Beers, bets and bites for Michigan football Week 3

We are back for another recipe and prop bet for week 3 as the Arkansas State Red Wolves come to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan football. This weekly segment will now be called "Beers, bets and bites" as I will be adding a good beer to pair with your gameday food. Let's get into the week three action.

Recipe: Smoked brisket

Brisket is one of our personal favorites at our household. It is the most classic barbecue recipe and when done well, a juicy, tender piece of meat that will enhance your college football Saturday in the best way possible.

Ingredients:

Salt, Pepper, mustard, brisket.

Start by brushing mustard all over your brisket. This will serve as the binder for your salt and pepper. There will be no mustard flavor on your brisket after smoking it so don't worry if you do not like mustard. Next, season your brisket liberally with salt. Add pepper (and garlic powder if you would like) as much as you want for flavor. Once your brisket is seasoned, you are ready to put it in the smoker.

Smoking time is going to depend on how big your brisket is. You can smoke the whole brisket, just the flat (more lean piece), or just the point (more fatty piece). I will be smoking the point tomorrow because it is a better piece of meat to use when smoking and for barbecue.

Put the brisket in the smoker uncovered at a low smoke temperature overnight. I try to put mine in at about 10:00 PM at the lowest temperature possible. When I wake up the following morning at 8:00 AM, I will raise the temperature in the smoker to 225 degrees.

Monitor your brisket closely as it should be developing a nice bark on it by now. Wrap the brisket in butcher paper or aluminum foil when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Keep smoking the wrapped brisket until it reaches 200 degrees internal temperature. Adjust your heat accordingly based on how quickly your meat is cooking. Once the brisket reaches 200 degrees internal, take your brisket out and let it rest. Suggested rest time is about an hour. Overall cook time can vary between 12-18 hours so it is important to monitor the brisket the entire time. I think this makes it fun because you can put your own spin on it and don't have to remain strict to any particular recipe.

Good sides include Texas toast, beans, fries and pickled veggies. A good beer to pair this meal with is GumBallHead. A personal favorite from Three Floyds Brewing Company with an ABV of 5.6%. Check out Hey Grill Hey for more great barbecue recipes.

Michigan football Week 3 prop bet: Under 47.5 points

A lot of talk surrounding the Michigan football program after last week's game has been about the need for the offense to find its identity.

I think the identity of this offense is going to come in the form of pounding the rock on the ground. Ball control offense combined with a pissed-off defense looking to make sure everyone knows they are still the best defense in the Big Ten is a recipe that smells like an under. Go Blue!