Are you wanting to research the best smoking recipes for brisket?

Then you have definitely come to the right place.

Smoked beef brisket is every barbecuer’s dream, or nightmare if it goes wrong. Many competition BBQ experts say that it’s the hardest meat to smoke.

Here are some of the best smoking recipes for brisket to make sure you get it right.

Smoker Recipes for Brisket 1 – Memphis Style

Memphis style BBQ tends to have more ingredients in the rubs than the simpler salt and pepper based Texan rubs. This recipe has a great smoked chilli kick to it from the chipotle powder.

Dry Rub

• 2 teaspoons of chipotle powder
• 3 tablespoons of black pepper
• 3 tablespoons of coarse salt
• 2 teaspoons of dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon of onion powder
• 2 teaspoons of chilli powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon of sugar

The brisket is marinated in the rub along with some oil for 24 hours.

It is then smoked at 225°F until the internal temperature of the beef brisket is 150°F.

At this point the brisket is placed in a 2 inch pan along with 1/2 cup of apple juice and 1/2 of beef broth/stock. The pan is covered tightly in the foil and put back in the smoker.

The meat is cooked until it reaches an internal temperature of 190°F. You lower the temperature in the smoker to 190°F and let the meat rest on the grills for 3 hours.

The brisket is carved and then served with BBQ sauce on the side. Mouthwateringly delicious!

Smoked Brisket Recipes 2 – Kansas City Style

The dry rub for this brisket recipe focuses on savoury and sweet flavours rather than the spicier and saltier Memphis rub.

The brown sugar helps to caramelise the bark of the brisket and seal in moisture.

This brisket recipe calls for a slightly higher temperature of 250°F so it won’t take quite as long as the first recipe.

We all understand the need for long cook times for brisket, but shaving some time off the cook can be handy too!

The recipe uses the Traeger method for brined brisket which includes an overnight brine, with the brisket being wrapped in foil around 3 hours into the smoke.

The temperature is then increased to 275°F and the wrapped brisket put back in the smoker.

When the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 204°F it is unwrapped and placed back on the grills for 30 minutes.

https://www.traeger.com/recipes/brined-brisket

Dry Rub

• 1/2 cup of smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 2 teaspoons of black pepper
• 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons of onion powder

Served with a Kansas City style BBQ sauce on the side.

You’ll need to keep some of the rub for the burnt ends of the brisket which are rubbed and then put back in the smoker to get extra crispy.

Smoking Recipes for Brisket 3 – Texas Style

Texas Rubs are generally just salt and pepper, letting the flavour of the beef come through.

This recipe suggests the optional addition of garlic powder, but if you want to aim for authentic Texan you can leave it out.

The classic Texas crutch method is used here to reduce cook time and avoid the stall (where the internal temperature of the beef plateaus and stops increasing).

The brisket is smoked slow and low at 225°F over a mix of oak and cherry wood.

The first part of the smoke takes around 8 hours for a 12-13 pound brisket. When the internal temperature reaches 165°F the beef is wrapped in butcher’s paper. 

The second part of the smoke can take 5-8 hours until the internal temperature is 202°F.

The meat is rested for an hour before serving with BBQ sauce on the side.

Smoker Recipes for Brisket 4 – East-West Brisket

Combining the flavours of America and Korea, this East-West Barbecue Bible recipe is absolutely delicious and different.

The beef is smoked at 225°F in a similar way to the other recipes mentioned here, but it’s marinated in gochujang (Korean chilli paste) and served with Korean BBQ sauce in Bao buns at the end.

The dry rub is really interesting too, bringing the strong flavours of toasted fennel and cumin seeds.

This is really worth a go for something a little out of the ordinary.

Dry Rub

1 tablespoon of fennel seeds

3 tablespoons of sweet paprika

2 tablespoons of coarse salt

2 tablespoons of Spanish smoked paprika (pimenton)

1 tablespoon of ground coriander

3 tablespoons of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of cumin seeds

1 tablespoon of black pepper 

Recipes for Smoked Brisket 5 – Argentinian Style

For those who have not heard of it before Chimichurri sauce is a herby, vinegary and spicy sauce which is often called Argentine BBQ sauce.

It goes fantastically well with slow cooked brisket, and it also happens to be healthy and low carb!

Chimichurri Sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 2 cups cilantro/coriander leaves
• 2 cups flat leaf parsley 
• ½ cup champagne vinegar
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1½ teaspoon chilli flakes or 1 fresh jalapeno
• ½ cup of grapeseed oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of pepper

The ingredients for the Chimichurri are then blitzed in the food processor until finely chopped with the consistency of pesto.

The recipe suggests cooking the brisket in the oven for 10 hours, but you know how to smoke brisket in the smoker if you’ve got this far in this post!

FAQ’s About Smoking Recipes for Brisket

Why Wrap Brisket?

Some way into cooking in the smoker the internal temperature of the meat begins to ‘stall,’ or plateau instead of increasing. This stall can last hours.

The way around this is to wrap the brisket in foil or butcher’s paper around 3 hours into the cook, when the internal temperature of the brisket is 165°F.

Is Smoked Brisket Beef or Pork?

The brisket cut comes from the lower chest area of the cow, and it is a tough and fatty piece of meat best cooked slow and low to break down the tissues.

You can get pork brisket, but most people mean beef when they talk about brisket.

When Smoking a Brisket What Side Goes Up?

You always want to smoke the brisket fat side up. This means the fat will render downwards into the meat, keeping it moist and juicy.

Is Smoked Brisket the Same As Pastrami?

Pastrami is a smoked deli meat cut into thin slices and seasoned. It often comes from smoked brisket, but not always. It is sometimes made from the shoulder or the navel of the cow.

If you enjoyed this article you may also enjoy our ‘Smoker Recipe for Brisket,’ post.

Or our ‘Tomahawk Steak Recipe.’

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