Smoked Brisket Recipe

Servings: 6-8
Prep Time: 20 minutes & overnight in the fridge
Cook Time: 8-10 hours

The key to the best Texas-style smoked brisket is to start with naturally flavorful, high-quality meat, which is why we love grass-fed beef from New Zealand. An overnight dry brine combined with a punchy spice rub and a long, slow cook transforms this tough cut into a tender, smoky and downright delicious piece of meat. The best part? For those of you who don’t own a smoker, this brisket recipe can be smoked on a gas or charcoal grill.

Ingredients:

For the Brisket:

1 3-4 lb Taste Pure Nature certified grass-fed brisket, preferably point cut, trimmed
Kosher Salt (about a half teaspoon per pound)
¼ cup apple cider vinegar

For the Spice Rub:

3 tablespoons coarsely ground pepper
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried mustard powder
2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary

Additional Equipment:

Probe style instant read thermometer
Smoker or Gas/Charcoal Grill
Wood Chips or Pellets (preferably hickory)

Directions:

For the Brisket:

1. The night before, dry brine the brisket. Place the brisket on a wire rack set into a rimmed sheet pan. Sprinkle liberally all over with kosher salt, using about a ½ teaspoon per pound. Set in the refrigerator uncovered.

For the Spice Rub:

2. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until well combined. If the sugar is lumpy, press against the side of the bowl with a spoon or crush with your hands.

For Smoking the Brisket:

3. The next morning, pull the dry-brined brisket out of the refrigerator, dampen with water and season generously all over with the spice rub, patting down the rub to cover the entire surface of the brisket. This will later form a delicious bark, don’t skimp!
4. Fire up your grill or smoker to a temp of 250 F. If using a grill, set up for a two-zone fire. For gas, turn on only half of your burners, and for charcoal, put coals only on one side of the grill to create indirect heat for a long, low cook. Set your brisket directly on the grates in the indirect zone. If desired, insert a probe style oven/grill thermometer into the thickest part of the brisket.
5. Add 4 oz of wood chips directly on the grates over the hot section of the grill, every half hour for the first couple hours. If you are using an automatic smoker, like a Traeger, this isn’t needed. If using a grill, and you aren’t seeing any smoke after the first 15 minutes, increase the heat slightly to ignite the wood chips, then shoot to keep the smoker/grill temperature at about 250 F to get a completed brisket internal temperature of 200 F. This will take anywhere from 8-10 hours depending on the size and thickness of your brisket.
6. For the first couple hours, the temperature will rise steadily to 150 F and then stall. In order to speed the process up, transfer the brisket to a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil and pour all over with ¼ cup apple cider vinegar. Crimp the foil tightly together and cover with a second piece of foil. It’s important to not have any leaks, so if using a probe insert in high up on the brisket and crimp extra foil around it to keep any steam from escaping.
7. Place back on the grill and continue to cook until the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 200 F. This may take a couple hours but allowing the brisket to “braise” and reach the high internal temp will help break down the tough connective tissues and render the fat, creating a tender, juicy brisket.
8. To firm up the bark, unwrap and place back on the grill for a few minutes for each side. Remove and tent loosely with foil until the brisket is just cool enough to handle. Slice against the grain in ½ inch slices or ¾ inch cubes. Mop up with plenty of barbecue sauce and eat with plenty of sides, such as macaroni and cheese, pickled red onion, or in true Texas-style, with plain white bread.