Have you figured out the menu for your 4th of July party yet? If you’re still planning your spread, allow me to help. Over the past week, I’ve shared the menu I’ll be serving up, from classic sides (Crisp and creamy coleslaw, Brown sugar and bacon barbecue beans) to a rich dessert (Triple chocolate brownies) and my own signature barbecue sauce (Kentucky bourbon barbecue sauce) which you can tweak to suit your tastes.

Of course, no menu is complete without a show-stopping main course. This year, I’ll be slow-smoking a brisket for the gang. If you’ve never smoked a brisket before, don’t be intimidated, especially if you’ve cooked brisket indoors before. Simply think of your smoker or grill as an outdoor oven (which each one basically is), watching and maintaining the proper temperature until the brisket is fully cooked and tender. (In fact, after a couple of hours smoking the brisket outdoors, you can transfer the meat to your oven to finish the job — which I often do — using the oven to maintain the proper temperature until the brisket is ready to go.)

Happy 4th of July!

HICKORY-SMOKED BRISKET

6 to 8 hours, plus resting and tempering time. Serves 12 to 18

2 tablespoons celery seeds

2 tablespoons black pepper

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons chile powder, preferably New Mexico

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons ground cumin

¼ cup sweet paprika

½ cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons salt

1 (12-pound) brisket

Hickory chips, for smoking

2/3 cup cider vinegar

2/3 cup water

2/3 cup Dijon mustard

Prepared Kentucky bourbon barbecue sauce

1. Make your rub: In a medium bowl, whisk together the celery seeds, black pepper, onion, garlic and chile powders, oregano, cumin, paprika and brown sugar. This makes about 1 1/2 cups rub, more than is needed for the remainder of the recipe. Place the rub in an airtight container and store in a cool place away from direct sunlight. It will keep for about 2 months before the flavor starts to fade.

2. Season the brisket, rubbing the salt evenly over the meat. ribs with salt, using ½ teaspoon kosher salt for each pound of ribs. Then add the rub, massaging about 2/3 cup evenly over the brisket. Set aside for about an hour to give the meat time to temper before smoking.

3. Meanwhile, prepare your smoker or grill to cook over low, indirect heat. Set up a drip pan underneath where the brisket will smoke, and fill with water. Shortly before cooking, adjust the heat as needed to maintain a temperature around 250 degrees, and add hickory chips to start smoking. Meanwhile, prepare your baste: In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, water and mustard.

4. Place the brisket, fat side up, over the drip pan. Adjust the heat (add several coals to either side of the grill as needed if using a kettle grill) to maintain the ambient low temperature of about 250 degrees. Replenish the chips as needed to keep smoking. Baste the brisket every 30 minutes or so to keep it moist.

5. After 2 1/2 hours, wrap the brisket (fat side up) tightly in foil and continue to cook over indirect low heat until the meat is fork-tender, 3 to 4 additional hours (time may vary depending on the heat of the smoker and size and thickness of the brisket). The brisket can also be finished in the oven: Place the basted brisket in a roasting pan tightly covered with foil and cook in a 250-degree oven until tender, 3 to 5 hours.

6. Remove the brisket from heat and, still wrapped in foil, cover it with a layer of newspaper and kitchen towels to keep warm. Set aside, covered, for at least 1 hour before serving. Slice the brisket into thin slices against the grain. Serve with barbecue sauce.

Note: From Noelle Carter.