Smoking meat in your kitchen is easier than you think. I recently bought a NordicWare Kettle Smoker to use indoors! Being a Texas girl Beef Brisket is one of my ALL time favorites and I’m already working on my recipes for next year’s charity BBQ. One of those is my Jailhouse chili which requires some beef brisket so I decided to smoke my own! The first version is marinaded first, which was great flavor, but ended up being my least favorite. 

SMOKED BEEF BRISKET (marinaded) serves 5-6

1 tablespoon Meat Church Texas Sugar BBQ rub
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Bragg’s liquid aminos
1 tablespoon jalapeno ketchup
1 tablespoon avocado oil
FRESH ground black pepper, to taste
2 pounds beef brisket, cut in half

• Score meat diagonally 1/4″ deep.
• Rub all sides of brisket with BBQ rub. Set aside for 30 minutes.
• Whisk together ketchup, liquid aminos, oil and pepper together.
• Brush sauce on both sides of brisket.
• Wrap meat in wax paper and refrigerate overnight.

 

• Prepare smoker by adding wood chips of choice. I like apple, peach or cherry.
• Cover drip pan with aluminum foil to make cleanup easier and place on top of chips.
• Unwrap meat and place on smoker tray.
• Open vent 1/4 of the way.
• Smoke 1 1/2-2 hours at the recommended internal smoker temperature (190°-210° F) or until done using dry smoke method.
• Rest 5-10 minutes.

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To guarantee A MELT IN YOUR MOUTH TENDER BRISKET FOLLOW THESE TIPS.

SMOKE CLEAN & DRY: Place a water pan in your smoker to stabilize the heat, but DO NOT inject or heavily baste the meat with liquid. This allows the smoke to adhere and the fat to render properly.

THE WRAP: At around 165°, the brisket will hit the dreaded “stall”. This is when the juices & fat of the meat are coming out of the brisket and actually “cooling” the brisket instead of cooking it. The stall at 165° can last 2-5 hours sometimes. By wrapping in butcher paper or foil, you help to break through that stall quicker. I prefer unwaxed butcher paper to foil. Butcher paper allows more smoke into the brisket as it is porous compared to foil. When wrapping your brisket, lathering it with warmed beef tallow all over will help to make it extra moist and tender. It will also amp up the beef flavor.

• Lay out two pieces of butcher paper so they are slightly overlapping.
• Warm your beef tallow up slightly, then drizzle it over the butcher paper.
• Remove the brisket from the smoker, set it onto the butcher paper about 2 feet from one end.
• Drizzle the brisket with even more beef tallow. 
• Pull the short end of the butcher paper over the top of the meat, and then fold it underneath.
• Fold the sides into the brisket, then roll the meat up in the paper until it’s completely wrapped. 
• Place the wrapped brisket back into the smoker. Be sure that the loose end of the butcher paper is on the bottom so it stays nicely wrapped.
• Cook another 7+ hours or until the brisket’s internal temperature is anywhere between 202-203º. 

PROBE TENDER: Don’t rely solely on temperature. The brisket is done when a meat thermometer probe glides into the thickest part of the meat with zero resistance—just like a warm knife sliding through butter.

OPTIONAL ~ TEXAS CRUTCH: Once the brisket hits the “stall” (around 165°-170° internal temp), wrap it tightly in peach butcher paper or foil to lock in natural juices while retaining the bark.

THE LONG REST: Pull the brisket and let it rest in a dry cooler (or a warmed oven set to its lowest setting) for at least 2 to 4 hours before slicing. This essential step allows the muscle fibers to relax and the juices to redistribute.

When it is ready to slice, unwrap and begin slicing the brisket right where you made your “against the grain” cut when prepping.

RESULT: This steamy environment allows the meat’s internal temperature to rise more quickly and helps it become more tender. 

HERE A FEW DEFINITIONS TO HELP:

THE STALL: During smoking, meat temperature can plateau (the “stall”) as moisture evaporates from the surface, cooling the meat down. 

WRAPPING: Wrapping the meat in foil or butcher paper creates a sealed environment, trapping steam and moisture. 

TEXAS CRUTCH ~ The “Texas Crutch” is a barbecue technique where meat, typically brisket or pork, is wrapped tightly in aluminum foil or butcher paper during the final stage of smoking to speed up cooking, push through “the stall,” and lock in moisture. This creates a steamy environment that helps tenderize the meat and retain juices, resulting in a more moist and faster cook, though some pitmasters prefer butcher paper for a more traditional bark. 

I don’t or at least didn’t know much about smoking meat, but I DO know that brisket is my favorite BBQ meat and it takes absolutely forever (10-20 hours for a full brisket) to do it well. Being a Texas girl I knew I needed to perfect my technique and work until I came up with the ultimate recipe. In Texas BBQ Brisket that’s been done well is like the Holy Grail of all meats.

PREPPING BRISKET FOR THE SMOKE:

I personally DO NOT like to trim my brisket. It will look more rustic, but I feel that the fat add so much more to the flavor.

MAKE AN AGAINST THE GRAIN CUT BEFORE YOU SMOKE: When the brisket is fully cooked, seeing the grain structure is difficult so while prepping your brisket, make sure to cut a corner of the brisket. This will reveal the grain structure so that you know how you are supposed to cut it when done.

DRY BRINE: After seasoning thoroughly, place that smoked beef brisket in the fridge uncovered overnight or 4-24 hours. That dry brine is key to drying out the outside layer of the brisket to get an amazing bark.

FAT SIDE UP OR DOWN?: Choosing which side to place up depends more on the grill and fire. If you are cooking on a classic offset smoker, it doesn’t really matter. But if you are using a drum smoker, pellet smoker or something where the heat comes from the bottom you should definitely do fat side down. The fat will help “protect” the meat more from the heat this way.

Place the brisket in the smoker with the fat side of the brisket facing the heat. This layer of fat serves as a “protection” layer against the heat. Start checking at 7 hours, adding time as needed. You can check that it’s done with a meat thermometer. The internal temperature of the meat at the thickest point  should be 165-170ºF. 

REST 2 HOURS: If there is one true secret to brisket, it’s RESTING! Place the brisket in a room temperature cooler (slightly opened) or a room temperature oven.

TRIMMING: First, you need to trim the whole brisket. To do so, lay the cold brisket on a cutting board, fat cap side down. Next, trim off any silver skin or pockets of fat with a sharp knife. Remove the large pocket of fat near where the flat and point meet, then square off all sides of your brisket.  Flip the brisket over and carefully remove the fat cap. Be sure that the fat cap side is about 1/4″ thick, then remove most of the fat “flap” located at the top of the brisket.

SEASONING: Rub the brisket generously with kosher salt, black pepper, and optional garlic powder for a basic traditional seasoning or use your favorite preprepared rub. Place the seasoned brisket into the fridge and allow it to dry brine overnight. 

SMOKING: Preheat your smoker to a temperature of 250-265º. I like to use a maple cherry combo for flavor or an oak and peach combo.

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TEXAS SMOKED BEEF BRISKET adapted from OVER THE FIRE serves 8

Prep Time: 1 hour hour
Cook Time: 14 hours hours
Total Time: 15 hours hours

12-15 pounds beef brisket, trimmed
2 1/2 tablespoons FRESH ground sea salt
2 1/2 tablespoons FRESH ground black pepper
2 tablespoons garlic powder, optional
1 cup Beef Tallow, warmed up

• Season brisket thoroughly.
• Place your brisket into the fridge to dry brine overnight.

 

• Preheat smoker for 250-265° with wood chunks or chips choice.
• Add the brisket on to the smoker fat side towards the heat.
• Cook the brisket 7-8 hours until it reaches about 165-170° at the thickest and fattiest part.
• Once it has hit 165°, wrap the brisket in butcher paper.
• Return the brisket back onto the smoker at 250-265° so that the loose end of butcher paper is on bottom to prevent it from unraveling.
• Cook 7-8 hours more until the meat hits 202-203°.
• Rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours before slicing.