Beer and Black Pepper Holiday Brisket

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup(s) kosher salt
• 3 tablespoon(s) coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoon(s) cayenne pepper
• 1 9- to 11- pound(s) whole beef brisket, untrimmed
• 4 to 6 12-ounce bottle(s) of beer

Preparation

1. 1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Set a metal rack over a rimmed baking sheet.
2. 2. To prepare the rub, in a small bowl mix the salt, pepper and cayenne. Sprinkle the mixture over all sides of the brisket. All of the rub mixture may not be needed.
3. 3. Pour 1 beer into a loaf pan and set on the oven’s bottom rack.
4. 4. Place the brisket, fat side up, on the prepared rack. Roast on the oven’s center rack for 4 to 6 hours, adding an additional beer to the loaf pan every hour. Cook until the meat reaches 185 degrees at the center. Remove the brisket from the oven and let rest at least 20 minutes. (The brisket also can be made the day before, then reheated on the same rack and sheet pan system covered loosely with foil for a couple of hours at 250 degrees. Remember to let the meat rest again before slicing.)
5. 5. Thinly slice to serve. Look at the grain of the meat and be sure to slice against it; be aware that the grain changes. If the slices look like a small honeycomb pattern, you are slicing it correctly. If it looks like long strings, it is incorrect.