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The Smoked Brisket Recap
(Short Version)

Wally's dad gives us a quick review of how his first smoked brisket turned out. This short version email shows you that excellent results can come without experience.

Please don't be afraid to try something new. Yes, you may make a mistake or two (who doesn't). But it will all turn out OK.

When I used to get worried about doing something wrong, or what the results of events would be, my dad always used to tell me,

"Things will work out... They always do."

Hi Jeff,

I know you're probably busy so no need to reply - I just wanted to update you on how the brisket turned out. I'm the guy in CA that decided to try a brisket this past weekend, and with your help, it was a huge success! No kidding. Here's what happened:

As you might recall, I finished the brisket Sunday night, but my family and I had already filled up on bratwursts, so we saved the brisket for Monday. We had some for dinner last night (with corn on the cob and baked beans) and it was a big hit!

I asked my wife what she thought of my first foray into smoked brisket and she said, "This is so good I can't wait for your SECOND foray into smoked brisket!" My wife normally doesn't like smokey foods, but I was pretty careful not to overwhelm the brisket and it had just enough smokey flavor that even SHE liked it! High praise indeed!

My 12 year old son loved it too, but he eats pretty much anything I cook for him - he's not very picky. But, he rarely ever compliments me for how it tastes (I usually have to ask him 6 or 7 times if it's any good just to get an answer of any kind) and he took one or two bites of his brisket slices and said, "Hey Dad, this is awwwwwwesssssoooooommmmmeeeee." (I think that's a compliment.) :)

So I can't thank you enough for your help with this. My family has become brisket lovers! Now they want me to make some more...

Also, I'm going to help a buddy tomorrow (we're crushing grapes - he makes his own wine) and he's a big brisket lover, so I saved a little bit for him to sample and I hope he tells me it's pretty good also.

He's a very good cook, but he never tried cooking brisket before - and now he says he wants to try it! I suspect we'll get together some weekend with plenty of beer and a few football games on TV so we can make some more tasty brisket.

I still have a lot to learn about how to make it better, but I learned a lot with this first one so that makes it just a little bit less intimidating for the next time. Practice makes perfect, right?

Thanks again, Jeff! You're the best! I'll be sure to shoot you a quick email the next time I get going with the brisket (which might be pretty soon). Hope you have a great week and a relaxing weekend!

Your very grateful brisket student,

Mickey (Wally's dad)

Take the lead from Wally's dad. Jump right in and try something new or different. "And what happens if I mess up?", you ask.

Get another drink and try again.

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