If you love smoked beef brisket, but the thought of making one yourself feels daunting, this post is for you. This Texas-Style brisket is juicy, tender and full of flavor. And it’s so easy to make!
Why Smoked Beef Brisket?
Here in Texas, we love our beef! Whether it’s a perfectly cooked steak, a juicy hamburger or a crispy chicken-fried steak, you can’t go wrong. But NOTHING tops a deliciously smoked Texas-Style beef brisket cooked in the pellet smoker!
Although brisket is typically a tougher cut of meat, when cooked slowly at a low temperature, the smoking process produces a rich, tender smoked meat, that is full of natural juices in every bite!
The cooking process for the perfect brisket may feel a bit daunting, but our simple recipe is so easy that anyone can do it and feel like a grilling expert! The low and slow cooking process is the best way to achieve the perfect brisket. And it doesn’t have to be hard work!
Now, let’s get to grilling!
Choosing the Perfect Brisket
Smoking the perfect brisket starts with good brisket selection. I recommend choosing a prime brisket, which is a better cut of meat, but if this is not available (which happened in this case), a choice brisket with good marbling will do just fine!
It’s a good idea to find a brisket that is symmetrical in size and around 15 or more pounds as a general rule of thumb. This can vary depending on the size of grill you have and servings needed, so if you need to go smaller you will simply need to adjust your cooking times accordingly.
It’s important not to get too wrapped up in the “time” that it takes to cook a brisket, but more importantly, the temperature and the way the brisket feels when finished. The internal temperature of a fully cooked brisket should ideally be between 203 and 205 degrees and when you probe it with a meat thermometer, it should go into the meat like a hot knife through butter, with little to no resistance.
Now, let’s get smoking!
Ingredients for Texas-Style Smoked Beef Brisket
These are simple ingredients you can pick up at your favorite local grocery store. You’ll find a full recipe card with measurements and nutritional information at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick look at what you’re going to need.
- 15 pound beef brisket
- Hard Core Carnivore Black Seasoning
- Wagyu Beef Tallow
- 6 oz. beer of your choice
- 6 oz. apple cider vinegar
- Pink butcher paper
How to Cook Texas-Style Smoked Beef Brisket
Preheat smoker to 220 degrees.
Lay the brisket on a cutting board and trim excess fat from the brisket, leaving a thin layer of fat (approximately 1/4 inch thick), especially on the fat side (or fat cap).
Cut off any thin sections on the sides of the brisket that are less than a thumb width thick.
Season the whole brisket on both sides with a generous coating of Hard Core Carnivore Black Beef Seasoning.
Place the brisket directly on the grill grates (TIP: you can use a ball of foil to place under the thin side of the brisket in order to elevate it so the fat doesn’t pool up and affect the bark).
Insert a meat thermometer into the thicker side of the brisket and close the lid.
While the brisket is cooking, in an unused spray bottle, mix a 50/50 blend of beer and apple cider vinegar. Refrigerate until needed.
Once the brisket has been on the grill for about 4 hours, spray the top of it with a light coating of the beer/ACV mixture. Repeat this process once every hour until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees.
Cut a large piece of butcher paper and coat a small section (about the width of the roast) with a layer of wagyu beef tallow.
Remove the brisket from the grill, lay on the coated part of the butcher paper and wrap it tightly.
Increase the grill temperature to 250 degrees and place the wrapped brisket back on the grill. Re-insert the meat thermometer through the paper.
Cook until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 203 degrees Fahrenheit (this will take approx. 6-8 hours, but times will vary, so keep a close eye on the internal temperature via the meat thermometer).
Prepare another large piece of fresh butcher with beef tallow the same as before.
Remove the brisket from the grill.
Unwrap the brisket and place it on the new piece of tallowed butcher paper. Wrap it tightly in the fresh paper.
Letting your brisket rest is a very important step! Wrap the whole thing in a towel and place the double wrapped brisket in an empty cooler with the lid closed to sit for at least 4 hours (for best results, letting it rest for around 8 hours is best). *IMPORTANT: DO NOT let the temperature fall below 135 degrees.
Remove and unwrap the juicy brisket. Using a sharp knife, slice and serve!
What to Expect from this Recipe
Our slow cooked brisket will have your mouth watering, with its unmatchable smoky flavor. The perfect smoke ring, which comes from the smoke generated by the wood chips or pellets during the low temperature slow-cooking process, is a tell-tale sign that your brisket is winning! Nothing beats that first cut.
This perfect smoked brisket recipe is full of Texas flavor, with some pieces that are more fatty and others that are more lean. The crispy, blackened bark is the perfect complement to the tender, juicy meat inside. And of course, the burnt ends are one of the best parts! You can serve your brisket with or without barbecue sauce. Either way, you will love it!
This great brisket was a hit with our whole family! We ate off of it for days, with plenty of leftovers to use in a variety of ways. Just store your room temperature leftovers in an air tight container, plastic wrap, or heavy-duty aluminum foil, refrigerate them, and use within 3-4 days. You can also freeze your leftover brisket to use for future meals.
Our family loves this Texas-Style Smoked Beef Brisket, and we know you will too!
How to Utilize Your Brisket to the Fullest
Here are some great ways to enjoy your flavorful brisket to the fullest:
Serve it “as is”… sliced (fatty and/or lean), chopped, and/or topped with your favorite BBQ sauce.
Mix the chopped brisket with BBQ sauce and serve on a sandwich bun (pickles and onions optional), or even a chopped baked potato with all the fixings!
Chop some of the tender meat and make brisket queso! We’ll have a recipe out for that very soon!
PRO TIP: After trimming the excess fat from your brisket (before it ever goes on the grill), save the fatty pieces, cook them down and strain the mixture through cheesecloth to remove the excess pieces of meat/fat. Save the strained tallow in a Tupperware container (at room temperature) and use it for future recipes that call for beef tallow.
There are so many great options for making the most of your smoked beef brisket!
Make it Your Own
We love this recipe just like it is, but here are some other ways to make it your own:
Change up your seasonings: We used Hard Core Carnivore Black, but if you have a favorite beef seasoning you prefer to use, go for it! There are also many great dry rub brisket specific seasoning blends on the market.
If you want to keep it simple, you can always stick with kosher salt and black pepper for your brisket rub. Some other seasoning options are garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper or even brown sugar. The possibilities are endless!
What to Serve with Smoked Beef Brisket
If you’re looking for some delicious sides and desserts to serve with your smoked beef brisket, here are some of our favorites!
Our Smoked Mac and Cheese with Panko is thick and creamy, and it’s the perfect side for your smoked beef brisket!
Nothing goes with beef brisket quite like our Sweet and Savory Southwest Beans. You will love these!
Check out this Healthy Triple Berry Crisp from Out of the Box Baking for the perfect dessert.
These Easy 3 Ingredient Lemon Bars from Southern Home Express look amazing! Give them a try!
Thanks for Stopping By!
That’s it for this post, friends! We hope you enjoy the smoky Texas flavor of this smoked beef brisket! This is one of our favorite recipes and the first time we are sharing it!
Why Not Pin Some Pics While You’re Here?
See this recipe at:
Smoked Beef Brisket
This Texas-Style Smoked Beef Brisket is tender, juicy and full of flavor!
Ingredients
- 15 pound beef brisket
- Hard Core Carnivore Black Seasoning
- Wagyu Beef Tallow (or ...)
- 6 oz. beer of your choice
- 6 oz. apple cider vinegar
- Butcher paper
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 220 degrees.
- Trim excess fat from the brisket, leaving a thin layer.
Cut off any thin sections of the brisket that are less than a thumb width thick. - Season the brisket on both sides with a generous coating of Hard Core Carnivore Black Beef Seasoning.
- Place the brisket directly on the grill grates (TIP: you can use a ball of foil to place under the thin side of the brisket in order to elevate it so the fat doesn’t pool up and affect the bark).
- Insert a meat thermometer into the thicker side of the brisket and close the lid.
- While the brisket is cooking, in an unused spray bottle, mix a 50/50 blend of beer and apple cider vinegar. Refrigerate until needed.
- Once the brisket has been on the grill for about 4 hours, spray the top of it with a light coating of the beer/ACV mixture. Repeat this every hour until the brisket reaches 180 degrees internally.
- Cut a large piece of butcher paper and coat a small section (about the width of the roast) with a layer of wagyu beef tallow. If you don’t have tallow, you can use …
- Remove the brisket from the grill, lay on the coated part of the butcher paper and wrap it tightly.
- Increase the grill temperature to 250 degrees and place the wrapped brisket back on the grill. Re-insert the meat thermometer through the paper.
- Cook until the internal temperature reaches 203 degrees (this will take approx. 6-8 hours, but times will vary, so keep a close eye on the internal temperature via the meat thermometer).
- Prepare another large piece of fresh butcher with beef tallow the same as before.
- Remove the brisket from the grill.
- Unwrap the brisket and place it on the new piece of tallowed butcher paper. Wrap it tightly.
- Wrap the whole thing in a towel and place in an empty cooler with the lid closed to sit for at least 4 hours (up to 8 hours is best). DO NOT let the temperature fall below 135 degrees.
- Remove and unwrap the brisket. Slice and serve!
Notes
Prep time includes all trimming and seasoning before cooking and wrapping during the cooking process.
Cooking time may vary depending on the size of the brisket.
Always go by the internal temperature.
About the Man Behind the Grill
Zach Morrow was born and raised in Texas and has always had a passion for great barbecue. He’s at home behind the grill and loves to feed his friends and family home-cooked favorites as often as he can. He especially loves trying new things and is excited to produce recipes like this one for Backyard Texas Grill.