smoked brisket recipe

Recipe for Smoked Beef Brisket and common questions and answers.&nbsp;

Smoked Brisket Recipe

extra virgin olive oil

beef rub

Trim and Season

The day before cooking, trim the excess fat off the brisket, apply olive oil. In a separate bowl, combine your dry rub ingredients, and liberally apply to the brisket. Leave in fridge overnight prior to cooking.

Prepare Smoker

The day of cooking, preheat your smoker to 250 degrees F, we use fruit wood like apple or cherry.

Smoke

Place brisket on the smoker (using large tongs) when the temperature is a consistent 250 degrees and insert your two zone meat probes. One for the meat inserted into the flat, and one to monitor the ambient temperature of the cooking chamber.

Wrap

When the internal temperature of the brisket is 165 degrees you will carefully remove the brisket and place onto two pieces of pink butcher paper to wrap. Remove the meat probe, tightly wrap the brisket, and then add the meat probe back into the same general area. Place back into the smoker.

Continue Smoking

Continue cooking at 250 degrees for another several hours until the brisket approaches 195 degrees. At that point, you will use your instant read thermometer to insert and probe the flat and the point for that smooth buttery texture as you check for doneness. Anywhere from 195 to 205 it may be done.

Rest

Then remove, still wrapped and rest for 30 minutes. Or place into a cooler to hold the temperature until ready to serve.

Serve

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/xVFEchyK.mp4

Smoked Brisket Video

If you love BBQ beef brisket but have always been intimidated by the thought of smoking one yourself at home then this is the perfect &quot;how to&quot; recipe to help you get it done to perfection.

Authentic Texas-Style Smoked BBQ Brisket

beef

beef broth

Morton coarse kosher salt ((approximately ½ teaspoon per pound))

Big Bad Beef Rub

Trim. Trim off most of the fat cap but leave about 1/4&quot;. Until you get the hang of trimming fat, you might cut off some of the meat in the process. No harm, no foul. Some cooks attempt to remove some of the fat layer between the flat and the point by slicing them apart from both sides, but not slicing all the way through so they remain attached. Go for it, if you like. Either way, when you&#039;re done trimming fat, clean the meaty side of any silverskin, a shiny, thin, tough membrane. Set aside some fat for making burnt ends, described below. I always freeze some of the fat and grind it for my burgers if I think the meat needs more fat. I also render some fat over low heat in a pan, and freeze that too. I use beef fat to paint my steaks just before searing.

Separate. You can remove the point at this stage, especially if you want to turn it into those luscious chunks of beef candy called burnt ends. Purists cry heresy, but separating the point and flat gives you a flat that is pretty uniform in thickness so it will cook more evenly. Plus, you can apply flavorful rub to all sides of the flat, and you will get an all-around smoke ring. You can cook the point and flat side by side.

Inject (optional). I almost always inject briskets with beef broth. This meat takes so long to cook that the extra moisture helps keep it from dehydrating, and the salt helps the meat hold onto moisture and enhances flavor. Use broth only. No need to add spices, juices or other flavorings. All we want here is moisture. We don&#039;t want the fluid to mask the flavor of the meat. If you have a hypodermic syringe for injecting meat, now&#039;s the time to use it. Pump in about 1 ounce of beef broth per pound of raw meat by inserting the needle parallel to the grain in several locations about 1&quot; apart and backing it out as you press the plunger. Do it in the sink, and be careful so you don&#039;t get squirted in the eye.

Season. If you have not injected salt, salt the meat about 12 to 24 hours in advance so it can work its way in, 2 to 4 hours minimum. If you have injected a salt solution, do not salt the meat.Notice the direction of the grain of the flat and remember this so you can carve the cooked brisket perpendicular to the grain. The grain will be hard to find under the bark when it is done, so some people mark it with a slice in the surface or cut off a slice to show them the way to cut later. After salting, sprinkle the Big Bad Beef Rub liberally on all areas of the meat and rub it in.  Keep the meat chilled until just before you cook it. Chilled meat attracts more smoke. I strongly recommend you use a remote digital thermometer and insert the probe with the tip centered in the thickest part of the meat furthest from the heat.

Fire up. Pre-heat your smoker, or if you are using a grill, set it up for indirect cooking. Click here to see how to set up a gas grill, here to set up a charcoal grill, or here to set up a bullet smoker like the Weber Smokey Mountain. Get the cooker temp stabilized at about 235°F. We want to cook at about 225°F, but the temp will drop a bit once you open the lid and load in the cold meat.

Cook. Put the meat on the cooker. On a smoker with a water pan, put the meat right above the water. Place the oven temp probe on the grate next to the meat. Add about 2 cups (4 ounces) of wood right after the meat goes on. When the smoke stops, add 4 ounces more during the first 2 hours, which usually means adding some every 30 minutes or so. Keep an eye on the water in the pan. Don&#039;t let it dry out. After 3 hours, turn the meat over if the color is different from top to bottom. Otherwise, leave the meat alone. No need to mop, baste, or spritz. It just lowers the temp of the meat and softens the bark. 

Wrap (optional). The meat&#039;s internal temperature will move steadily upward to somewhere around 150 to 170°F, and then it will enter the stall. Once in the stall, the temp will seem to take forever to rise. The stall can last 5 hours and the temp may not rise more than 5°F! When the meat hits the stall and temp stops rising, take it off and wrap it tightly in a double layer of heavy-duty foil. We have learned that the more airspace around the meat, the more juice leaks out of the meat. Crimp it tight and put the wrapped meat back on the smoker or move it to an indoor oven at 225°F. This step, called the Texas Crutch, slightly braises and steams the meat, but most importantly, it prevents the surface evaporation that cools down the meat and causes the stall. If you wrap the meat at 150°F, it will power right through the stall and cut your cooking time significantly.

Burnt ends (optional). Burnt ends are amazingly flavorful bite-size crispy meat cubes. Originally they were simply edges and ends that were overcooked and trimmed off and munched by the kitchen staff. If there were any leftover, they were given away for free. Then, in 1970, in his marvelous book American Fried, Calvin Trillin wrote the following about Arthur Bryant&#039;s restaurant in Kansas City &quot;The main course at Bryant&#039;s, as far as I&#039;m concerned, is something that is given away for free -- the burned edges of the brisket. The counterman just pushes them over to the side as he slices the beef, and anyone who wants them helps himself. I dream of those burned edges. Sometimes, when I&#039;m in some awful overpriced restaurant in some strange town -- all of my restaurant-finding techniques having failed, so that I&#039;m left to choke down something that costs seven dollars and tastes like a medium-rare sponge -- a blank look comes over my face: I have just realized that at that very moment someone in Kansas City is being given those burned edges free.&quot;

Temp it. When the meat temp hits 195°F, start poking it. Poke it with a thermometer probe. It should slide in and out with little resistance if it is done. Poke it with a finger or pick it up and jiggle it. If it goes wubba wubba and wiggles like jelly, it is done. This usually happens somewhere between 195 and 205°F, usually at around 203°F.

Cheating. Here&#039;s my technique, strictly illegal in BBQ competitions, but very welcome in my family. In a frying pan, render about 1/4 pound of the beef fat that you trimmed from the brisket. Or cheat and use bacon fat or duck fat. You can do this over hot coals. Cut the brisket point into 1/2&quot; to 3/4&quot; cubes. Set aside any pieces that are too fatty or just eat them. Put the cubes in the pan and gently fry the cubes until they are crunchy on the outside, turning them a few times. Drain the fat and add about 1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce and 1/4 cup of the drippings from the foil used for the Texas Crutch. Put the pan back on the cooker in a hot spot and close the lid. Stir every 5 minutes or so. Let the cubes absorb most of the liquid and start to sizzle, but don&#039;t let them burn. When they&#039;re done, keep them warm in the faux cambro with the flat.

Faux Cambro. Cambros are insulated boxes used to keep food warm for extended periods of time. To create a home made version, get a plastic beer cooler, line it with a towel, blanket, or crumpled newspaper, and put the meat, still in foil, into the cooler on top of the lining. If the foil is leaking fluids put the meat in a large pan first. Leave the thermometer probe in the meat. Close the lid and let the hot meat sit in the cooler for 1 to 4 hours until you are ready to eat. If you can, wait til it drops to 150°F to slice it. If you have a tight cooler, it should hold the meat well above a safe serving temp of 140°F for several hours. Click here for our cooler reviews.

Slice (How do I slice brisket?). Don&#039;t slice until the last possible minute. Brisket dries out very very quickly once it is cut. If you wish, you can firm up the crust a bit by unwrapping the meat and putting it over a hot grill or under a broiler for a few minutes on each side. Watch it closely so it doesn&#039;t burn. Sauce should not be needed if the brisket is juicy, but if you want sauce, just don&#039;t use a sweet one. Heat up my Texas Barbecue Mop Sauce or heat up the jus in the foil and bring it to the table. Beware: Taste the jus first. It might be salty. You can dilute it warm water or unsalted beef broth. Important: Turn the meat fat side up so the juices will run onto the meat as you slice.

Slicing is a bit of a challenge because there are two muscles (the point and the flat) and the grain flows in different directions. In this photo you can see the grain in the meat. The point muscle sits on top of the flat muscle. The point is thin on one end (A) and thick on the other (B). The thickness of the slab varies significantly, from 1&quot; at the left and right edge to 4&quot; or more at the crown of the point.Here are three methods for carving. (I) the easy method, (II) the Sorkin method, and (III) the competition method.

(I) The easy methodLop off about 1&quot; from the thick end and about 2&quot; from the thin end, which is the tip of the flat. These ends are likely overcooked and dry. Chop them and smother them in sauce for chopped brisket. Then find the fat layer between the point and flat and slide your blade between the two muscles. Separate them, and trim off most of the excess fat. Find the grain of the flat and slice across the grain. You can also slice against the grain of the point. Offer your guests &quot;lean&quot; or &quot;fatty.&quot; Most will choose the lean, which will leave the better, fattier, point cut for you (turn it into burnt ends!).

(II) The Sorkin slicing methodI learned this method from Barry Sorkin of Chicago&#039;s Smoque BBQ. He makes my favorite brisket in the world. In the photos below, Sorkin demonstrates how he slices a whole packer brisket.

Start by removing the drier thin part of the flat, and set it aside for chopping, not slicing.

Then slice the thick center part of the flat across the grain until you encounter the point muscle on top of the flat. In the photo above, he is within one or two slices from hitting the point. These center cut slices are the ones that most competitors use because they produce a visually pleasing presentation of nearly identical slabs of meat.

Sorkin then goes into the layer of fat between the point and flat at the thick butt end, and he removes much of the fat. It can be 1/2&quot; thick or more in there, and that makes the slices inedible.

The remaining hunk has both muscles, the point sitting on top of the flat, with the grain going in different directions. He slices this hunk in half.

Here, the section on the right is a butt end with one cut edge. The left section, from the center the brisket, has two cut edges.

Slice the center section as shown, from the outer edge in.

Slice the remaining butt end of the point in the same direction as you cut the flat, continuing to cut parallel to the cut end.

Sorkin then fans the slices on a bun. Notice the line separating flat and point.

Thin parts of the flat are chopped and some of the fat from between the point and flat is mixed in for moisture. The results are crunchy, heavily seasoned, and juicy. These bits can also be splashed with sauce and served on a bun.

(III) Competition brisket slicing methodSome competitors prefer this method of slicing. Run a knife between the flat and the point and separate the two muscles. Trim off excess fat. Slice each muscle separately across the grain about 1/4&quot; thick. The meat should hold together, not fall apart or crumble. It should only pull apart with a gentle tug. If the first slice falls apart, cut thicker slices. Here is a picture of a competition brisket entry by Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) President Emeritus Candy Weaver. Notice the nice even slices of flat with the smoke ring on top surrounded by chunks of burnt ends. Learn more about how to cook competition brisket here.

Serve. If the brisket is perfectly cooked, it should be moist and juicy. You can serve it simply sliced on a plate or as a sandwich made with Texas Toast. If you wish, drizzle some Texas Barbecue Mop Sauce mixed with some of the drippings from the Texas crutch on top of the meat. Taste the drippings first because they can be salty (if so, you can dilute them with water or unsalted beef broth). Here&#039;s one of my faves: At Joe&#039;s KC in Kansas City the serve a sandwich called the &quot;Z-Man&quot;. It&#039;s thin sliced brisket with a sweet KC sauce topped with melted provolone cheese, a couple of thick crunchy onion rings, more sauce, all on a toasted kaiser roll, and slaw on the side. You want pickle chips on it, go ahead.

Beef Brisket, the most challenging BBQ meat.  Get the recipe and learn the techniques here https://tinyurl.com/nd3dfo

If you've ever wondered how to smoke a brisket, here is a summary of the techniques and concepts. 

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To Make The Best Smoked Texas Beef Brisket Use This Recipe

Texas Style Smoked Brisket isn’t only meant for the offset smokers of the south. With today’s pellet grills, you too can smoke this brisket recipe. With some salt, pepper, smoke, and a couple of cold drinks on standby, you will be on your way to making a perfectly smoked Texas brisket.

Texas Style Smoked Brisket Recipe

10-12 Lb Brisket

Yellow Mustard

Beef Tallow

50/50 Apple Cider Vinegar/ Water

Pull your brisket straight from the fridge and start trimming off any excess fat and silver skin. Trim the fat cap down to 1/4 inch. This provides the perfect fat to meat ratio. Remove any loose meat that will burn up during the cook.

In a seasoning container, mix your kosher salt and coarse black pepper mixture 50/50 by volume. Apply a thin mustard binder on the brisket and than evenly coat the brisket with your seasoning covering the entire thing.

To set up your pellet grill, connect it to power, fill the hopper with your post oak pellets, and preheat your smoker to either 225 or 250 degrees. Place the water pan in the smoker so that the moisture from the water will hit the brisket, or place in a couple of big scoops of beef tallow to smoke. Face the point of the brisket closest to the heat source as it can handle more heat without drying up.

Smoke the brisket for 3 hours without checking on it. After the 3 hours, spritz the brisket with a 50/50 apple cider vinegar/ water mixture or spritz of your choice. Spritz the brisket every 30-45 minutes until ready to wrap.

Wrap the brisket when it hits the stall at 160 or wait until it gets through the stall between 170-185. When I wrap the brisket, pour some of your smoked beef tallow in the butcher paper and brisket before wrapping.

After wrapping the brisket, keep smoking the brisket until the brisket is 203-205 degrees internal or probe tender.

Rest your brisket for a minimum of an hour. This is an extremely important step to not lose all of the juices in the brisket. If you have the time, rest the brisket until it reaches a serving temperature of 140-150 degrees internal. You can rest the brisket inside a cooler or oven.

Start slicing the brisket at the flat. Slice it across the grain (muscle fibers) in pencil-width slices until you get to where the point starts. Turn the brisket 90 degrees and finish slicing the rest of the brisket and serve up.

What is Brisket?&amp;nbsp;Brisket is one of the nine primal beef cuts. It’s specifically a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of a beef. The cut is known to be relatively tough as it is full of connective tissues and two muscles that overlap. However, when cooked properly beef brisket will be deliciously tender, and flavor packed.You may wonder how to cook brisket so that you won’t end up with a tough and dry piece. There are a few ways to cook juicy beef brisket.  Some prefer to do a Texas style brisket in the oven which requires the least effort but also the least impressive results. Place it on a roasting pan and give it a few hours. Others are hooked on cooking brisket in a slow cooker. This is an easy way to create a tender cut but there is such thing as overcooking a brisket. You want the meat to be tender, but not mushy. Depending on the size of you cut it usually takes about 8 hours for tender results. Lastly, there’s the most popular: smoked brisket.So how to smoke brisket? For your convenience we have listed a step-by-step smoked beef brisket recipe below as well as one of our most popular recipe videos. If you plan on smoking the meat you’ve probably read and heard a lot about the “low and slow” method. It will without doubt result in pure and simple melt in your mouth and packed with flavor brisket. However, by slow it can take 16+ hours. Yes, you read that right. Be prepared to have the cut smoking all night + getting up to refill either pellets, charcoal or wood chips depending on your smoker. It’s quite the sacrifice in hope of perfecting the craft of the perfect tender brisket. Many will refer to smoking the perfect beef brisket as an art. If you’re able to execute the brisket recipe to perfection you will automatically be looked up to by all who appreciated and acknowledges good barbecue. It’s the goal of becoming a real pit master.Nevertheless, this is where immaculate drum smokers such as the Pit Barrel Cooker is able to make the art of smoking the perfect brisket a breeze. In less than half the time of other cookers, the Pit Barrel® can fully cook a brisket, without compromising neither taste nor tenderness, for amazing results. By being able to hang the brisket in center of the action, the meat will be smoked from all angles equally. It’s known as the 360º all-around heat dynamics technology. You may wonder how it is possible to create the same results without having to slow cook. It’s simply due to the patented technology and air circulation of our barrels. It took 29 prototypes to get it just right.As for seasoning most tend to settle for kosher salt and black pepper but we challenge you to take the flavor experience up a notch with the best-selling Beef &amp;amp; Game Pit Rub which is specially formulated dry rub for a deep and delicious flavor.

Smoked Beef Brisket

lb. beef brisket(s), full packer

Olive oil

Pit Barrel Beef & Game Rub

beef broth/consommé, beer, water,

Light your Pit Barrel®&nbsp;according to the instructions.

Remove the brisket from the package, rinse gently with cold water and pat dry with paper towel.

Using the sharp&nbsp;Ultimate Chef’s Knife, trim all but ⅛ – ¼” of the hard white fat from all sides of the brisket. Carve out most of the two large nuggets of fat on the sides, being careful not to separate the two muscle groups (the point and flat). Finally, slice off about ½” of each of the long edges to remove any grey meat.&nbsp;Tip: Cut off one corner of the thin end of the flat, across the grain, to serve as a slicing reference.

Lightly coat all sides of the brisket with olive oil, followed by a liberal coat of the&nbsp;Beef &amp; Game Rub.

Insert one hook into the center of the thick pointed end of the brisket, leaving enough of the rod (U-shaped) end of the hook exposed to allow it to be hung on the rod, about 3 inches down. Hook the rod end of a second hook over the pointed end of the first, pull to apply tension, then insert the second hook through the meat until secure.

Hang the brisket from the rods in the center of the barrel, and secure the lid.Cook approximately 3-4 hours, or until the center of the thickest part of the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 160-170º.

Remove the brisket from the Pit Barrel®&nbsp;to a large platter or sheet pan, remove the hooks, and wrap it fat-side-down in a double layer of heavy-duty foil, adding the broth/consommé, beer, water, or other wrapping juice before sealing the foil.&nbsp;Tip: Wrap it as tightly as you can without piercing the foil.

Remove the rods from the Pit Barrel®, install the&nbsp;grill grate, and put the wrapped brisket on the grate with the sealed/crimp of the foil facing up.

Re-insert the Pit Barrel®&nbsp;rods (to control the ventilation), secure the lid, and continue cooking the brisket until it reaches an internal temperature of 200º, for about 1-2 hours. (shown using the&nbsp;ThermoWorks Thermapen®).

Remove the brisket from the cooker, and let rest for at least an hour either tented with foil or wrapped in a towel and placed in a cooler (without ice).&nbsp;Tip: You can hold a cooked brisket in a cooler for up to 6 hours. The longer you hold it, the better the results.

Remove the brisket from the foil, reserving the foil liquid, and separate the point from the flat by slicing through the layer of fat between them. Remove any excess fat from each part of the brisket.

Slice the flat portion across the grain to ¼”, then cut the point into cubes. Then drizzle with some of the reserved foil liquid. Sprinkle the cut meat lightly with&nbsp;Beef &amp; Game Pit Rub.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sooslUQZIdQ

This Texas Smoked Brisket uses simple ingredients, but the process used creates meat so tender it will melt in your mouth. Apply a simple rub and let your smoker do the work!

Texas Smoked Brisket Recipe

12-18 lb whole packer brisket

salt

black pepper (16 mesh ground)

garlic

onion

tsp chipotle chili powder

tsp coriander

Trim the Brisket

Trim the Brisket: Trim the brisket directly from the fridge, cold brisket it easier to trim. Set the brisket in front of you meat side up, fat side down. Remove the large hard piece of fat that separates the point from the fat, trim this down until it is smooth between the point and the flat. Remove any silver skin or excess hard fat from the flat muscle. Trim the thin corner of the flat, this will dry out during cooking since it’s so thin. Flip the brisket over to the fat side and trim the fat down to 1/4 inch thickness. Be careful not to cut down into the meat.

Prepare Rub

Prepare the rub: add the ingredients for the rub into a small bowl. Stir to combine, then add into a large shaker, or use a spoon to evenly spread the rub all over the brisket, both sides.

Preheat Smoker

Preheat the Smoker: Preheat your smoker to 225℉ using Oak or a Traeger Texas Beef Blend. 

Smoke: Place the brisket on the smoker, fat side down (my preference because it helps the bark develop nicely over the top) and with the flat (the thin portion) furthest from the heat source. Place the point closest to the heat source. Insert a probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature, place this in the thickest part of the meat. Close the lid and smoke until the internal temperature reaches 165℉, replacing wood pellets or chips as needed. Takes 6-8 hours. (DO NOT open the smoker the first 2 hours of the cook, this is when the meat will absorb the most smoke flavor).

Wrap: Once the brisket reaches 165℉, carefully remove the brisket using gloves (it will be hot) and place on two sheets of overlapped peach butcher paper, place the brisket fat side up. Wrap the brisket by folding the paper over the top of the brisket nice and tight, then fold the edges in and fold the brisket over twice.

Continue Smoking: Place the brisket back into the smoker, with the seam side of the wrap facing down to keep it nice and tight. Place your thermometer probe back into the meat, it can go right through the paper, it’s fine. And continue smoking until the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 203℉.  This will take another 6-8 hours.

Remove from Smoker

Remove: Remove the brisket from the smoker and place on a large baking sheet to let it rest for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.

Rest: If needed you can let the brisket rest for longer, wrap in towels and place in a cooler, it will stay hot for another 6 hours using this method.

Slice

Slice: slice the point and the flat against the grain, pay attention because the direction will change. Easiest method is to cut the point and the flat apart from one another, then cut them individually into slices. (some slices will have the meat grain going in both directions)

Serve: for a true Texas BBQ experience serve with slices of white bread, sliced cheddar cheese, sliced dill pickles, and pickled red onion. Have some BBQ sauce on the side if needed.

Followed this recipe and everyone loved it. 

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Top 5 smoked brisket recipe recipes from across the web

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