Smoked Beef Brisket, Texas Style
What makes a Texas-style brisket so special? It’s sweet, spicy and oh … that beautiful crust surrounded by a gorgeous smoke ring. When using a rub that has high sugar content, the brisket can burn easily; therefore, a lower smoking temperature is needed, usually around and a long cooking time, 12 – 18 hours. However, the results are truly amazing and worth every salivating moment as you wait for the meat to cook. Serve this smoked brisket with Smoked Porter & Tomato Barbecue Sauce and | or IPA Mustard Sauce for BBQ, along with some Pinto Beans with Smoked Ham Hock for a wonderful BBQ feast!
Makes: 1 whole brisket, about 6 – 7 pounds when finished smoking
Adapted from BeerAdvocate Magazine: Cuisine à la Bière | Jul 2009 | Issue #30
- 1 each brisket, beef, whole, no fat removed, no trimming
- 1/2 recipe Beef Brisket Spice Rub recipe here
- First off, get to know your butcher. Tell them that you are looking for a whole brisket, all the fat, no trimming, and that you are going to be smoking it. Most of what you will find in a meat case has already been broken down and much of the fat has been removed, which will result in a drier brisket. Take the brisket and rinse it well under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place onto a sheet tray with rims and coat with the Beef Brisket Spice Rub on both sides. Spend a few minutes massaging the spices deep into both sides of the meat. Then go back and reapply more rub, forming a good crust. One of the biggest tips and techniques I can share is the following: Wrap the whole rubbed brisket tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, preferably 24 - 48 hours. This will help cure the meat, infuse the flavors deeper into the flesh and create a better crust.
- If you have a wood-fired smoker, start two pounds of charcoal in the coal box. In a medium-sized bowl, add 3/4 a pound of wood chips or chunks, and top with enough water to cover them, letting soak for 30 – 45 minutes. Place a water (or beer) pan under the grill rack. This will help maintain a moist environment, making for juicy barbecue. The coals are ready when they start to show a light layer of white ash on the surface. Add the prepared meat above the water pan. Adjust your air intake and amount of coals to keep the temperature between 225°F | 107°C and 275°F | 135°C, depending on what is being cooked. Check the coals, adding more charcoal and soaked chips/chunks periodically (usually every 45 minutes to an hour) until the meat is done.
- The day of the smoking, remove the brisket from the refrigerator just before the coals are started, allowing the meat to come up to room temperature. Once the smoker is ready, place the brisket fat side up and follow the smoking instructions. Usually, brisket will take 12 – 18 hours at a low 225°F | 107°C to 250°F | 121°C. The lower the temperature, the longer the brisket will take to cook | smoke, creating more smoke flavor and a bigger smoke ring.
- Note: Each time the door of the smoker and coal box is opened, heat is lost and it takes extra time to fully cook what is on the barbecue. Follow these instructions and barbecue techniques to achieve mouth-watering, lip-smackin’, great barbecue.
- If you do not have a smoker, preheat the oven to 250°F | 121°C. Take the brisket and add 1 teaspoon of mesquite liquid smoke or hickory liquid smoke, rubbing into the meat, then add the Beef Brisket Spice Rub. Take a roasting pan with a rack and place the meat in the center of the pan on the rack. Put in the center of the oven and cook for 10 - 14 hours or until the meat has reached an internal temperature of 205°F | 96°C - 210°F | 99°C. The meat should be so tender it almost melts to the touch. Remove from the oven and let rest for 20 – 30 minutes before slicing.
- Once the meat has reached an internal temperature of 205°F | 96°C - 210°F | 99°C, remove from the smoker and cover loosely with aluminum foil. The brisket reaching this temperature is critical, as the fat will render, basing the whole brisket in its own juice and letting all the connective tissue break down, creating a ultra tender brisket. Let the brisket rest for 30 minutes before slicing thin against the grain.
Serving this Texas Style Smoked Beef Brisket with Smoked Porter & Tomato Barbecue Sauce along side of Pinto Beans with Smoked Ham Hock to make a great BBQ feast!
