Go to the Recipe: Smoked Brisket Burgers
This along with the other BBQ Brisket content is awesome!
Keep it coming
Any thought on using a pellet smoker for this?
Will work fine on a pellet smoker! Smoke at 225 °F, follow the same pull temp guidelines.
How do I make 16-mesh black pepper at home?
Hey Chuck, there are more ways than one to skin a cat. I'm no pit master but here are the ways I've done it, most importantly I avoid the fine grounds when making my own. Approach 1 (EASY): In a blade grinder (pulse peppercorns) or mortar and pestle, crack pepper and transfer grounds to a sieve to remove the fine grounds. Reserve fine grounds for "table side" pepper. The important note with the sieve you choose is though many sieves are marketed as "fine mesh" there are two VERY common sizes. This one is marked as fine but I consider it as the coarse mesh of the two. The other one is this one, again, usually marketed as "fine mesh" but it's actually a "extra-fine mesh". Both will work, but if you can choose between the two go with the coarser of the two. Approach 2 (Controversial): I know this might not be accessible to most but if your passion and pockets get big enough for spice grinding you might consider getting a coffee grinder, even a used/old grinders work. Due the the variable grind size and burrs they can be great for dialing in the size you might want. Start by grinding on the coarsest grind then sifting grounds though a coarse mesh to remove fine grounds. But borrowing your families coffee grinder for this might get you into trouble. If you do though be sure to clean it as best you can before switching back to coffee. I recommend grinding a few old coffee beans first (and toss) before switching back to your top shelf beans.
Approach 3 (Annoying maybe....): Here you will need to upgrade your sieve game. Years ago the only option was very expensive "lab grade" sieves but there are affordable options now on the market and you wont be needing a large one. Sieves can come in a wide range of sizes, smaller the number the coarser it is. Get a number 16 mesh sieve. The thing to note here is your yield will drop significantly trying to chase a perfect 16 mesh grind. Because in my opinion if you want that you will need to pass your grounds through a number 16 sieve onto a number 20 sieve. What doesn't go through the number 20 sieve is actually what you will want to use.
Personally I've found approach 1 was great and no one has complained about the pepper i've served them on their brisket or ribs. Hope this is helpful and let me know if you have any questions Chuck.
I'm surprised I don't see mention of the Pepper Cannon from Mann Kitchen. It's a Seattle based startup that crowdfunded the perfect answer to this question.
It's a pepper grinder with high quality and (most importantly) adjustable burrs so you can tweak the size of the grind. Think high quality coffee grinder specifically for pepper.
I BBQ a lot, and I always grind fresh. It's expensive (especially to import into the UK), but if you BBQ a lot, or just generally use a lot of black pepper then there's no looking back.
Still waiting to see one make an appearance in the ChefSteps kitchen as Kenji is already a fan
We're big fans of the Pepper Cannon, and have recommended it in the past as a great gift! In fact, we all have one because we made it a team holiday gift a couple of years ago. Like you said, it's super expensive, but also a buy-it-for-life piece of quality kitchen equipment that's a game changer for BBQ and beyond. Cacio e pepe, porchetta, steak au poivre, country gravy ... the list goes on!
