Umami, Ooh My! Beef Brisket - Southern BBQ Sauce Contest

The winning recipe for Brisket in the Southern BBQ Sauce/Matherne's Supermarket/Bite and Booze contest went to Jeremy Wells, author of the blog Faire Les Courses, for a truly unique and equally intriguing creation.  I wasn't sure how this would turn out, but it was certainly worth meeting up with Jeremy on campus to try it out!

Jay Ducote presents a Southern Bar-B-Que Locker to Jeremy Wells

Well, let's get to it.  This is how Jeremy described his Brisket:

"I call this Umami, Ooh My! Beef Brisket. Umami, from the Japanese word for delicious, is savoriness, the fifth basic taste after sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. While sweet tastes often accompany pork and chicken well, beef is better paired with more savory flavors, which is why steaks are paired with red wines. The injection/marinade combines the savoriness of umami with some Asianeque flavors associated with the term's origin.

Two parts fresh pineapple juice
One part soy sauce
One part fresh-brewed green tea
One-half teaspoon Southern BBQ Cajun Seasoning
Dash of cayenne pepper

Pineapple juice, despite being sweet, soy sauce, despite its saltiness, and green tea, despite its mild flavor, actually have high levels of umami flavor. The flavors combine well and aren't overpowering, so inject the mixture liberally throughout the brisket.

The rub combines Southern BBQ's Louisiana Sweet Mesquite rub with another food high in umami: grated Parmesan cheese. About three parts rub to one Parmesan should work. After the whole brisket is liberally coated, smoke it for 1.5-2 hours per pound.

Unlike the other four tastes, umami from different ingredients produces a synergistic effect; in other words, a fifty-fifty mixture of two umami flavors can produce as much as eight times the flavor of either ingredient alone! So grab a beer, play a game of flip cup, and enjoy this "Absolutely Cajun, Positively Delicious" umami experience!"

Jeremy's "Umami" Brisket

Special thanks to Matherne's on Highland at Kenilworth for supplying the meat!