Brisket
intro
Tender, smoky beef brisket with a crisp, peppery bark, slow-smoked to pull-apart perfection for classic summer barbecue gatherings.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep and season brisket
First, pat the 2000g packer brisket completely dry with paper towels. Trim the hard, thick surface fat, leaving an even 6mm (1/4 inch) fat cap across the top. Mix 3 tbsp kosher salt, 2 tbsp coarse black pepper, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, and 2 tsp light brown sugar in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture evenly over every surface of the brisket, pressing gently to adhere, then let it rest at room temperature for 45 minutes while you preheat the smoker.
Preheat the smoker
Preheat your offset or pellet smoker to 107°C (225°F) using indirect heat. Once the smoker reaches target temperature, add 1 cup of pre-soaked hickory wood chips to the fire box, waiting until thin, wispy blue smoke flows from the top vent before adding meat. Fill the smoker’s built-in water pan with cool tap water to maintain a moist cooking environment.
Begin slow smoking
Place the seasoned brisket on the smoker grate fat-side up, positioned away from direct heat to avoid surface burning. Close the smoker lid and maintain a consistent internal cooking temperature of 107°C (225°F), adding 1/2 cup of fresh hickory wood chips every 90 minutes to sustain steady smoke. Smoke the brisket for 6 hours, spritzing the surface lightly with 60ml apple cider vinegar every 2 hours to keep the exterior moist and prevent bark from hardening too quickly.
Wrap at temperature stall
After 6 hours of smoking, once the brisket’s internal temperature reaches 74°C (165°F) and a dark, reddish-brown tight bark has formed, carefully remove it from the smoker using heat-resistant gloves. Wrap the brisket tightly in two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil or uncoated peach butcher paper, sealing all edges completely to trap steam and moisture. Return the wrapped brisket to the smoker, maintaining the same 107°C (225°F) cooking temperature.
Cook to target tenderness
Continue cooking the wrapped brisket for an additional 4 to 5 hours, until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the point reads 93°C (200°F), and the probe slides in with no resistance, like sticking a knife into soft room-temperature butter. Do not add more wood chips during this final cooking stage, as the sealed wrap prevents additional smoke from penetrating the meat.
Rest and slice brisket
Once the brisket reaches target temperature, remove it from the smoker and leave it tightly wrapped. Place it in an empty insulated cooler to rest for 1 full hour, allowing muscle fibers to relax and reabsorb juices for maximum tenderness. After resting, unwrap the brisket, slice the flat section against the grain into 6mm thick slices, and separate the point section for burnt ends if desired, serving immediately with your favorite barbecue sides.
Tips
2.Never skip the full 1-hour rest period: slicing brisket immediately after cooking will cause all the flavorful, juicy renderings to run out onto the cutting board, leaving the meat dry.
3.If you see thick, white billowing smoke coming from your smoker, adjust the air vents to increase oxygen flow; thick, sooty white smoke will leave a bitter, ashy taste on the brisket’s bark.
OMG, I was so intimidated by the 12 hour cook time but this recipe turned out PERFECT. The bark was crispy, the fat rendered all the way through, and my husband said it tasted better than the brisket we got on our Austin trip last year! Brought half to our neighborhood potluck and people were begging for the recipe. Total game changer.
Took me three tries to get the temp right on my offset smoker, but following this guide step by step finally got me a brisket I’m proud to serve. My kids devoured three slices each before I even got the sides on the table! The tip about wrapping in butcher paper at the 165 degree mark? Chef’s kiss. SO good.
Delicious, but wow this is definitely not a weeknight recipe! I prepped it for Sunday meal prep and even starting at 6am I was eating dinner at 8pm, but the leftovers held up amazing all week for sandwiches. Worth the time investment for a special weekend meal for sure.
Full transparency, I messed up the first hour by letting my smoker creep up to 325 degrees, panicked, thought I ruined the whole thing. But I adjusted the vents, got it down to 225, kept going, and even with that mistake the brisket was still incredible? My whole extended family raved about it at our birthday BBQ last weekend.
As a born and raised Texan, I’m super picky about my brisket. A lot of online recipes add weird sugary rubs or unnecessary injections, but this one is straight up salt, pepper, garlic, slow smoke over post oak—exactly how my grandpa used to make it. 10/10, no notes.
This is definitely as hard as the difficulty rating says! My brisket came out a little drier than I wanted because I think I pulled it too early, but the rub flavor was on point. I’m gonna give it another shot next month when I have a free weekend to baby the smoker, I know I can get it right.
Made this for our annual Labor Day potluck and it was the first dish gone! I was worried because I had to transport it 45 minutes in a cooler wrapped in towels, but it stayed juicy and that bark stayed crisp. People were going back for seconds and thirds before I even got a single slice of the sides I brought!
Smoked this last Sunday, portioned it out with coleslaw and mac and cheese for my work lunches all week, and let me tell you—this made my coworkers so jealous. Two people in my office asked for the link to the recipe by Tuesday. Zero regrets waking up at 5am to get the smoker going.
Okay funny story: I forgot to buy butcher paper so I used uncoated parchment paper halfway through the cook, and it still turned out insane? My neighbor smelled the smoke from three houses down and showed up with a six pack to beg for a plate. 12 hours of smoke smelled so good the whole street knew what I was making.
Chopped up the leftover point meat for brisket tacos last night and my god, that might be the best taco filling I’ve ever made. Added a little pickled red onion and cilantro and my roommate said we have to make this every month from now on. SO worth the wait.
I was worried this recipe wouldn’t translate to my pellet grill since it’s written for offset smokers, but it worked perfectly! Set it to 225, used the Texas blend pellets, followed every step, and got a bark that could compete with any BBQ joint in town. My in-laws were in town and they said it was the best brisket they’d ever had.
I almost had a heart attack when the brisket hit 160 degrees and just stayed there for THREE HOURS. I thought my thermometer was broken, I thought the smoker was too cold, I almost cranked the heat, but I remembered the recipe mentioned the stall and trusted the process. Ended up with the juiciest brisket I’ve ever made, no cap.
Love that this rub is just simple seasonings so it’s naturally gluten free, no weird filler ingredients in store bought rub to worry about. Only note is I wish there was a tip for what size brisket to buy, I grabbed an 18 pounder and it took almost 14 hours total instead of 12, but it was still delicious. Served it at my kid’s graduation party and everyone loved it.
Made this for the Cowboys game watch party last weekend and it was an absolute hit. We sliced it up for sliders with a little BBQ sauce on the side, and even the guys who swear they make the best brisket in the friend group were asking for my recipe. Win in more ways than one, even if the Cowboys lost.
I saw the difficulty was marked hard and almost skipped this recipe entirely, but my husband has been begging for smoked brisket for his birthday so I gave it a shot. I followed every single instruction down to the letter, checked the smoker every hour, let it rest for two full hours in the cooler, and it came out perfect. My husband said it was the best birthday meal he’s ever had, I felt like a total pitmaster!