Smoked Beef Brisket
Indirect cooking or offset smoking such as on our PR, TS, SQ units, Kamado Grills and Gas Grills (click here for smoking on a gas grill)
Ingredients
Directions
Cooking temperature 250 to 275. Approximate cooking time 8 to 10 hours.
Preparation
- 1If you can do the following the night before the better.
- 2Remove the “fat cap” leaving virtually no fat on the brisket.
- 3At the thinnest edge of the flat cut a small chunk off cutting across the grain this way you know which angle to cut when the brisket is done.
- 4Mix Butcher Prime Injection in accordance with the label and inject fat cap side about every square inch ( in a grid pattern) going into the meat ¾ of the thickness and inject on the way out (mix the injection 24 hours ahead if possible for better results and keep agitated when injecting).
- 5Rub vegetable oil on the entire brisket. This helps to “glue” your rub to the meat.
- 6Rub the meat with your favorite rub. We like to layer our seasonings on brisket and enjoy a 1st layer of Obie Cue’s Double Garlic Pepper topped with Smoking Guns Hot and Meat Church Holy Cow. Another option is Obie Cue’s Double Garlic Pepper topped with Meadow Creek TX Brisket Rub.
- 7Wrap the brisket in loosely in foil or in a foil pan and place back in the fridge fat cap up.
Cooking
- 1Light a charcoal fire and stabilize the temperature at 225 to 250 (this lower temp allows for the heat that will be generated when you put the on).
- 2Add a few chunks of hickory or blend of pecan and cherry to the charcoal (no soft woods!)
- 3Take the brisket out of the fridge or the cooler and place on the smoker or grill COLD (see our article on smoking).
- 4Place the brisket with the fat cap up.
- 5Place a digital thermometer probe in the thickest part of the flat (it is wise to also measure the cooking grate temp for greater accuracy).
- 6Close the lid and leave it closed.
- 7Smoking of the brisket will take place in the very early stages of the cooking process (1 ½ to 2 hours). When the brisket reaches an internal temp of 160 degrees take it off and place it on two layers of tin foil.
- 8Squirt liquid Parkay Margarine on top of the brisket.
- 9Wrap the brisket up in the two layers of tin foil and put back in the cooker.
- 10Place the probe back into the meat. Note: Don’t freak out if the cook time stalls at around 160 degrees. This is normal.
- 11Bring the meat temp up to 195.
- 12Take the temp probe and push it in sideways into the meat in a few places. If it’s done, you should feel very little resistance when pushing the probe. If not, continue cooking until tender until the probe passes through the brisket like going through butter. The brisket will be probably done somewhere around 198 to 210.
- 13Once done, remove the brisket from the smoker or grill and open the two layers of foil and allow the steam to escape for 5 minutes. Once done wrap the brisket in a 3rd piece of foil.
- 14Wrap the brisket up with beach towels and place in a cooler to rest for two hours if possible.
- 15Unfoil the meat being careful to retain the juices in the foil. Pour the juices in a bowl. Mix the juice and if needed extend with BBQ sauce of your choice.
- 16Slice in the same direction as your cut off (meat across the grain) and if needed lightly sprinkle the slices with the juice mixture.