via BroBible
Sometimes you just gotta risk it for the brisket.
For the third leg of the BroBible x Ninja Road Trip, I packed up my Jeep and headed east, aiming for Austin. The plan was to cross the deserts with my parents and my Ninja FrostVault Cooler keeping things dry, enjoying that dry heat through Arizona and New Mexico. First stop: Tucson and Saguaro National Park. I enjoyed a scenic sandwich around sunset, taking in all the saguaro cacti and the restful quiet of the Sonoran Desert.
Picked my parents up at the airport in Tucson, then we giddy-upped towards Las Cruces. After Las Cruces, we drove through Hatch, New Mexico—home to the famous Hatch green chilies. We loaded the Ninja FrostVault Cooler with frozen green chilies to enjoy when we got to Austin, then headed to White Sands National Park. It was windy, hot, and quiet there. We stickered up the cooler and enjoyed some chilled treats from the Ninja FrostVault Cooler. Next up was Pistachio Land, an iconic roadside destination in New Mexico with the world’s largest pistachio. After that, we dipped south through El Paso and ended up in Marfa, a funky little West Texas art town.
SHOP NINJA OUTDOOR PRODUCTS HERE
Making an authentic Texas brisket on the Ninja Woodfire™ Pro Connect XL Outdoor Grill & Smoker
Then came the long haul through Texas to Austin for a barbecue binge. I’ll be straight up with you—I’m no brisket or barbecue expert—but with my Ninja Woodfire™ Pro Connect XL Outdoor Grill & Smoker, I had one goal: Make a delicious brisket.
Making brisket is an undertaking; it requires tons of time, patience, and preparation. It’s not like throwing some burgers on the grill and chowing down.
If you’re an aspiring backyard pitmaster, the Ninja Woodfire™ Pro Connect XL Outdoor Grill & Smoker is perfect for your gatherings. It can handle up to 10 lbs of brisket, and with the Ninja Pro Connect App, it simplifies the most challenging parts of cooking a brisket.
The first thing I did when I got into Austin? Hunt down a small, nine-pound brisket at a butcher shop. The woman behind the counter said it was the smallest one she had in the meat locker, with most cuts ranging from 12-16 pounds.
Previously: Road Trip Diary #2: A Westward Adventure With The Ninja Frostvault™ Cooler and Ninja Blast™ Portable Blender
The next day, I seasoned it perfectly with some Meat Church Holy Cow rub, let it sit for an hour, then fired up the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL Outdoor Grill & Smoker to 250 degrees, with the Woodfire flavor on. It was gonna be an all-day endeavor, since good barbecue takes time and patience. Fortunately, the Ninja Pro Connect App helped me keep an eye on everything. The goal was to get that giant hunk of meat to around 200 degrees internally before letting it rest to absorb all those delicious flavors and juices.
WATCH:
I smoked my brisket twice with Ninja Woodfire pellets for that delicious smoky taste. As day turned into evening, the brisket stalled around 165 degrees but eventually it started to tick back up after about an hour. Pulled it off when it hit 200 and let it sit for a bit to absorb all those juices before digging in around 9 PM. It came out perfect—tender, mouth-watering, loaded with flavor.
SHOP NINJA OUTDOOR PRODUCTS HERE
Shared it with friends in the backyard who couldn’t believe I smoked a brisket using a Ninja Woodfire XL —minds were blown! The next day, I had leftover brisket, so I threw it on some pizza using my Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven for another backyard feast in Austin. It smelled so good, it even attracted some hungry and curious neighborhood critters.
Feeling accomplished by this brisket feat, I knew it was time to head back west. Packed up my Ninja goodies and headed down to San Antonio to see some friends, before heading off to Midland, Texas in the oil fields of northwestern Texas. Eventually, I made it to Santa Fe and enjoyed an epic New Mexico rainbow on the drive there.
Previously: Road Trip Diary #1: Why I’m Grilling, Chilling, and Adventuring With Ninja This Summer
From Santa Fe, aimed for Flagstaff at the Grand Canyon which was nothing short of spectacular—the perfect place for another scenic sandwich! Saw one of the most amazing sunsets of my life at Lippin Point at the Grand Canyon that night.
Next day, I woke up feeling super happy about how this adventure panned out. Took off down Route 66 with my Ninja FrostVault cooler loaded up with snacks and drinks for the ride back to Los Angeles. Made little Route 66 stops in Seligman and Oatman, Arizona where some donkeys blocked my path so I cooled them off with a fan before heading back to LA.
What a great leg of the trip! Got to hang with my parents, smoke a brisket, and enjoy one of the most spectacular sunsets ever…
Heck yeah!