BBQ Beef Brisket
Quick answer
- Total time
- 1670 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 8 servings
- Ingredients
- 4
About this dish
Nothing goes into the rub but coarse salt and coarse black pepper, and long oak smoke does the rest, building the dark crust Texans call bark while the collagen inside softens until slices give way along the grain.
Read more
With seasoning this simple, the result depends on the meat rather than the clock: if the probe still meets resistance at the target temperature, it keeps cooking. In Texas, slices go out with white bread and pickles.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Set the 2kg whole brisket fat-side up and trim the fat cap evenly to about 1cm.
Pat the surface dry so the salt and pepper rub clings well instead of sliding off.
- 2
Mix 3 teaspoons coarse salt with 3 teaspoons coarse black pepper.
Press the rub over every side of the brisket, then refrigerate it uncovered for at least 12 hours so the surface dries slightly for bark.
- 3
Preheat the smoker to 107C or 225F.
Soak 200g oak wood chips for 30 minutes, drain them, and place them in the smoker tray once the heat is steady and smoke is clean.
- 4
Place the brisket on the grate fat-side up.
Keep the smoker at 107C for the first 6 hours without opening the lid often, allowing the surface to darken and set into bark.
- 5
Monitor the surface and internal temperature.
The stated 12 to 14 hours is an estimate; the thickness of this 2 kg piece and the smoker can shorten or lengthen it. Judge the finish by tenderness as well as temperature, rather than continuing solely to reach the stated hours.
- 6
At about 93°C (200°F), check that a probe slides into the lean meat with little resistance; continue cooking if it is still tough.
Wrap in foil and rest warm for 1 hour, then slice thinly across the grain.
Official cooking and safety guidance
Public-agency cooking and food safety guidance that applies to this recipe.
Official cooking and safety guidance
-
Storage and reheating
Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours and use them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat the center to 74°C.
Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Leftovers and Food Safety
Sources checked 2026-08-03
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