wife, Kristen Groark, while juggling several side hustles to make ends meet. But grilling was an obsession his wife encouraged him to follow, and he peppered his social media feeds with outdoor cooking tutorials.
The tragedy was more personal. He and his wife suffered five miscarriages in seven years. As a gesture of goodwill, Matt Groark's class surprised the couple with tickets to a Philadelphia 76ers game. But Groark didn't want anyone left out.
"I flipped it and turned it into a field trip, and I got ahold of the 'Sixers, and they gave me tickets in a suite to bring my whole class with me," Groark said.
The story was then picked up by the local news outlets and Groark's social media pages started rapidly gaining followers interested in his grilling adventures.
Soon, grill companies were sending him equipment to help fuel his passion. Ever vigilant for ways to help his community, Groark used it to throw barbecue fundraisers, raising money for charity with his students.
Soon, he was on a life-changing course, cooking for crowds at festivals and shaking hands with Gordon Ramsay on Next Level Chef. All the while, Groark was documenting his adventures and continuing to grow his fan base.
Now, Groark helms a successful barbecue brand called Groark Boys BBQ and has millions of followers. Even after all of the fame, he continues to teach — but now as a culinary arts instructor at his school.
With such a packed schedule, Groark has developed a method that speaks to most modern Americans: How to make deeply flavorful food in a fraction of the time.
"I think in part because having a full-time job, being a dad, being a husband, I don't necessarily have time to sit for 14 hours while brisket smokes," he explained.
To that end, The Meat Teacher, as he's become known, has adapted a fast brisket recipe he learned on the barbecue competition circuit from five-time world barbecue champion, Myron Mixon. It cuts the time it takes to make brisket essentially in half to somewhere around five or six hours.
"That's still a really great amount of time to be able to chill out in your backyard with some buddies and friends," he said.
But it gets the meat on the table faster. That's a win-win.
Find more fast barbecue recipes and vegetarian dishes in "The Meat Teacher Cookbook: The Ultimate Backyard BBQ Guide for an A+ in Pitmastery," and on TikTok @groarkboysbbq.
Serves 15-20
There is something magical about the time spent smoking brisket in the comfort of your ownbackyard. I have made plenty of mistakes while learning how to cook a great brisket, and trust mewhen I say, I still do. However, this is the method I learned from Myron Mixon's BBQ CookingSchool, and it is the one I have been the most consistent using.
'Hot and fast' is the method, which means we are smoking at a higher temperature than the traditional low and slow. This is achievable using a trusty kettle grill or a convenient pellet smoker — the result will be the same.
With a little know-how, patience, and some helpful tips, you will have a method you can go back to time and time again.
One 15- to 17-pound whole beef brisket, packer-cut (with both the point and flat sections)
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 cups RubCity Texas Hat Hanger BBQ Rub and Seasoning (or 1 cup kosher salt and 1 cup freshly ground black pepper)
2 cups beef broth
Trim excess fat from the brisket, leaving about 1/4 inch for flavor and moisture. Trim off any loose or hanging pieces to ensure even cooking and prevent any pieces from burning and drying out.
Slather your brisket with the mustard as a binder and season with the rub. Make sure the brisket is evenly coated on all sides.
If you're using a kettle grill: Set up your grill for indirect heat by placing an aluminum drip pan in the center and arranging charcoal briquettes on either side. Add a handful of wood chunks (I like to use hickory or oak) on top of the charcoal to create smoke. Preheat the grill to about 300 degrees.
If you're using a pellet smoker: Fill the hopper with your preferred wood pellets. Preheat the smoker to 300 degrees.
Place the seasoned brisket in the center of the grill or smoker grate. Close the lid and let the magic happen.
Maintain a consistent smoking temperature of 300 degrees throughout the cooking process. This slightly higher temperature will help render the fat and speed up the cooking time.
When the brisket probes at 165 degrees and has beautiful dark mahogany bark, you are ready to wrap. If you feel the bark needs more time, you can allow it to go to 175 degrees internal.
Place your brisket in a full-size disposable aluminum pan and set it on a rack to elevate it. Pour the beef broth in the bottom and wrap the pan in aluminum foil tightly to seal. This helps retain moisture and speeds up the cooking process.
Return the wrapped brisket to the grill or smoker and continue cooking until it reaches an internal temperature of to 205 degrees.
Remove the brisket from the grill or smoker, keeping it wrapped, and let it rest in a prepared cooler or Cambro warming box for at least 3 hours. Resting allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in a tender and juicy brisket.
Put on heat-resistant gloves or mitts and carefully unwrap the brisket. Transfer it to a cutting board.
Slice the brisket against the grain, starting from the flat section and working toward the point. Aim for slices that are 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce, pickles, onions, or other traditional accompaniments.
Mackensy Lunsford is the editor of Southern Kitchen and senior dining reporter at The Tennessean. Reach her at mlunsford@
This article originally appeared on Southern Kitchen: Easy brisket recipe: How to get your barbecue to the table faster
