Jacki’s Review of Brisket and Cheese Grits

I was finally able to make these two recipes yesterday for dinner and they were both very tasty.  First the brisket – I bought a small one since there are only two of us here (2.5 lbs).  I wish I would have bought a little bigger brisket for more leftovers!  Anyway, I halved the marinade recipe and let the meat marinate for 24 hrs.  I didn’t have liquid smoke so I used 1 tsp. of smoky paprika instead.  I was tempted to cook it in the crock pot but wanted to test the cooking time so I went ahead and cooked it in the oven.  It took a lot longer than the 40 min. per pound – I ended up cooking it for about 65 minutes per pound.  It was still might tasty before then, it just didn’t wasn’t fork shreddable.  Next time I think I will cook it in the crock pot and see what results I get.  Regardless – the meat had a very good flavor.  Next came the grits.  I followed the recipe as directed except I cut it in half and used Monterey Jack cheese.  I thought they were quite tasty except I wasn’t sure if they were supposed to be porridge like or more solid.  I let them sit for 10 minutes after taking them out of the oven and they did get a little more solid.  Maybe I was supposed to bake them longer – I baked them for 30 minutes.
I have never made grits before so this was a totally new experience for me.  It isn’t something I would automatically think of making as a side dish but I thought these went well with the brisket.  Rich wasn’t a fan though.  Next time I would use a little less garlic and a little more cheese – probably sharp cheddar.