Smoked Beef Brisket

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Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 16

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: BBQ

Servings: people

Calories: 873kcal

Author: Marwin Brown

Equipment

▢
Smoker
▢
Butcher Paper

Ingredients

▢ 12 to 14 lb packer cut flat and point cuts beef brisket, fat trimmed to ¼ inch
▢ ½ cup kosher salt
▢ ½ cup freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine the salt and freshly ground black pepper in a mixing bowl, then evenly season the brisket on all sides. Leave the brisket out to allow to reach room temperature
Prepare the smoker for indirect cooking. Bring the temperature to 250° F.
Place the brisket in the smoker with the fatty point tip closest to the heat. Leave the lid closed for 6 to 8 hours until dark brown bark is formed and the internal temperature is 165° F. Avoid peeking and leave the lid closed.
Remove the brisket from the smoker and wrap it tightly in butcher paper. Place it back in the smoker and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches between 200 and 205° F°.
Carefully transfer the wrapped brisket to a cooler. Top with old towels, close the lid and let it rest for at least 1 to 2 hours before slicing it.
To slice the brisket, separate the flat from the point cut. Slice both against their respective grains. Enjoy

Notes

Choose the highest-quality brisket you can afford. You don’t have to go all wagyu beef, unless you got it like that, but quality does matter. With quality you’re looking for marbling; the more the better. In addition to quality, brisket comes in different sizes and cuts. You won’t a “packer cut” ideally; this cut includes the flat lean cut plus the fatty point cut. Some stores will sell one or the other cut, but when the full packer is available choose it. Grass fed and grain fed will cook at different speeds.
Season with lots of coarse pepper and coarse salt. You really don’t need anything else or trickery. Trust the process. The big thing is to create a nice even layer on both sides.
Place the brisket in the smoker on either side. It’s mostly a personal preference. I like fat side down to get a little more of a crust with the fatty parts. I do however make sure I cook the fattiest portion (point cut) closest to the hottest part of my smoker with the thinner, flat cut facing away.
Temperature control varies by types of smoker, which makes it hard to give specific recipe directions for brisket. Ultimately you want to stay between 225-250 degrees F for the duration of the cooking. Cooking at too high temps will be problematic and leave you with tough, dry brisket. Likewise you don’t want to be constantly checking on the meat. Every time you open the lid the temperature drops. Good smokers or familiarity with your personal smokers allow you to set it (temp) and forget it which is ideal.
About 3-4 hours into smoking your brisket will undoubtedly hit the “stall.” The stall refers to a point in time when after a steady progressive increase in internal temps your brisket will literally stall at a certain temp for a few hours. Don’t panic as this is normal. Stay the course, trust the process.
Optional step: Keep butcher paper on hand to wrap your brisket along the way. This is like a cheat code to super moist brisket. You literally wrap the brisket tightly in the paper and then return it to the grill to finish cooking at 225 degrees F until the internal temps of the brisket reach about 200 degrees at the brisket’s thickest point. Butcher paper is nothing something I normally have on hand, so I just keep with the low and slow process and allow time and temp to break through the stall
Rest the brisket, like for an unusually long time, as in at least an hour, but longer if you have the time. I like to place my still wrapped brisket in a cooler topped with towels. The rest is critical as it allows all those juices to trickle into all the different parts of the meat’s interior.
Don’t slice the brisket until it has fully rested! If slicing a packer cut, split the point cut from the flat cut first and then slice each against their respective grains. Pay attention cause the grains go in different directions for the respective cuts.
Fuel matters so choose a high-quality source. Hard woods like cherry, apple, oak, maple, and pecan are great choices. I avoid mesquite because it has such a strong flavor which is not a good thing with such a long cook time. If using charcoal go with a good lump coal option.

Nutrition

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