Step 1

Gather all the ingredients. If the brisket is frozen, slowly defrost in the fridge over 1-2 days. Do not defrost wagyu at room temperature as the fat will melt.

Step 2

Pat dry with a paper towel. The brisket we purchased did not require trimming so there was no waste. If your brisket requires trimming, the fat should be trimmed to ¼ inch on the bottom side. Watch Franklin’s video in the blog post for detailed brisket trimming instructions.

Step 3

If your brisket is not a full packer cut, pay attention to the grain so you can slice it properly after it’s done cooking. We took a picture just in case we forget. You want to cut across the grain to serve.

Step 4

Combine salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix well. We use this Maraca Sifter.

Step 5

Sprinkle seasoning evenly on both top and bottom of the brisket as well as the sides.

Step 6

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Step 7

Make a container out of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Preheat Traeger to 225ºF (107ºC).

Step 8

Place brisket in Traeger smoker along with the aluminum cup filled with water. Check the cup every 1.5-2 hours to make sure it’s got water inside. There is a saying for smoking meat; “if you’re looking you’re not cooking.” To avoid opening the smoker while it’s cooking, use a temperature probe. With the probe inserted, the temperature of the brisket from the fridge is 40ºF (4ºC). You don’t need to warm the brisket up to the room temperature prior to smoking.

Step 9

When the internal temperature of the brisket reaches 170ºF (77ºC), about 5 hours later, take it out of the smoker.

Step 10

Tightly wrap the brisket in butcher paper.

Step 11

Optionally you can also wrap it in aluminum foil or don’t wrap, but the results will be slightly different. If you don’t wrap, the brisket will be drier and smokier.

Step 12

Place the brisket back in the smoker and cook until the internal temperature is 185ºF (85ºC). This is for wagyu brisket only. For regular brisket smoke until 203ºF (95ºC).

Step 13

After removing the brisket from the smoker it should rest for at least 1 hour. Place the brisket inside an ice chest and cover.

Step 14

If you don’t have an ice chest handy just place it inside your oven at a low temperature (160ºF, 71ºC).

Step 15

After 1 hour, take brisket out of ice chest and remove it from the paper.

Step 16

Slice brisket against the grain. Serve with your favorite BBQ Sauce.