Smoked Brisket
Salt and pepper bark, low and slow and melt-tender beef.
Maui's an app that plans a whole week of dinners like this one. See how it works ↓
Probe-tender is the truth. Internal temp is a hint, not a verdict. When the thermometer slides into the flat like it's soft butter, the brisket is done - could be 198°F, could be 207°F. Cook the meat, not the number.
Ingredients
Everything below makes 8 servings.
- 10 lbwhole beef brisket (packer cut)trimmed to 1/4-inch fat cap, patted dry
- 3 tbspkosher salt
- 3 tbspcoarse black pepper
- 1 tbspgarlic powder
- 1 tbsponion powder
- 1 tbspsmoked paprika
- 1 cupbeef broth (for spritz)
- 2 tbspolive oil
In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.
Nutrition
Per serving, as written.
- 1300calories
- 130gprotein
- 14gcarbs
- 82gfat
Swaps move these numbers. A different protein or base changes them.
Instructions
Knife work first, then the stove. Nothing below asks you to chop while something burns.
- Trim the brisket - leave 1/4-inch fat cap, remove the silver skin from the flat. Pat very dry.
- Mix salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika in a small bowl for the rub.
- Preheat smoker to 225°F (or oven to 250°F if oven-braising).
Rub
Coat brisket lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle rub evenly over every surface - top, sides, edges. Press it in. The rub IS the bark.
5 min · hands onSmoke fat-up
Place brisket fat-side-up on the smoker grate. Smoke at 225°F for 6 hrs UNDISTURBED. Spritz with beef broth every 2 hr after hour 3 to keep moist. Internal temp will plateau around 165°F (this is the 'stall' - totally normal).
360 min · hands offWrap
When internal temp hits 165°F (around the stall), wrap brisket tightly in butcher paper or foil. The wrap pushes through the stall and protects the bark.
3 min · hands onFinish low and slow
Return wrapped brisket to smoker. Cook 4-6 hr more until the probe slides into the flat with ZERO resistance (like soft butter) - usually 203°F internal. Don't trust temp alone - probe-tender is the truth.
300 min · hands offRest (mandatory)
Pull brisket, keep it wrapped. Rest in a cooler (no ice) or warm-off oven for at least 1 hr, ideally 2-3 hr. This is what separates legendary brisket from merely-good brisket.
120 min · hands offSlice and serve
Unwrap, transfer to a cutting board. Separate the point from the flat. Slice the FLAT against the grain in pencil-thick slices. Cube the POINT for burnt ends. Serve immediately - brisket cools fast.
10 min · hands onMake it yours
Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.
Flat cooks in 9 hrs instead of 12 - pull at 203°F probe-tender same way. Saves about 180 minutes.
Bake cornbread and toss slaw during the last hour of brisket rest. Adds about 30 minutes.
Pile chopped brisket on toasted brioche with pickles. Adds about 5 minutes.
What keeps
Brisket gets BETTER cold and sliced thin for sandwiches. Wrap leftover unsliced in foil, refrigerate 5 days, freeze 3 months.
Reheat in foil at 300°F with a splash of beef broth to keep moist.
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