This Smoked Brisket recipe is a restaurant-worthy dish that will have your friends and family raving. Just fire up your smoker and follow this exceptional recipe.
This recipe is my brother’s signature recipe. He smoked low and slow and it makes the best smoked brisket.
SAVE THIS RECIPE!
Enter your email below and we’ll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
Why this Smoke Brisket Recipe is a Keeper
In our family, my brother is the resident smoker expert. He has tweaked and honed his rub and process to come up with a recipe that turns out perfect each and every time.
- Time: This Traeger brisket recipe takes hours. But it is one of those things that you can put on the smoker and walk away from.
- Easy Ingredients: The brisket and the herbs are all you need. Make sure to trim the brisket or have your butcher do it for you.
- Family Friendly: Like I said, this is not a new recipe this is a family favorite.
- Adaptable: Can make it with different rubs or seasonings. Just make sure to cook the brisket until it reaches an internal temperature reaches 190 degrees.
- More: If you love smoked recipes, try this Smoked Salmon. The flavor is incredible!
If you’re looking for more beef inspired recipes, try these Roast Beef Sliders with Dijon Sauce, Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs and Loaded Ground Beef Nachos.
How do I pick the best brisket for smoking?
Truly, the best way is to ask your local butcher to select your brisket. He is also an expert at trimming your brisket. They can help you pick the very best cut. However, here are a few tips to keep in mind.
Shape:
- Look for a brisket with a somewhat uniform shape, with a decent amount of meat on both the point and the flat.
Fat:
- Exterior Fat Cap: A thin layer of fat (around ¼ inch) is ideal. This fat bastes the meat while the brisket cooks and adds flavor.
Color:
- Meat Color: The flesh of the brisket should be a bright, reddish pink color. This indicates fresh meat.
Ingredient Notes to Smoke a Brisket
- Packer Brisket: A whole packer brisket with both the point and flat.
- Smoked Brisket Beef Rub: The herbs needed to make the perfect rub for your meat. You will need brown sugar, coffee granules and celery, onion and garlic salt.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions for Perfect Smoked Brisket
You want to start out with a trimmed brisket. Turn brisket over and trim all sides. The butcher will cut a brisket to your specifications.
- Oven: The smoker is the ideal cooking process, however the bbq brisket can be made in the oven.
- Chips: Cook your brisket with different wood chips for different flavors.
Special Equipment Needed for this Traeger Smoker Brisket
The traeger beef is made in the smoker. Rest brisket for at least 45 minutes.
- Traeger Grill and Smoker: You can use any smoker, but I find this Traeger smoked brisket exceptional.
- Meat Thermometer: This is imperative when you let the brisket smoke to the best temperature.
Wrapping a Brisket Fun Fact
Wrap the brisket in butcher paper or foil halfway through the smoking process to help retain moisture it can be a good way to ensure a juicy end result.
How to Make Smoked Beef Brisket
You can add a brief intro paragraph here to include more LSI keywords from the SEO optimizer tool. Remember to keep paragraphs short (1-2 sentences). Set reader expectations (e.g. “This recipe comes together in just x simple steps” OR “This recipe takes some effort, but the result is well worth it.”)
These are the basic steps to Cook Brisket. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Prepare the Smoked Brisket Rub and Season your Brisket
First, mix all of the rub ingredients together in a bowl. Pour a generous amount of the full packer brisket rub all over the brisket and rub it in, making sure to coat all sides of the brisket. Place the brisket fat cap down in a large pan or rimmed baking sheet, cover it with foil and allow to sit in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
2. Prepare the Smoker
Soak your smoking chips for 30 minutes. Heat your smoker to 180 degrees and add the soaked chips to the smoker.
3. Smoke the Beef and Cook Time and Temperature of the Meat
Place the brisket on the smoker, fat side up, on the smoker, and secure the lid. After one hour of smoking, remove the brisket and wrap it in foil. Flip the brisket and place it back in the smoker and smoke for 6-8 hours, it’s done when it reaches an internal temp of the brisket reaches 190 degrees in the center your brisket.
4. Rest your Brisket and Slice Smoked Brisket
Finally, transfer brisket to a large cutting board and allow the tender brisket to rest for 45 minutes. Then slice your Brisket.
Recipe FAQs for Perfect Brisket
When the juicy brisket hits the smoker’s heat, the rub’s sugars and the meat’s natural sugars undergo a caramelization process called the Maillard reaction. This reaction creates that beautiful brown color and rich, savory flavors.
An ideal internal temperature of perfectly smoked brisket should be tested in the thickest part of the flat (the thinner section) between 190°F-205°F (93°C-96°C). Continue cooking until the internal temperature of the meat is in this reange.
It allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in a more flavorful and tender final product. So always build time in to allow the beef to rest.
Let the brisket cool completely to room temperature. Wrap the seasoned brisket tightly in plastic wrap or place brisket in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Delicious smoked brisket can dry out easily, so tight wrapping is key.
A pellet grill offers many cooking options, such as grilling, roasting, baking, and smoking, while a smoker offers only the option of smoking food.
When the liquid evaporates from the surface of the brisket, it will cool it. This is called the stall, and the time frame is different during this phase for every brisket I’ve ever cooked. This is where a good internal thermometer comes in. Do not remove brisket from the smoker until the temp is reacked.
Expert Tips for Making This Smoked Beef Brisket Recipe
You can find some great tips on how to cook a brisket at Hey Grill.
- Choose a quality brisket: Ask the butcher to trim off excess brisket fat, but make sure to leave a thin layer on one side.
- Allow the rub to work into the meat: After you add the rub to the meat, allow it to sit in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
- Keep your smoker temperature consistent: You want the temperature to be between 180-200 degrees the entire time.
- Wrapping Brisket: When a brisket gets wrapped it will lock in all the flavor and juices.
SAVE THIS RECIPE!
Enter your email below and we’ll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
Smoked Brisket Recipe
Equipment
SAVE THIS RECIPE!
Enter your email and we’ll send this recipe to your inbox.
Ingredients
Smoked Brisket Rub
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons Salt
- 4 tablespoons Instant coffee granules
- 3 tablespoons Morton’s Tender Quick
- 2 tablespoons Celery salt
- 2 tablespoons Onion salt
- 2 tablespoons Garlic salt
- 2 tablespoons Paprika
- 2 teaspoons Chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
Brisket
- 12-14 pound Brisket
Instructions
Smoked Brisket Rub
- Combine all of the rub ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
Brisket
- Evenly distribute the rub over the entire brisket, rubbing it all over until the entire brisket is coated.
- Place the brisket in a large pan or rimmed baking sheet; cover with foil and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
- Soak the smoking chips in water for at least 30 minutes before smoking.
- Prepare the smoker and bring the temperature to 180 degrees.
- Add the brisket, fat side up, to the smoker and attach the lid.
- Smoke for one hour; remove the brisket and wrap it tightly in aluminum foil.
- Return the brisket to the smoker and cook for another 6-8 hours or until the meat is 190 degrees.
- Remove the brisket from the smoker and allow it to rest for 45 minutes before slicing.
- Slice the brisket against the grain.
Christina’s Notes
- Choose a quality brisket: Ask the butcher to trim off excess fat, but make sure to leave a thin layer on one side.
- Allow the rub to work into the meat: After you add the rub to the meat, allow it to sit in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
- Keep your smoker temperature consistent: You want the temperature to be between 180-200 degrees the entire time.
- Allow the brisket to rest: Do not slice the brisket until it has rested for about 45 minutes.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
One hour unwrapped in an electric smoker? Why don’t you just wave a match over it? I’m sure this recipe can turn out some delicious brisket, but this is basically an oven cooked brisket.
Can’t find the oven recipe as stated???
https://www.itisakeeper.com/45358/best-brisket-recipe/
This might be a silly question, but how do you get the brisket to 190 if your smoker is set to 180?
Great question! The temp of the brisket will continue to rise the longer it sits in the 180 degree smoker.
Why use a curing salt and amount listed is to much
The curing salt helps tenderize the meat. If you don’t like the amount, you can always adjust it to suit your preferences.
I loved this recipe, I’ve also added a pinch of cinnamon….wonderful!
Thank you for sharing
That rub is like magic. So delicious! Thanks for the great tips, they are so helpful!
I am all about smoked meats…This recipe looks absolutely delicious.