Over the last 24 hours, I have learned to trust the process—such a good reminder when things don’t quite go as I planned.
I had planned to smoke a brisket for our family dinner today of 17 people. I had it all mapped out and fully planned to be ready to serve it up by 4 pm.
Well, it started roughly when the new smoker did not work. This is the third attempt in 3 weekends, and it has given me fits every time. Now I can roll pretty well with things, but the meat was scheduled to take 12+ hours and needed rest time, so I knew I did not have a lot of time to waste. After it was evident my new smoker was not going to function, my brother and I came up with a plan B. Set the oven to 225 and let it cook.
By 11 pm, it was in the oven, and I slept pretty well, trusting the plan. All day I watched the temperature, thinking 12 hours might do it. But it went on to 13 hours and then 14, 15 and then 16. I talked to my brother, who lives out East often, about going get KFC instead. He assured me over and over; it will be fine.
I kept checking the temp of the brisket and following Nick’s directives. At 330, the Brisket was up to temp and had 30 minutes to rest. At 4 pm, we sat down on a lovely day to an incredible meal. The brisket was perfect.
There are so many times throughout the day I wanted to give up. I was reminded again throughout the day, the importance of trusting the process. Not only did Nick ensure we all had a delicious meal today, he reminded me to stay the course. I am grateful the meal worked, but I am even more grateful that I learned something valuable about myself yet again in everyday living!