Even seasoned barbecuers can find themselves unclear about the right smoker recipe for brisket. Brisket on the pellet grill actually isn’t that difficult to do, but the thing that often puts people off is the main ingredient: time. There’s no denying it’s not a quick and easy meat to smoke.

To get that lovely, juicy slow-cooked texture and taste we are going to need a lot of time smoking it low and slow. Brisket is undoubtably one of the most popular and best meats to smoke, so we want to make sure we get it right.

This smoker recipe for Brisket is done in a straightforward Texan style, but be warned. This is probably going to be a weekend or holiday activity because you could be smoking for up to 10 hours, depending on the size of your brisket.

Some even say 16-18 hours.

To keep things straightforward, we are going to smoke at 120°C or 250°F aiming at 1 hour of cooking time per pound (or 0.45kg) of meat. So an 8 pound brisket will take 8 hours. A 10 pound one will take, yes you guessed it, 10 hours.

How to Choose Your Brisket

We went into choosing your beef in some detail in our article ‘Prime Rib in a Smoker Recipe,’ so we’ll just give you the gist here.

It’s best to use your local butcher and ask a few questions about where the meat came from and what it was fed on. The better the life the cow had, the better your quality of meat will be. 

If you go to your local butcher you can also get a good look at the meat because it’s not ready packaged. Furthermore you can save yourself a bit of work by asking your butcher to trim off some of the excess fat on your brisket.

Brisket comes from the breast area of the cow and and is tough and fatty. Fat is overall a good thing but we don’t want excess fat which won’t render down for us in the cooking process. 

In terms of the weight of the brisket, aim for about 1 pound (or 0.45kg) of meat per person you are feeding, so get a 10 pound brisket for 10 guests at your barbecue.

How to Prepare a Brisket for the Smoker

Smoker Recipe For Brisket Step 1 – Prepare Your Brisket

If you haven’t already got your butcher to do it, use a paring knife to remove any excess fat from your brisket. 

We are now going to prepare a fairly simple dry rub for your brisket. You may want to buy a dry rub and if you do we have a couple of favourites below.

Pit Boss Prime Beef Rub

Pit Boss Chophouse Steak Rub.

Some ‘purists,’ make a dry rub from just freshly ground salt and pepper to put over their brisket. We are going to add a little more spice to this.

We are going to make a very simple Texan style dry rub which will not overpower the taste of the smoked beef. We prefer not to add sugar (some do) in favour of a nice, savoury dry rub.

Smoking Brisket Rub

Simply add these spices together in a bowl and mix together

• 1 tbsp of sea salt (a little more if you have a bigger brisket)
• 1 tbsp of freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper (or mild chilli powder)
• 2 tsp of sweet smoked paprika 
• 1 tsp of ground cumin
• 1 tbsp garlic powder – Optional (we like but it’s not so Texan)

Now you can rub your spices all over your beef, using your hands and getting it into every bit of the brisket you can.

Should I Brine my Smoked Brisket?

Some like to brine the beef first to ensure moisture in the meat. You can do this if you like by covering it with water and adding equal amounts of sugar and salt, and leaving it in the fridge overnight. You can also add whole garlic cloves, herbs and peppercorns if you like.

Should I Wrap my Smoked Brisket?

If you want to reduce cooking time, and keep the brisket moist then definitely. Use the classic method, called the Texas Crutch which involves wrapping our brisket in foil or preferably Butcher’s Paper for the middle part of the cook.

This will also help us avoid what’s called the ‘stall,’ where the internal temperature of the brisket literally ‘stalls’ your cook by going down and not up. This can last for hours and extend your cooking time unnecessarily.

The stall is avoided by wrapping the meat which also helps maintain moisture in the brisket.

Butcher’s paper is better for retaining the right balance of heat and moisture, and insulation but tinfoil will do. If you are in the UK have a look here if you need to get some on Amazon.

If you are in the US Pit boss have some great Butcher’s Paper.

Smoking Brisket Recipe Step 2 – Light Your Smoker

Whether you are using a BBQ or Smoker you’ll need to get it up to 120°C or 250°F. We recommend using high quality restaurant charcoal so that the coals will take and maintain the heat. Otherwise you are going to be constantly refuelling with the poorer quality stuff that won’t burn properly.

Best Wood for Smoking Brisket on the Pellet Grills

Cooking with hickory wood chips is a classic way to do beef brisket, but you can also try apple or cherry wood for a subtler and more fruity smoke flavour. The big, bold flavours of brisket also work well with strong smoke flavours, such as mesquite.

Smoking Brisket Recipe Step 3 – Smoking Your Brisket

You will need to check the temperature of your smoker or BBQ every so often to make sure it’s at a steady 120°C or 250°F throughout your cooking time. Depending on your smoker/BBQ you may need to refuel every 50-60minutes.

We are going to smoke the brisket directly on the grills uncovered and away from direct heat (don’t let the flames burn it by placing it away from the open flames) until the internal temperature reaches 145°F to 175°F or 63°C to 80°C.

We recommend letting your brisket stall for a while before wrapping, and experience has shown us that wrapping when you reach 165°F or 74°C or so is best.

You’ll need a meat thermometer for this, and as ever we cook to internal temperature rather than time. Every time you smoke a brisket the stall comes at a different time (typically a few hours in) but the only way to be sure is to check the internal temperature of the brisket.

Once you reach this temperature wrap your brisket in the Butcher’s paper or foil and return it to the smoker. Make sure you wrap it tightly for insulation, and be sure to add a little liquid – apple juice, cider, beer or even a shot of bourbon are all options here.

Now you can cook to an internal temperature of 203°F or 95°C. At this point some people like to take the brisket off the grills to rest.

We prefer to take the paper/foil off and cook it for a further half an hour or so to ensure a crispy bark on the outside of your brisket. We’ve waited this long, why not wait a little longer to make sure the brisket is the best it can be?

Once you are happy that the brisket is cooked to your liking, you can wrap it up in the paper or foil again to rest for around 30minutes-1hour. Don’t worry it won’t get cold.

Pellet Smoker Brisket Step 4 – Carve and Serve

All that’s left to do now is carve and serve.

Use a fork and sharp knife to carve your brisket into thin slices. You need to make sure to carve against the grain as this will help keep it moist and tender.

The grain is the direction that the lines of muscle run in. You could think of them as elastic bands running across the meat.

Now you can serve your knockout smoked brisket with the accompaniments of your choice – corn on the cob, mashed potato, fries, dips or bbq sauce, barbecue grilled vegetables the list goes on and on.

Your guests may think you have secret cooking powers.

How much brisket per person will depend on appetites and sides, but you can roughly run with 1/2 pound or 0.45kg per person.

FAQ’s About Smoking Brisket

Smoking Brisket Internal Temp

The target temperature for smoked brisket is 203°F. Your meat should have a crisp bark but still be juicy (and a little wobbly) inside.

How Long to Smoke Brisket at 225°F?

At 225°F it will take a 10-12 pound brisket 10-12 hours to smoke. A brisket needs an hour of smoke time per pound, so if your brisket is particularly large (e.g. 16-18 pounds) it could take as much as 16-18 hours.

Smoking Brisket on the Pellet Grill

• Place the wood pellets of your choice in the hopper, and turn your pellet grill setting to ‘Smoke.’
• Once the pellets have begun to travel down the auger and ignited in the pot, you can let the smoker smoke with the lid open for about 10 minutes. This will help to get a clear, quality smoke before you start cooking.
• Set the temperature to 225°F and place the brisket directly on the grills over indirect heat. Cook until the stall (between 145-175°F) wrap the brisket and place back in the smoker.
• Cook until the internal temperature reaches 203°F.
• Rest for around 30 minutes.

If you liked this post try our ‘Smoked Chuck Roast or Pulled Beef,’ article.

Or this article on Smoking Ideas for the Pit Boss Grills.

More Ideas for Pellet Grill Brisket

Brisket Smoker Recipes & Ideas

5 Best Ways to Smoke Brisket in the Smoker

Pit Boss Brisket Recipe

You could also check out another great article on Smoker Recipe For Brisket here:

https://saltpepperskillet.com/recipes/smoked-brisket/

Related Recipe

• Best Brisket Leftover Recipes

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