Beef brisket is one of the scariest pieces of meat to work with, but it can also be quite simple.
Salt, Pepper, Garlic (SPG) is all you need to make a great dry rub. There are lots of great options out there from quality companies or you can just make it yourself.
I’m a big fan of Meat Church’s Holy Cow, which is more than just SPG, but the blend is easy, quality, and delicious.
275 degrees is also the magic number. If you can hold a consistent temperature, it just takes patience.
I always like to add a little bit of extra moisture to the smoker or grill, depending on what I am using. If using a Big Green Egg or other ceramic cooker, a water pan between the convection plate and brisket can work wonders for Select or Choice cuts. On a more traditional offset smoker, I like a small water pan on the side with the heat source.
Moisture allows the smoke to adhere to the brisket, helping to provide that dark and flavorful bark. This is another reason to allow your brisket to sweat/ temp, before adding it to your smoker.
Wrap or not to wrap is completely up to you. Some prefer a “Texas Crutch” of aluminum foil, which essentially, steams the brisket, while butcher or pink paper allows some of the steam to be released, but also reduces the amount of smoke the brisket continues to take on. Wrapping is a great way to push your brisket through the stall. The “stall” is that tricky place where the internal temperature stops increasing, while cooking at a low temperature for long periods of time.
If you want to wrap, I recommend doing so after the brisket reaches an internal temperature between 165-175 degrees. This is also where a stall tends to occur.
Prep time: 1 hr
Cook time: 8+ hrs
Ingredients: Salt, Pepper, Garlic
Instructions:
- Bring your smoker or cooker up to 275 degrees.
- Add a generous amount of dry rub or homemade blend of salt, pepper, and garlic, over the entire brisket. (No binder is needed, but feel free to experiment. Mustard works well.)
- Allow the brisket to sit, until it begins to sweat. (Looks wet)
- Place the brisket on the smoker or cooker.
- Check the internal temperature after several hours. If the internal temp is around 165-175 degrees, you can choose to wrap, or continue to let it cook. (If you’re looking, you ain’t cooking)
- The brisket will be ready when it is probe tender. That occurs between 195-210 degrees internal temperature. If the probe slides in with minimal to no resistance, you should be in good shape.
- Pull the brisket and wrap.
- Allow the brisket to rest and redistribute some juices back out to the edges. I recommend using a closed cooler with a towel on top of the wrapped brisket. You can let it rest for several hours.
- Slice and enjoy.
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