Dairy free, gluten free, grain free!
Everyone loves smoked brisket. It is a staple in any BBQ restaurant, and probably one of the dishes that they make the most money on. Making brisket is a combination of science and art. Why science and art? Science because you need to understand what is happening to the meat as you cook it in order to get it super tender. Art because the seasoning you use can greatly impact the flavor. You can become extremely creative with making your own spice and herb blends.
The recipe below is a simple smoked brisket recipe. It will only use three ingredients, and to keep it simple, start out with a store bought spice mix. Just make sure it doesn’t contain any ingredients you react to. One of my favorite mixes for this is Weber Texas Brisket Rub.
When selecting your brisket, a lot of people will tell you that you need to make sure it has a nice fat cap, and that you need to smoke it fat cap side up. This will work, but it is not the best way to do things. When selecting a brisket you want to look for one that is as evenly thick as possible. They will never be uniformly thick, but some have one end that is much thicker than the other, thats what you want to avoid. The fat cap should be roughly 1/4″ thick, but don’t stick to that rule if you can find one that is evenly thick with more or less fat.
I use mustard on my brisket. I’m sure I just offended a lot of purists out there, however, there are a few reasons why I use it. The first is that mustard will not change the flavor of brisket. The second is that it will help the seasoning stick better. It will also help create a really great bark on the outside of the brisket because the vinegar in the mustard allows the seasoning to stick even when the fat is melting away.
The next thing to remember when smoking a brisket, and this is probably the second most important, is to smoke it with the fat cap down. Yes, I said down, not up. I’m sure that goes against everything you have ever heard about smoking brisket, but remember I said smoking brisket is part science. Science tells us that fat and water do not mix. They stay separated. You can see this really well in stews, when the fat floats to the top and is easily skimmed off. People will tell you to smoke the brisket fat up so the fat can seep into the meat and add flavor. It simply does not work that way because of the water content (however slight) in the meat. Instead, you smoke it fat cap down. This creates a barrier at the bottom of the brisket that will help the juices of the brisket stay in the meat, because they cant pass through the fat. You will find by smoking it this way the brisket is far juicier.
Another important note, is that brisket needs to rest when it has finished cooking. What I mean by rest, is that you should wrap it in two layers of aluminum foil, and then stick it in a cooler surrounded by towels. Then simply leave it alone. Leave it there for a minimum of 1 hour, but you can leave it there for 4-6 hours without issue and it will still be plenty hot when it is time to eat. You let it rest because this allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, making it very juicy. Nobody want to eat dry brisket. I’ve found that one hour is the minimum time needed for those juices to redistribute. For this reason, you should always start your brisket well before you want to eat it. I recommend starting to cook your brisket at least 12 hours before you want to eat it if it is a small brisket, and longer for bigger briskets. On average it takes 1-1.5 hours per pound to cook properly. That is ONLY to cook it, make sure to include rest time as well.
Finally, the last and maybe most important thing to know about brisket is how to slice it. You always slice brisket against the grain. If you slice it with the grain it will be tough, no matter how juicy it is. If you slice it against the grain it will fall apart and be the best thing you’ve ever eaten. Pay attention to your brisket, and slice it against the grain. This may mean separating two pieces of the brisket and slicing them differently.
Ingredients
- 1 brisket
- your favorite mustard
- your favorite seasoning blend
Directions
Prep-Work
- The day before you are going to smoke the brisket, you should rinse it off, pat it dry with a paper towel, and set it on some shrink wrap.
- Rub the mustard over the entire top and sides of the brisket.
- Generously coat with your seasoning blend.
- Flip the brisket to the other side.
- Rub this last side with mustard.
- Generously coat this side with your seasoning blend again.
- Wrap it tightly with the shrink wrap and put it in the fridge over night.
Smoking
- Get the smoker going and get the temp to around 165.
- Place the brisket on the smoker fat side down.
- Let it smoke at this temperature for two hours.
- After the two hours is up, increase the smoker temperature to around 225.
- You will now let the brisket smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit. This step is very important, it must reach 200 degrees in order for the collagen in the meat to fully break down and become tender. Do not rush this step, and do not increase the temperature. It will appear to stall part way through cooking but it will finish, that is why we start early.
- Once it reaches 200 degrees internal, take it off the smoker, wrap it in two layers of aluminum foil, surround it with towels, and place it in a cooler.
- Let it rest for a minimum of 1 hour.
Eating
- When it is time to eat, remove it from the cooler, towels, and foil.
- Place it on a big cutting board, make sure it is one that can capture juices, because as soon as you start cutting, the juices will flow.
- Slice the brisket against the grain with slices no thicker than a number 2 pencil. This is important, no slice should exceed 1/4 inch in thickness.
- Serve it up to your family and friends with your favorite side dishes, and wait for the comments. BBQ sauce is optional.
With this easy to follow recipe you will be smoking exceptional brisket in no time. Remember to try out different seasoning blends and get creative with making your own.