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Smoked Brisket w/ Kick Ass BBQ Sauce

Serves: 12 people

Ingredients:

Brisket:

1 10-pound beef brisket

1 Cup apple juice

Rub:

½ cup paprika

¼ cup kosher salt

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup cumin

¼ cup chili powder

¼ cup fresh ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:

  1. Trim brisket of excess fat.
  2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and coat the brisket evenly. Let the brisket sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
  3. Prepare your grill or smoker. Place brisket, fat side up on grill grate. Maintaining a temperature of 225-250 degrees F cook until a thermometer reads 160 degrees F, about 6 hours.
  4. Remove brisket from grill, place on two large, stacked sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil: fold up edges. Pour in apple juice, wrap foil packet to enclose brisket and return to grill grate. Cook until the thermometer inserted in the thickest portion reads 190 degrees, about 2 hours.
  5. Remove from the grill, let rest for 20 min. Slice against the grain and serve with Kick Ass Sauce.

 

Kick Ass Sauce

Ingredients:

½ cup onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsps. butter

1 cup tomato sauce

1 cup ketchup

1 cup vinegar

¾ cup brown sugar

½ cup honey

1/3 cup chili sauce

3 Tbsps. Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbsps. maple syrup

3 Tbsps. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. paprika

1 Tbsp. dry mustard

1 Tbsp. chili powder

2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp allspice

 

Directions:

  1. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add in onion and garlic and sauté on medium low until translucent, about 8 min.
  2. Add in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve alongside smoked brisket.

Colorado is home to more than 3,200 species of wildflowers.  Here at Frowning Cactus Ranch several species are popping up including some of my favorites.  These bright bursts of color speckled in the meadows or among the high desert rock formations bring joy.

These are the wildflowers that are growing on the ranch right now!

 

Scarlet Hedgehog Cactus – also known as Claret Cup Cactus

Indian Paintbrush – Just gorgeous

Plains Prickly pear – This is a fruit bearing cactus species. The fruit is high in fiber, antioxidants, and carotenoids.  A favorite for the prairie dogs and pronghorn antelope.

Purple Locoweed – Also known as wooly locoweed and crazyweed. It is toxic to livestock.

Whitest Evening Primrose – Traditionally used by the Zuni people in rain ceremonies

Common Star Lily – Star of Bethlehem found mostly in the Rocky Mountains

Colorado’s State Flower – Rocky Mountain Columbine

My sister-in-law, Debbie, recommended the app Picture This to me a few years back to learn more about the flowers I come across every day.  This app is fantastic – it helps identify both plants and flowers!  My friends and I use it often on our treks in the mountains.  As you see a flower, you take a picture of it, and the app identifies it – tells you what it can be used for, and you can add it to your “garden”.  Your “garden” creates a fun jog down memory lane of all the beautiful flowers you have come across on your adventures.