An easy recipe for achieving the perfect smoked brisket, even as a beginner! This labor of love results in tender, smoky meat encased in a crisp, peppery bark and well-deserved bragging rights!
**For all meat prep, grill set up, temperature and humidity control, recommended tools, and techniques for The BBQ Brothers recipes, check out The BBQ Brothers Beginner’s Guide To Grilling first, then get to cookin!
Why Make This Recipe?
- If you Google "smoked brisket recipes" you're going to be quickly overwhelmed by the wealth of knowledge, recipes and tips that exist (we know because we were!) This recipe is simplified to make the best smoked brisket for beginners without all the studying and stress!
- Brisket is a classic right of passage for any experienced grill master. In fact, the BBQ brothers themselves put off learning how to smoke a brisket for years because of how daunting it seemed. Now that we know how to easily smoke a brisket we're eating it all. the. time.
- The nice thing about smoked brisket is how versatile it is. We like to slice this up and just eat it on it's own as an appetizer but you can also turn it into sandwiches or nachos or even mix it into our ever popular smoked mac and cheese.
- Smoked brisket is a long cook and a labor of love. Depending on the size of the brisket you might find yourself losing sleep just to maintain the cook. Don't be discouraged--the results are well worth it and the bragging rights are priceless.
- We are huge fans of simple smokes like burgers or pork butts but achieving that perfect smoke ring on your brisket after a day-long cook is beyond satisfying.
Ingredient Notes
- Obviously you're going to need a brisket. You can get one at your favorite butcher or even at the grocery store. We used a 6 lb brisket flat for this cook, but you can alter this recipe for any size of brisket, even a full packer brisket. Just remember you'll need about ½ pound per person and need to smoke it for about 1 hour per pound.
- For the injection we used apple juice, whiskey, apple cider vinegar, and worcestershire sauce. Any whiskey will do, we happened to have Crown on hand so that's what we used. (Feel free to serve yourself a shot while you prep).
- For the rub we used Traeger beef rub and added extra salt. (FYI...this is not a sponsored post but we would be more than happy to be sponsored by Traeger 😉 ) You can also simply use a 1:1 ratio of salt and pepper.
Step by Step Photos
- First, prep the brisket flat by cutting off the fat cap. You don't need to remove all of the fat, just try to cut it down as evenly as possible. Otherwise, your brisket may not cook evenly, resulting in dry or burnt spots.
- Next, inject the brisket with 2 parts apple juice, 1 part whiskey, and just a dab of Worcestershire sauce, to taste.
- Season all sides liberally with Traeger beef rub and extra salt. (Or regular S+P will work). Place the brisket in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- You're going to smoke the brisket at 225 degrees F until internal temp reaches 175.
- You will hit the dreaded "brisket stall" around an internal temp of 150 F, which is when the temperature plateaus or even drops due to liquid evaporating from the brisket. Stay patient, it will rise again!
- You'll need to smoke it about 1 hour per pound, and spray it every 30 minutes with a combination of apple juice, whiskey, apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire.
- Once your internal temp hits 175, wrap the brisket tightly in foil until internal temp is 195, then remove the brisket from your smoker and let it rest for 1 hour before slicing and serving.
FAQs and Expert Tips
- Shopping: You can find a brisket at your local butcher or at most grocery stores. We used a 6 lb flat. Also, make sure you have apple cider vinegar, apple juice, whiskey, Worcestershire sauce and either beef rub or S+P.
- Substitutions: We used the Traeger beef rub on ours and it tasted amazing but you can use simple salt and pepper if you prefer. (Or your own favorite beef rub!)
- Prep: We like to inject and season our brisket and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours prior to smoking.
- Smoking: Smoke the brisket at 225 degrees F for 1 hour per pound until internal temp reaches 175. Spray every 30 minutes with a combination of apple juice, whiskey, apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire. Once your internal temp hits 175, wrap the brisket tightly in foil until internal temp is 195, then remove the brisket from your smoker and let it rest for 1 hour before slicing and serving.
- You will hit the dreaded "brisket stall" around an internal temp of 150, which is when the temperature plateaus or even drops due to liquid evaporating from the brisket. Stay patient, it will rise again!
- Storage: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Be sure to refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking and wrap the brisket tightly in plastic wrap and then foil (when exposed to air, the brisket will deteriorate more quickly).
- Freezing: Brisket can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. Store in a freezer safe bag, removing as much air as possible. You can also save the juices for reheating by storing small batches in air tight containers or ice cube trays.
- Reheating:
- If fresh: Wrap the brisket in foil with a little bit of beef broth or reserved cooking liquid. Place in the oven (or grill) at a low temperature (no more than 300 degrees) for about 20 minutes, until pieces are steaming. Do not microwave as this will cause the brisket to become rubbery.
- If frozen: Thaw the brisket in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Follow reheating directions above.
Maintaining a perfect temperature during the smoke is important to developing a good bark on your brisket. If your cook is too hot and fast and brisket will char rather than develop a nice bark. If you cook it too low the bark will never develop. Staying around 225 F or below is ideal to developing that nice, crispy, peppery bark!
Don't panic! This happens to all brisket cooks around an internal temp of 150 F. As the liquid begins to evaporate from the brisket, it causes the temperature to plateau or drop. Just stay patient, it will rise again!
You want the brisket to rest so the juices can redistribute and thicken. This is what creates tender meat. Skipping this step will result in your brisket drying out.
See the notes above on how to properly store leftovers. We recommend adding it into our smoked mac and cheese, using it to create breakfast hash, nachos, quesadillas, chili or grilled cheese.
The brisket flat is long, thin and lean while a point has more fat and is thicker and smaller. A full packer means both the flat and point are included.
We opted to cook our brisket on the Traeger using mesquite pellets. Mesquite or hickory wood are both excellent choices for smoking a brisket.
Related Recipes
- Smoked Spatchcock Chicken
- Smoked Pork Butt Tacos
- Easy Double Smoked Turkey
- Smoked Mac and Cheese
- Smoked Burgers
- Smoked Turkey Porchetta
So let us know what you think….did this recipe smoke the competition or go up in flames? Leave a comment below! 🙂
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Smoked Brisket for Beginners
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 30 hours
- Method: Smoked
- Cuisine: American
Description
An easy recipe for achieving the perfect smoked brisket, even as a beginner! This labor of love results in tender, smoky meat encased in a crisp, peppery bark and well-deserved bragging rights!
Ingredients
Meat Used: 6 lb brisket flat
Seasoning: Traeger's Beef Rub (or regular S+P)
Injection: Apple juice, whiskey, Worcestershire sauce
Wood Used: We used mesquite pellets on our Traeger, but hickory or mesquite wood would work well
Grill Temperature: 225 degrees
Meat Temperature: 175 degrees then wrapped until it reaches 195
Smoke Time: 1 hour per pound
Instructions
- First, prep the brisket flat by cutting off the fat cap. You don't need to remove all of the fat, just try to cut it down as evenly as possible. Otherwise, your brisket may not cook evenly, resulting in dry or burnt spots.
- Next, inject the brisket with 2 parts apple juice, 1 part whiskey, and just a dab of Worcestershire sauce, to taste.
- Season all sides liberally with Traeger beef rub and extra salt. (Or regular S+P will work). Place the brisket in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- You're going to smoke the brisket at 225 degrees F until internal temp reaches 175.
- You will hit the dreaded "brisket stall" around an internal temp of 150 F, which is when the temperature plateaus or even drops due to liquid evaporating from the brisket. Stay patient, it will rise again!
- You'll need to smoke it about 1 hour per pound, and spray it every 30 minutes with a combination of apple juice, whiskey, apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire.
- Once your internal temp hits 175, wrap the brisket tightly in foil until internal temp is 195, then remove the brisket from your smoker and let it rest for 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Shopping: You can find a brisket at your local butcher or at most grocery stores. We used a 6 lb flat. Also, make sure you have apple cider vinegar, apple juice, whiskey, Worcestershire sauce and either beef rub or S+P.
- Substitutions: We used the Traeger beef rub on ours and it tasted amazing but you can use simple salt and pepper if you prefer. (Or your own favorite beef rub!)
- Prep: We like to inject and season our brisket and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours prior to smoking.
- Smoking: Smoke the brisket at 225 degrees F for 1 hour per pound until internal temp reaches 175. Spray every 30 minutes with a combination of apple juice, whiskey, apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire. Once your internal temp hits 175, wrap the brisket tightly in foil until internal temp is 195, then remove the brisket from your smoker and let it rest for 1 hour before slicing and serving.
- You will hit the dreaded "brisket stall" around an internal temp of 150, which is when the temperature plateaus or even drops due to liquid evaporating from the brisket. Stay patient, it will rise again!
- Storage: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Be sure to refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking and wrap the brisket tightly in plastic wrap and then foil (when exposed to air, the brisket will deteriorate more quickly).
- Freezing: Brisket can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. Store in a freezer safe bag, removing as much air as possible. You can also save the juices for reheating by storing small batches in air tight containers or ice cube trays.
- Reheating: If fresh: Wrap the brisket in foil with a little bit of beef broth or reserved cooking liquid. Place in the oven (or grill) at a low temperature (no more than 300 degrees) for about 20 minutes, until pieces are steaming. Do not microwave as this will cause the brisket to become rubbery. If frozen: Thaw the brisket in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Follow reheating directions above.
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