I wouldn't cook it at 250 without previously heating it to a higher temp. The chance for it to stay a long time at an unsafe temp are too great. And the amount of salt in a packet of onion soup mix is about the same as 2 teaspoons of salt. Would you pour 2 teaspoons of salt over your meat, then add bbq sauce and roast it? My fingers swell when I eat anything that salty. I put it into a covered roaster, rub with garlic powder, ground mild red chilis or mild chili powder, spread on some tomato paste, about 1/3 of a small can....then pour a bottle of dark beer into the bottom of the roaster, you can add some onion slices to the top too, put on the lid and put it into a 300 oven for about 5 hours...or 325 for 4...or 350 for 3 hours...doesn't matter much...just so it gets hot enough to kill germs....and doesn't cook too fast. If you like a smoky flavor, add a very little bit of liquid smoke...like 1/4 teaspoon. I wrap the cooked meat, and pour off the liquid in the roaster and skim the fat, then slice the cooled meat and reheat in the sauce. It stays in neat slices that way. Linda C

Teri here are a couple of dry rub recipes and a general guide of how I do it. Memphis Rub 1/4 cup paprika 1 tablespoon firmly packed dark brown sugar 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons accent (MSG; optional) 1 teaspoon celery salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 to 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder Combine all the ingredients in a jar, twist the lid on airtight, and shake to mix. Store away from heat or light for up to six months. Makes about 1/2 cup. Enough for 4 to 6 racks of ribs. I've used this on from Sharon also. Here is my favourite rub from Steve Raichlens How to Grill (Sharon) 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup Paprika 3 TBSP coarse pepper 3 TBSP coarse salt 1 TBSP Hickory smoked salt 2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp onion powder 2 tsp celery seed 1 tsp cayenne Mix well and store in an air tight jar. Okay here goes as I don't have a "recipe" to post. I like to put the dry rub on the night before then wrap in foil or put in a zip bag. I've used a wet marinade too but I don't have an exact recipe so I'll leave that out tonight. I do take it out an hour or so before I put it on the BBQ or smoker. I'm guessing you are using a charcoal grill rather than a smoker here. If you are using wood chuncks or chips in a foil pack be sure and soak them in water for a good 30 minutes or so. Place your meat on the bbq fat side up and maintain a temp around 275. I add wood chuncks about three times during the smoking process....I'd do the same if you are using a foil pack with wood chips in it. I do this for 3 - 3.5 hours. The meat will only take on the smoke flavor during the first few hours of smoking Then I wrap the brisket in heavy foil and continue to cook it for another 3 - 4 hours maintaning a 275 - 300 degree temp. You can finish it in the oven at this point if you want to. The foil keeps the juices in and helps make the meat nice and tender. Remove from the bbq or oven and let it rest in the foil package for at least 30 minutes. Remove the fat cap and slice it across the grain or chop it up and serve with your favorite bbq sauce. We like it both ways...sliced with sauce or chopped on buns with sauce. It does take some time... around seven hours plus but it is so worth it IMHO! Your in for a real treat for sure. Pecan wood is one of my favorites but it is just as good with hickory or mesquite....try all three when time allows and pick your favorite. Let us know how it goes and if you have any more questions just ask or email me through GW. Happy Smokin'!! David

I agree with skipping the browning. I used to, but what a pain! Especially if the brisket is really big, as in, too big to fit in a skillet to brown so that you have to brown it in stages. I finally just quit browning and found that the results were just dandy. Whew! One less step.

Brisket is where three different muscles come together. That's why there are so many competing grains. Do you already have it? If not, it might be a good idea to have the butcher dismember it for you. The "tip" or "front" is a thinner piece. The back, thicker end should have a great big fat pocket in it. It can be separated into two pieces and have the fat trimmed. You don't want to cut it all away--and if you do the braise/chill/skim/heat method, it's a lot easier to skim if there's enough fat melting off to chill into solid chunks, rather than thin rivulets or dots--but while there are some people who revel in gnawing on a big hunk of brisket fat, most don't care for it. If you're just going to lop it in half, maybe give the thick end an extra hour at the beginning. If you do that, you should still be able to get at the fat blob with a boning or utility knife. Also, if you haven't bought it yet, you could just get two five pound tips. That works really well, especially for company. I've never cut up a whole brisket before cooking, but low and slow (300° F or less), I'll do 10 lbs. in one piece for 10 hours the first day and 8 hours the second day. That's well trimmed and with an hour at higher heat to help melt the fat. A civilized (trimmed but with a good fat cap) tip is about 5 hours at 350° then another couple on the rewarm. But all that is approximate depending on proportions, what else is in the pan, what kind of pan, etc. I haven't made the recipe, though it sounds like a good one. For brisket you want some acid and some sugar (in this case, wine and tomatoes) to help dissolve the connective tissue, and plenty of time in the oven. I think it might need cooking longer to be really tender, and much more than double if you do the brisket whole, at 350°. Maybe 10-12 hrs.? For the second heating, after slicing, I spoon the juice between each pair of slices, but I don't make it into warm gravy first. I think the reason for that is to save you time making gravy at serving time, since the sliced meat doesn't need to rest. Good luck!