If you find yourself without a smoker, there’s always cheater barbecue. Rub one trimmed beef brisket liberally with Magic Dust (recipe below), and refrigerate overnight. Wake up early, say around 6 a.m., and preheat the oven to 225°F. Place the brisket on a rack over a roasting pan and cover with aluminum foil. Cook for 8 hours, basting with the juices that pool on the bottom of the pan whenever you get a chance. Remove the aluminum foil and cook for four more hours, basting still. Turn the oven up to 350°F and cook for 1 more hour, basting with barbecue sauce (recipe below) for the final hour. Once a nice crust has developed, remove it from the oven and wrap completely in foil and rest for 1 hour. Remove from the foil, slice thinly and eat. If all has gone according to plan, it should be around 8 p.m.

Magic Dust Spice Rub
yields 300 grams

This recipe is adapted from Peace, Love and Barbecue an amazing cookbook on the subject by Mike Mills, a former world champion pitmaster.

Ingredients:

• 52 g paprika
• 48 g kosher salt
• 48 g sugar
• 12 g mustard powder
• 40 g chili powder
• 40 g ground cumin
• 24 g garlic powder
• 4 g black pepper
• 12 g cayenne

Method:
1. Mix all spices together in a dry mixing bowl and store in a sealed container.

Barbecue Sauce
yields approximately 1.3 litres

This sauce is adapted from a recipe in the same book and is awesome.

Ingredients:

• 600 g ketchup
• 300 ml rice wine vinegar
• 250 ml apple juice
• 125 ml apple cider vinegar
• 160 g brown sugar
• 60 ml soy sauce
• 60 ml worcestershire sauce
• 30 g dijon mustard
• 2 g cayenne pepper
• 6 g garlic powder
• 2 g white pepper
• 200 g onion, peeled and minced
• 100 g green apple, peeled and grated

Method:
1. Combine all ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Reduce until the sauce thickens slightly and tastes delicious, approximately 30-45 minutes. Cool and store in a sealed container in the fridge. Will keep for up to 2 weeks.