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Home » Smoker » Smoked Brisket

Published: June 3, 2019 Last Modified: June 7, 2019 By Sara 36 Comments

Smoked Brisket

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Smoked Brisket Recipe | Beef Brisket | BBQ Beef #brisket #smoker #beef #bbq #dinner #dinneratthezoo

This smoked brisket is beef coated in a homemade spice rub, then slow smoked to tender perfection and thinly sliced. The ultimate barbecue beef that tastes like it came from a restaurant!

Slow cooked beef brisket is one of the very best things you can possibly make with an electric smoker. Serve your smoked brisket with a side of mac and cheese and corn on the cob, and watch the rave reviews pour in.

Smoked Brisket Recipe | Beef Brisket | BBQ Beef #brisket #smoker #beef #bbq #dinner #dinneratthezoo Smoked Brisket Recipe | Beef Brisket | BBQ Beef #brisket #smoker #beef #bbq #dinner #dinneratthezoo

Smoked brisket sliced and served with pickles, onions and bread.

In my opinion, smoked brisket is the king of all the smoked meats. It’s melt in your mouth tender, full of rich flavor, and happens to be quite easy to make. The hardest part is waiting hours for the meat to slowly cook to perfection.

How do you make smoked brisket?

The first step in this recipe is choosing your brisket. There are two cuts that are part of a brisket, the point and the flat. The point is a rounder more tender piece of meat that has a fat cap. The flat is a leaner cut that is more uniform in shape. Often times in restaurants or a barbecues when you see those nice even slices of brisket, that is the flat cut.

There is also the best of both worlds option known as the packer cut, or Texas brisket, which has both the flat and the point sections of the brisket attached to each other. I prefer to use this cut. With the packer cut I can get those even slices from the flat cut that look so great on a plate and I can use some of that point meat to make some saucy burnt ends. If you make a brisket, do yourself a favor and use some of the point cut meat to make burnt ends.

To prepare the brisket for smoking ,the first thing to do is to trim off the excess fat. If you are using the point cut or the packer cut, you will want to trim down the fat cap. Even with the flat cut, you will want to cut down excess fat so that you can see the meat underneath the fat. The fat layer should be translucent. You want the fat to be somewhere between 1/3 of an inch to 1/4 of an inch.  Do your best, it doesn’t have to be exact.

Beef brisket coated in homemade spice rub.

Next you want to completely cover the brisket in BBQ spice rub. I prefer to use my homemade spice rub, but you can also use your favorite store bought variety. After you cover the brisket in barbecue rub, cover it and place it in a refrigerator for 10 to 12 hours.

When you are ready to smoke the meat, bring your smoker to 250 degrees F. Place the brisket on a foil tray. Using a foil tray helps retain the juices.

Insert a meat thermometer into the brisket.  Try to get the probe into meat and not into fat for greater accuracy. Leave the meat in the smoker until the interior of the meat reaches 170 degrees F.  This will take several hours and the time will vary depending on the size and shape of the meat. For a 13 pound brisket, this could take 4-5 hours.

Brisket wrapped in butcher paper.

Once the interior of the beef reaches 170 degrees F, remove the brisket from the smoker. Wrap the brisket in foil or peach butcher paper. Foil will work, but the best brisket is smoked with peach butcher paper. Wrapping the brisket in peach butcher paper allows the beef to hold in its juices while allowing the smoke to permeate the meat. You’ll also get nicer, more flavorful bark with the butcher paper.

After wrapping the meat, place in back in the smoker until the internal temperature is 200 degrees F. This can take quite a while. For 13 pound brisket, this part can take 9-10 hours. If you find yourself getting impatient, you can bump the smoker temperature up to 275 degrees F for the last couple of hours.

How do you know when smoked brisket is done?

Once the brisket reaches 200 degrees F, remove it from the smoker and let it rest wrapped for at least 10 minutes. Then unwrap it and let it rest for another 5 minutes.

Cut the meat into even slices. If you notice excessive juice pooling when you cut the brisket, you can let it rest for a few more minutes. Serve the brisket with barbecue sauce.  You can use this recipe for a homemade barbecue sauce for extra flavor.

Beef brisket inside butcher paper.

What is the best wood for smoking brisket?

Generally I like to use fruit wood, such as apple or cherry, to smoke brisket. Fruit wood imparts a mild and slightly sweet flavor that doesn’t overpower the meat. However, brisket can also be smoked with hickory or maple wood.

How long do you smoke a brisket?

As with most smoked meats, time is not as important as reaching the correct internal temperatures. The time to reach those temperatures will vary based on the size and shape of the meat.  However, for a 13 pound packer cut brisket it could take 4-5 hours of unwrapped smoking and up to 9-10 hours of wrapped smoking.

Sliced smoked brisket with a side of BBQ sauce.

Tips for smoked brisket

  • Use a packer cut with both the flat and point cuts of the brisket.
  • Set aside some of the brisket for burnt ends.
  • Use peach butcher paper to wrap the brisket.
  • Use an electric smoker for easy temperature control.

This is a great recipe for a crowd because it serves a lot of people! You’ll be sure to get rave reviews from family and friends when they try your brisket.

More smoker recipes

  • Smoked Chicken
  • Smoked Turkey
  • Smoked Chicken Wings
  • Smoked Pork Chops
  • Smoked Chicken Thighs
Smoked brisket sliced and served with pickles, onions and bread.
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5 from 14 votes

Smoked Brisket

This smoked brisket is beef coated in a homemade spice rub, then slow smoked to tender perfection and thinly sliced. The ultimate barbecue beef that tastes like it came from a restaurant!
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Prep Time 12 hours
Cook Time 14 hours
Total Time 1 day 2 hours
Servings 12
Calories 404kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 1 10-13 pound brisket can use packer, point or flat cut
  • 1 cup BBQ spice rub enough to completely cover the meat
  • BBQ sauce for serving with the meat

Instructions

  • Trim the excess fat off the brisket. You want to remove most of the fat cap if you have a point or packer cut. Other excess fat should be removed to 1/3 or 1/4 inch until you can see the beef through the fat.
  • Completely cover the brisket in BBQ rub.
  • Cover the meat and refrigerate it for 10-12 hours.
  • Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees F.
  • Insert a meat thermometer (into the meat, not fat) and place the meat in the smoker until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F. This may take 4-5 hours.
  • Once the meat reaches 170 degrees F, remove the meat and wrap it in foil or peach butcher paper. Place the meat back in the smoker until it reaches 200 degrees F. This may take 9-10 hours. If you want to increase the speed of cooking, you can increase the temperature to 275 degrees for the last couple of hours of smoking.
  • Once the meat reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F, remove it from the smoker and let it rest covered 10 minutes. Let it rest uncovered another 5 minutes.
  • Slice the brisket. If you notice excessive juice pooling when you cut the brisket, you can let it rest for a few more minutes. Serve with BBQ sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 79g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 234mg | Sodium: 300mg | Potassium: 1287mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 155IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 9.3mg
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    Comments

    1. mario torres says

      November 21, 2020 at 7:05 pm

      do you fill the water pan up with water?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        November 21, 2020 at 7:46 pm

        I do not for this recipe!

        Reply
    2. LINDA COOKLIN says

      October 30, 2020 at 1:04 pm

      You do not separate the Flat from the Point? First time doing this, very nervous!! Ha! I have a 15 lb brisket, I don’t think it is going to fit in my smoker!!

      Reply
      • Sara says

        October 31, 2020 at 9:59 pm

        If your smoker is too small I’d cut the meat in half and cook it in two pans!

        Reply
    3. ralph shope says

      October 3, 2020 at 5:45 pm

      Not clear on putting the brisket after wrapping back into smoker in clean pan or back in same pan with juice of first cooking. Thanks

      Reply
      • Sara says

        October 3, 2020 at 7:57 pm

        Back in the same pan!

        Reply
    4. Liz Armstrong says

      June 21, 2020 at 11:04 am

      5 stars
      Thank you Sarah for this excellent recipe!!
      The brisket was the hit of the party!!

      Reply
    5. Gregory Smith says

      June 19, 2020 at 7:46 am

      5 stars
      Thank you very much for sharing the recipe! My family greatly appreciates it! I put it on the smoker this morning!

      Reply
    6. Andy Erickson says

      June 14, 2020 at 12:38 pm

      Could I smoke ahead of time (several days) and then reheat on grill or in oven?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        June 15, 2020 at 8:01 pm

        Yes, I would reheat in a covered pan in the oven over low heat so it doesn’t dry out!

        Reply
    7. Steve says

      May 8, 2020 at 7:20 am

      If I have a 6lb brisket but cut it in half, my smoker isn’t long enough for whole, should I still cook like your directions say? They are on delegate shelves.
      Thank you!

      Reply
      • Sara says

        May 8, 2020 at 12:58 pm

        Yes cook as directed, just watch the thermometer because it may take less time to cook! I did a half brisket the other day and it cooked at least an hour faster.

        Reply
    8. Rory Harrow says

      May 3, 2020 at 8:44 am

      Bottom, middle or top of smoker. Looks great, thanks.

      Reply
      • Sara says

        May 3, 2020 at 8:00 pm

        I always use the middle of the smoker!

        Reply
    9. John Mawk says

      January 23, 2020 at 9:34 am

      After the first round of smoking and the meat is wrapped in the paper, do I continue to add smoke or just cook it to temperature? First time doing brisket and want to get it right. Thanks…

      Reply
      • Sara says

        January 23, 2020 at 9:49 am

        I continue to add wood chips throughout the entire cooking time!

        Reply
    10. Cathy says

      June 25, 2019 at 5:51 am

      Can this be made in a regular oven?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        June 25, 2019 at 3:44 pm

        You could try cooking it in a regular oven, you won’t get any of the smoky flavor that way though!

        Reply
    11. Krissy Allori says

      June 11, 2019 at 11:45 am

      5 stars
      Oh my goodness! This sounds amazing!

      Reply
    12. Emily says

      June 11, 2019 at 11:35 am

      5 stars
      You know its a good brisket when you get those nice smoke lines! Thanks for the yummy recipe!

      Reply
    13. Jen says

      June 11, 2019 at 10:59 am

      5 stars
      This is one of my husband’s favorites! Can’t wait to surprise him with it.

      Reply
    14. Jessica says

      June 11, 2019 at 10:56 am

      5 stars
      This was delicious! Thank you so much!

      Reply
    15. Allyson Zea says

      June 6, 2019 at 10:02 am

      This is incredibly juicy! WOW~!

      Reply
    16. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says

      June 6, 2019 at 5:09 am

      5 stars
      Looks delicious and so easy to make!

      Reply
    17. Lora says

      June 5, 2019 at 1:26 pm

      5 stars
      Fantastic brisket! So great for the holidays!!

      Reply
    18. Catalina says

      June 5, 2019 at 1:22 pm

      Definitely a must try recipe! This looks fabulous!

      Reply
    19. Melanie Bauer says

      June 5, 2019 at 7:57 am

      5 stars
      Sounds extremely delicious! Such a fabulous dinner, absolutely a must try!

      Reply
    20. Cathy says

      June 5, 2019 at 6:31 am

      Perfect for summer get togethers!

      Reply
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