Our smoked brisket recipe is slow smoked and with some time and patience, it’s the most tender and best brisket ever. There’s so many ways to cook beef brisket, but our favorite is making the smoked brisket recipe because it’s loaded with amazing flavor. It’s not a quick smoked brisket recipe, but it’s totally worth every bite if you have a free day to nurture it to perfection. There is nothing simpler to make than smoked brisket. You’ll need a nice chunk of brisket, salt & pepper, lump charcoal or smoking chips/chunks, and time.

Smoked Brisket Recipe and Best Beef Brisket Recipe on a cutting board

How to Cook Smoked Brisket?

The key is to cook it slow and low for hours in a deliciously smokey BBQ. We have photos below to show the process.

  • Set up your BBQ or smoker for indirect grilling (coals on one side/food cooking on another)
  • Put a drip pan under the spot where your meat is going to cook, and if using smoking chips/chunks-soak them in water for an hour or so.
  • Light up the smoker, place your meat in there, and then relaxingly spend your day maintaining the temperature of the smoker and amount of smoke (we’ll usually check it about about once an hour for 8-12 hours). Brisket is an ornery, tough cut of meat, so you can’t rush the process. It will take time to break down the brisket to tenderness without going dry. Also the grade of beef will significantly effect the end result. The better the grade of beef, usually the better the marbling and as a result, the more juicy and tender the final smoked brisket will be.
Smoked Brisket Recipe and Best Brisket Recipe on a cutting board with a knife

Indirect Heat for Smoked Brisket Recipe

For smoking, you cook using indirect heat, (the meat isn’t being cooked directly over the coals (or gas) but instead is being cooked off to the side and the heat is coming from the opposite side or in the side firebox chamber.) The temp in the smoker or grill’s chamber where the meat is should be in the 225-275ºF (110-135°C) range the whole time cooking.  The BBQ’s lid will be closed most all of the time, trapping in the heat and smoke and slowly cooking the meat like it would in an oven, only better.  You should have a decent amount of smoke over half the time you are cooking the meat.

To generate the smoke there are two main ways, use a mesquite or hickory lump charcoal, or use smoker chips or chunks of wood that are recommended for smoking meats with regular charcoal briquettes or with a gas grill. Don’t overdue the smokiness or else it will dominate the flavor, but it you have just enough, it will be amazing. With a little bit of tweaking, you can smoke meats in nearly any grill, even a basic Webber grill, however a good BBQ or smoker will make things a bit easier.

A good smoker is usually built with a heavier duty metal which will help maintain a consistent temperature, has a dedicated place to burn the coals that isn’t directly by the meat as it cooks (such as a side fire box) and they will hold in the smoke better so it gets a chance to penetrate the meat. Enjoy this smoked brisket recipe! 

Watch Video of Delicious Smoked Brisket Recipe:

Tips on Smoking Our Brisket

  • We love lump charcoal (lit with a chimney) for smoking this smoked brisket recipe. Smoked Brisket Recipe and Best Brisket Recipe @bestrecipebox
  • For this smoked brisket recipe: Start with a pile of charcoal, and then place the lit coals on the far side from where you’ll be cooking so it can slowly burn its way back to the meat. Smoked Brisket Recipe and Best Brisket Recipe @bestrecipebox
  • Final result: It looks like a meteorite, but there is tender, juiciness underneath that crust. Smoked Brisket Recipe and Best Brisket Recipe @bestrecipebox
  • Perfect. At it’s absolute best when warm and freshly sliced. Juicy and delicious! Serve warm straight up or with your favorite sauce. Smoked Brisket Recipe and Best Brisket Recipe @bestrecipebox

Temperatures for Smoked Brisket

For the smoker temperature, try to keep the cooking temps between 225-275°F.

For the internal temperature of the finished brisket, aim for 195-200°F. The higher the temp, the more tender. But if it goes to high (above 205°F), the brisket will start to fall apart and not have the best texture. The brisket will continue to rise in temp by about 5°F after taking it out of the heat. So if you measure it at 195°F on the smoker, that should give an ideal serving internal temp of 200°F.

Why Isn’t the Brisket Getting up to Temperature?

Every brisket hits a “stall” somewhere between 150–165°F when smoking. At this stage, the fat begins to render, which cools the meat and slows the rise in internal temperature. You can just keep it on the smoker and eventually it will get there, but to push through and get the best juiciness and texture, tightly wrap the brisket in heavy-duty aluminum foil, then return it to the smoker to finish cooking.

Smoked Brisket Recipe and Best Biscuit Recipe BBQ | @bestrecipebox

Smoked Brisket

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 hours
Total Time: 10 hours 10 minutes
We definitely prefer to use lump charcoal instead of briquettes. Lump charcoal alone will provide a nice smokey flavor, however briquettes, even competition smoking briquettes seem a little flat on the smoke flavor. If using briquettes we highly recommend also using smoking wood chips (ie. apple or stone fruit tree trimmings, hickory, pecan wood chips).  Use your favorite sauce at the end of smoking the brisket.
If you are doing a whole brisket (usually +/- 12 lbs.) we prefer to cut the brisket into about 3 pieces so they cook at the best rates. There is usually a thinner end we'll cut (about 1/3), then divide the remaining into 2 thicker chunks. It will smoke a bit faster and you can remove the smaller end sooner when it reaches your preferred internal temp. or texture.
Here's a great write up on the principles behind a good smoked brisket. 
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Ingredients

  • 5-6 pounds (2.25-2.75 kg) Brisket (you can cook a whole brisket-usually @12lbs. if you like, it will just take quite a bit longer to cook – see head note)
  • Kosher Salt , to taste (be generous)
  • fresh cracked Black Pepper , to taste (be generous)
  • your favorite BBQ sauce , optional

Equipment

Instructions 

  • Rinse and dry the brisket with paper towels. If needed, trim off most of the fat cap, leaving the fat cap a just a bit more than 1/4-inch (7-8mm) thick. Generously season with salt and pepper. 
    Prepped brisket
  • Light charcoal (a chimney is our favorite method). If using a side smoker box, place the lit charcoal next to the side vent door (furthest from the grill), then stack the unlit charcoal going towards the grill (not on top of the already lit charcoal). Start with the vents open just a little bit.
    Lighting charcoal
  • Place the brisket in the smoker and close door. After about 15 minutes, check the smokers temperature. You'll want to keep the temperature between 225°F-275°F.  Adjust the vents as needed (less air to cool the temperature, more to increase the heat).
  • While smoking occasionally adjust the vents to keep the cooking temperature between 225-275°F. Add more charcoal or briquettes as needed. If using briquettes *see head note, two or three times during the smoking, add a handful of wood cuttings or chips on top of the lit charcoal. (Don't do this too much or else the meat will be overly smoky. Once every 60-90 minutes is usually perfect).
    Smoke for 8-12 hours, depending on the size of the brisket and average temperature you maintained while smoking. Remove from the smoker when the internal temperature reaches 195-200°F in the thickest part. Every brisket hits a “stall” somewhere between 150-165°F when smoking. At this stage, the fat begins to render, which cools the meat and slows the rise in internal temperature. You can just keep it on the smoker and eventually it will get there, but to push through and get the best juiciness and texture, tightly wrap the brisket in heavy-duty aluminum foil, then return it to the smoker to finish cooking.
    Vents on smoker
  • After smoking, let the brisket rest, preferably for about half an hour. (Some will rest in a room temperature cooler or cambro to give an even more tender finish). 
    Slice the brisket only right before serving, as it will have the best texture and juiciness when warm and right after slicing. Serve with your favorite sauce. 
    Slice brisket

Video

Youtube video

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 294kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 39g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 117mg, Sodium: 1312mg, Potassium: 630mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Calcium: 12mg, Iron: 4mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, BBQ-Grilling
Calories: 294

Favorite BBQs & Tools for Smoking and Grilling:

Some of our favorite tools & charcoal for BBQ and grilling.

Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter
Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter

The perfect way to light lump charcoal or briquettes.

Jealous Devil Hardwood Lump Charcoal
Jealous Devil Hardwood Lump Charcoal

Burns hotter and longer. Give a great smoke flavor without needing to add wood chips. Our preferred fuel for smoking meats.

Lavatools Javelin PRO 2-Second Digital Instant Read Meat Thermometer
Lavatools Javelin PRO 2-Second Digital Instant Read Meat Thermometer

Accurate, fast & commercial grade. A must for knowing the correcting doneness of meats. Also perfect for jams, frying oil temps, chocolate

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