Smoked Brisket

Smoked Brisket Recipe

I start with an 8# brisket which will easily feed 6-8 folks. 

I always recommend injecting Beef Brisket just because it will give your meat more flavor and it will help to keep it moist during – and after – the cooking process.

• 1 14 oz. can of beef broth
• Worcestershire Sauce (1 TBS)
• Soy Sauce (1 TBS)
• Accent (1 tea)

Next, apply your favorite BBQ rub.  Give it a good coat all over the brisket. Make sure you get the edges covered and any get it down in all the folds. You want seasoning on all surfaces.

The Last layer of seasoning is Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick. Not only does it bring more flavor to the bark but it also creates texture due to the coarse grind of the spices in it.

So I have the brisket on the pit, fat-side up and the temp holding steady at 225 degrees. For smoke I use a few chunks of pecan and cherry wood, but not too much. It’s easy to overpower beef with smoke. The cherry will give you all the color and smoke ring it needs, trust me on this.

At this point you can set a timer and relax for a few hours. Keep the temp steady at 225 and the door closed. Set the probe for 165-170 degrees and it will take about 4 hours or so.

I don’t go by internal temperature at this point. I know some folks say to take it to 165 or 170 before you wrap, but I really don’t care what the internal is right now. What is important is the color on the outside. It should be dark but not burnt. I want a mahogany color not a meteorite!

Once the color is right on the outside, I wrap the brisket in aluminum foil. Pull off strips about 36” long and lay them cross wise over each other. I use at least 2 layers because I don’t want any leaks. I like to pour ½ cup of the injector marinade over the brisket and then carefully wrap it in two directions and place the brisket back on the cooker to finish.

The temp should be holding steady at 225 for the remainder of the cook and it’s probably going to take about 4 more hours. Typically, a brisket takes me 1 ½ hrs/# to cook at 225.

It’s a good rule of thumb but not always the case. This is where the internal temperature becomes crucial.

Brisket needs to get to 198 degrees in the thickest part of the flat. Sometimes it happens is 8 hours, sometimes it’s 12. There’s no exact science here but be patient and start checking around the 7 ½ hour mark.

Once I see 198 in the flat, it’s time to get it off the heat. Open up the foil and remove the brisket to prepare the burnt ends.  Burnt Ends are considered a delicacy in the BBQ world. They are pieces of the brisket’s point, cut into chunks, sauced, re-seasoned and placed back on the smoker until they are melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Cut the brisket into the desired slices and place the slices in a small pan. In the pan you can mix 1 cup of the au jus and 1 cup of BBQ sauce. This will keep the slices moist and add flavor to them.  I place the sliced flat back in the foil and place it in an empty clean cooler to keep it as warm as possible.

Then I cut the point into burnt ends, toss them in the sauce, and place on the smoker. To make the sauce, use 1 cup of BBQ sauce mixed with 3 TBS of the au jus from the large aluminum pan.

Coat the burnt end pieces gently with this sauce and place back in the smoker for an hour (uncovered).

Enjoy!!!