The Best Smoked Brisket Recipe
This is the best smoked brisket recipe – great for back yard barbecues and family cook outs! You are going to love this perfectly flavourful and juicy brisket.
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Brisket is a tough cut of meat that is full of connective tissue which is why smoking it low and slow is a great way to achieve the best results. Beef brisket is a classic barbecue staple that is a family favorite for summer!
How long should you smoke a brisket?
Cook time will depend on the size of your brisket, a general rule of thumb is one hour for every pound of meat when smoking at 250 degrees f.
You know that the brisket is done when the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F. The best way to monitor the temperature is with a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meat.
The best brisket is cooked low and slow, for an amazing smoke flavor and tender texture. We used a five pound brisket for this cook, it took 7 hours to smoke.
How to Make Smoked Brisket:
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Supplies:
- Traeger 780 Pro Smoker Grill – this is our Traeger model, it’s the perfect size for families who like to entertain! Be sure to check out all of our must have Traeger products.
- Meater Thermometer – we love this wireless meat thermometer. It connects to an app that tells you exactly when your meat is done!
- BBQ tongs
- Basting brush
- Paper towels
- Aluminum foil
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
Ingredients:
- 5 pound beef brisket, fat trimmed
- ¼ cup Traeger Blackened Saskatchewan dry rub*
- ⅛ cup BBQ sauce**
*We also love to use our own rub, be sure to check out this homemade brisket rub recipe.
**For this brisket we used our delicious homemade barbecue sauce recipe but you may use your favorite BBQ sauce of choice.
Directions:
1. Trim excess fat from the top of the Brisket to about ¼”, leave the thick layer of fat on the bottom.
2. Pat dry with paper towel.
3. Cover the front and back of the brisket in a solid layer of rub.
4. Wrap the brisket in plastic wrap and place in the fridge on a sheet pan for at least two hours or overnight.
5. Preheat the Traeger to 165 degrees F.
6. Place the brisket on the bottom grill grate, fat side down.
7. Smoke for two hours.
8. Turn the Traeger up to 250 degrees F. Wrap the whole brisket in aluminum foil, creating a leak proof packet.
9. Smoke for an additional four and a half hours. Remove from foil.
10. During the last half an hour, baste the whole brisket with BBQ sauce twice.
11. Remove from the grill to a cutting board, let the brisket rest for 15 minutes and slice thinly.
Look at that beautiful smoke ring, this is a direct result of the low temperature smoke that we started with.
This is our favorite way to prepare and smoke a great brisket but you may also want to try these techniques!
Tips for a tender brisket:
- Wrap the brisket in aluminum foil or butcher paper to help keep the juices and flavour in the meat.
- We use a homemade bbq sauce made with a combination of brown sugar and ketchup to baste our brisket. You could also baste the meat using apple juice or apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle.
- Some people use a meat injector with a mixture of melted butter or olive oil and garlic powder. They swear by injecting the meat, similar to what we do with our Garbage Can Turkey.
What to serve with brisket:
- Potato salad
- Grilled corn salad
- Dill pickle pasta salad
- Corn bread
- Beer can chicken
- Grilled corn
- Homemade BBQ sauce
- Alabama white sauce
- Keto cauliflower salad
- Skillet mushrooms
Tips for smoking brisket:
- Leave the smoker lid closed! Lifting the lid repeatedly will reduce the amount of smoke in the grill and cause the temperature of the smoker to drop. Work as quickly as possible when preparing and basting the brisket.
- Don’t trim off too much fat! Fat helps to give the brisket that tender and juicy texture and flavour.
- When in doubt, cook the meat lower and slower. The longer the smoke, the more delicious the beef (in our opinion).
Be sure to check out these 20+ Best Smoker Recipes on a Pellet Grill too!
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The Best Smoked Brisket Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 pound beef brisket fat trimmed
- ¼ cup Traeger Blackened Saskatchewan dry rub
- ⅛ cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- 1. Trim excess fat from the top of the Brisket to about ¼”, leave the thick layer of fat on the bottom.
- 2. Pat dry with paper towel.
3. Cover the front and back of the brisket in a solid layer of rub. - 4. Wrap the brisket in plastic wrap and place in the fridge on a sheet pan for at least two hours or overnight.
- 5. Preheat the Traeger to 165 degrees F.
- 6. Place the brisket on the bottom grill grate, fat side down.
- 7. Smoke for two hours.
- 8. Turn the Traeger up to 250 degrees F. Wrap the whole brisket in aluminum foil, creating a leak proof packet.
- 9. Smoke for an additional four and a half hours. Remove from foil.
- 10. During the last half an hour, baste the whole brisket with BBQ sauce twice.
- 11. Remove from the grill to a cutting board, let the brisket rest for 15 minutes and slice thinly.
Video
Notes
For this brisket we used our delicious homemade barbecue sauce recipe but you may use your favorite BBQ sauce of choice.
Nutrition
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Was cautious with the temp but thus really came out good. Tender, juicy, and firm enough to cut nicely
We need to do another one of these asap!