🔥 Texas-Style Smoked Brisket: The Ultimate BBQ Experience 🤯
I have always enjoyed Texas-style barbeque, but a recent trip to Austin, Texas, revealed the true potential of just how delicious it can be, and this inspired me to revamp my Texas-style smoked Brisket Recipe. I have been smoking brisket for years, but my trip to Austin inspired me to take my brisket game to the next level, and this recipe is a result of that.
You will need a brisket, a smoker, butcher paper, a meat thermometer, and a spray bottle to make this recipe properly, so make sure you have these items on hand before you start the process.
Brisket comes from the chest of a cow and is one of the nine primal cuts of beef. A whole brisket is called a packer and is composed of two muscles, the point and the flat. Most grocery stores sell the flat, which is leaner and is where traditional sliced brisket comes from. It’s also commonly used to make pastrami. The point is where the fat is at, and it’s highly marbled and full of flavor. Some people choose to separate the point and the flat and cook them separately, but I like to cook them together. The fat from the point helps to keep the flat moist, and I love seeing that massive cut of meat in the smoker, but there is nothing wrong with separating them. If you choose this path, you will have shorter cooking times, and each portion will cook more evenly.
Whether you get a point, a flat, or a whole packer brisket, you will inevitably need to trim your brisket. This is a relatively simple process of removing excessive fat and thinner portions and making it more arrow dynamic. This will ensure you get an even smoke ring and helps it cook evenly. You will want to do this when the meat is cold; the warmer it gets, the softer the fat will be, making it more challenging to trim. You will want to remove all the hard fat, but you can leave approximately 1/4-1/3 of an inch of the soft fat. I leave most of the soft fat because I eat my brisket as is and need the calories from the fat you would typically get from eating things like mac and cheese or from the bread if eaten in a sandwich. The fat also helps keep your brisket from drying out. You could also trim the thinner edges as these may dry out during the cooking process. Do not throw away those trimmings. You can use them to make Tallow and Chicharrón de Res (Beef Cracklings).
Once your brisket is trimmed, it’s time to add some mustard to act as a binder to adhere your seasoning. This combination creates that famous bark or crust that transforms a good brisket into a masterpiece. I like stone-ground mustard because the coarser texture aids in bark formation. You can use whatever seasoning you like. I prefer Montreal steak seasoning because the coarse texture helps capture more of the smokeyness. The world-famous terry blacks in Austin, Texas, uses Lowry’s seasoned salt. Whatever seasoning you choose, make sure to get a healthy layer of it on all sides of your brisket. This is a thick cut, so you can go heavy on the seasoning to ensure enough to flavor the whole cut. At this point, you can throw your brisket on the smoker or store it in the fridge overnight so it is ready for smoking.
You will need a smoker to impart that smokey flavor. My preferred type is the offset smoker. This type of smoker is best because it uses indirect heat and will allow you to bring the temperature of the brisket up slowly and allow time to render the fat and break down the connective tissues, leaving you with a melt-in-your-mouth end product. I use mesquite lump charcoal as the base of the fire, and I use a propane torch to get it going. Once the charcoal has burned down to coals, place a small chunk of oak on top of the coals to produce the smoke.
I prefer oak, but you can use hickory or any other hardwood. The wood you use will impart its unique flavor onto the meat, so feel free to experiment with different types or multiple varieties of wood. Another tip is soaking your wood in water; this will provide more smoke and will keep your wood from burning too hot.
Once your smoker is hot, you can adjust the temperature by opening and closing the vents. There is usually one vent on the smoke stack and one on the inlet of the firebox. When you close the vents, it reduces oxygen to the fire and lowers the smoker’s temperature. Conversely, if you open the vents, you will increase the temperature. You will want to keep your smoker right around 250 degrees Fahrenheit during the smoking process. You will have to experiment with the vents to achieve the right temperature.
At this point, you need to ensure the grates are clean and then place a metal bowl or pan filled with a fifty/ fifty mixture of water and apple cider vinegar near the firebox side of the smoker. This will ensure a moist environment inside the smoking chamber that will help keep your brisket from drying out.
Once your smoker is around 250 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s time to add the brisket. Do not place it too close to the firebox.
I recommend checking on it at least every hour but ideally every thirty minutes to stoke the fire and add more wood and charcoal. This is also a good time to mist your brisket with that apple cider vinegar mixture and top off the bowl with the apple cider vinegar mixture.
After about four hours, you should have a very dark-colored bark, which you want.
You can complete the process in the smoker if you like. However, this uses a lot of charcoal and requires constant tending to keep the fire going. I prefer to finish my brisket in an oven set at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Either way, after about 4 hours of smoking, it’s time to wrap your brisket tightly in butcher paper or aluminum foil and bake it or continue smoking at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to spritz your brisket one more time with the apple cider vinegar mixture right before you wrap it. Seal it up tight by wrapping it once, then place the edge of the paper in the middle of the second one to create a good seal. Place the seam side down to hold the paper in place.
After four hours, check the brisket’s temperature to ensure it’s done using a meat thermometer. It should be 195 degrees Fahrenheit in the middle. I recommend investing in a leave-in probe thermometer. The one I use has a wireless monitor that I take inside the house, and it has an alarm when it reaches a specific temperature. You can stick one prob in the brisket and leave one in the smoke to monitor the temperature of both simultaneously.
Once your brisket hits 195 degrees Fahrenheit, remove it from the oven or smoker, leave it wrapped, and let it rest for thirty minutes to one hour to let the juices redistribute to the meat.
Now it’s time to carve it up and enjoy your masterpiece. Eat it as is or with mac and cheese and sautéed greens. You can also use some homemade sourdough garlic bread and coleslaw to make the best sandwich you ever ate.
Texas-Style Smoked Brisket Recipe
Difficulty Level: 5 Meatballs
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 8 Hours
Servings: 5-10
- 10-20 pounds of brisket
- 2 tablespoons of stone ground mustard
- 2-6 tablespoons of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt or Montreal Steak Seasoning
- 1 cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup of water, filtered
Trim excess fat and thinner portions of the brisket.
Dry off your brisket well with a paper towel.
Spread the mustard on all sides of the brisket and iberally season the brisket with seasoning on all sides.
Allow your brisket to come to room temperature for at least one hour before putting it in the smoker.
Get the smoker going and place a metal bowl or pan of half water and half Apple Cider Vinegar in the smoker to retain moisture.
Place brisket on the smoker with the fat side up and adjust the baffles to keep the smoker at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray the brisket with your water and Apple Cider Vinegar mixture every hour throughout the smoking process( wait to start spraying the brisket with the apple cider vinegar mixture until after the bark has begun to form, about one hour into the smoking process).
Smoke the brisket for 4 hours at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove the brisket from the smoker and wrap it using two layers of butcher paper.
Bake at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 hours or until an internal temperature of 195 is reached.
Let your brisket rest for 30 minutes to one hour, then slice against the grain and enjoy the best brisket in the world!
