Smoked Brisket Flat
On January 16, 2025
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If you’re looking to smoke up a brisket, but you don’t have the time to commit to a full-packer brisket, this smoked brisket flat is the perfect recipe for you. It’s full of flavor and ready in a single day, perfect for a weekend BBQ!
What is a Brisket Flat?
A whole packer brisket is made up of two muscles, the flat and the point (also known as the deckle). The point is the fattier section of the meat. Slices of brisket from the point are often the juiciest. BBQ Burnt Ends usually come from the point.
The flat is the leaner portion of the brisket that is often used for thin slices of meat on sandwiches. Brisket flats are often more available and affordable in your local stores. They’re also easier to cook than a full brisket, and they’ll take a significantly shorter time to cook.
If you’re not quite up to smoking a full Texas Style Smoked Beef Brisket, or you don’t have a huge crowd to feed, a brisket flat is a great place to start.
Smoking a Brisket Flat
If you have a hankering for brisket, but you’re not looking to cook an overnight, this smoked brisket flat recipe is for you.
You don’t need to smoke a whole-packer brisket to enjoy a juicy, flavorful brisket. Let’s walk through the steps of cooking a beef brisket flat that’ll result in a tasty hunk of beef that is ready to go in less than a day.
Ingredients for this Recipe
You don’t need very much when smoking brisket flat. Simple seasoning and some tasty liquid for the injection will keep the meat moist and flavorful without overpowering the flavor of the beef itself. Here’s what you need to make smoked brisket flat.
- 7-8 pound brisket flat
- 1/4 cup Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub
- 1/4 cup melted Beef Tallow
For the injection, you’ll need the following:
- 1 cup beef stock
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
You can purchase my Beef Rub from the Hey Grill Hey Store or you can substitute this recipe with equal parts salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
How to Trim a Brisket Flat
Before you inject and smoke the brisket, trim the meat down a bit to help infuse it with moisture and extra flavor.
- Trim the top fat cap down to a 1/4 inch thick.
- Remove the tail on the end of the meat if any of the point has been left.
- Remove excess fat from the underside of the brisket.
- Square up the brisket flat.
You can be a bit more liberal when removing fat from a brisket flat. We’re using an injection in this meat, so the fat is not as needed as if you were smoking a full brisket.
How to Smoke a Brisket Flat
Let’s quickly go through each step needed to make this tasty beef. Here’s how to smoke a brisket flat.
- Preheat. Fire up your favorite smoker and preheat it to 275 degrees F. I like to use oak and cherry for my brisket, but you can use whatever wood is your favorite.
- Trim. Follow the instructions in the previous section to trim the excess fat off the brisket flat and even it out.
- Inject. Combine the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce in a jar. Use a meat injector to inject the liquid evenly into the meat.
- Season. Sprinkle Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub evenly over the meat. If you don’t have any Beef Rub on hand, you can use equal parts coarse kosher salt, coarse black pepper, and garlic powder. Unlike my full brisket process, you don’t need to use a yellow mustard slather on this meat prior to adding the seasoning. This meat is plenty moist from the injection.
- Smoke. Place the brisket flat on the smoker. On my pellet grill, I placed my brisket fat side down. Close the lid, and smoke for 4-5 hours or until the meat reaches 165 degrees F.
- Wrap. Place the brisket on a large sheet of butcher paper. Drizzle the meat in melted Beef Tallow or clarified butter (ghee), and wrap tightly. Return the meat to the smoker.
- Finish smoking. Continue smoking until the brisket flat reaches a temperature of 200 degrees F.
- Rest. Remove the meat from the smoker. Rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Slice. Slice the meat against the grain in 1/4 inch thick slices.
- Serve. Place your gorgeous meat on a serving platter and enjoy!
How Long to Smoke Brisket Flat
It takes approximately 6-8 hours to smoke brisket flat.
This time varies depending on the thickness and size of your brisket, the consistency of the heat on your smoker, and other factors as well. Time is not an accurate measurement in determining when the meat is done. Instead, use an instant-read meat thermometer, and continue smoking until the flat reaches an internal temperature of around 200 degrees F.
More Brisket Recipes
Now that you have this smoked brisket flat recipe down, you’re ready to try out some other awesome brisket recipes from Hey Grill Hey! Check out a few popular ones (that you can use this brisket in!) below:
Smoked Brisket Flat Recipe
Ready to take on a full-packer brisket? Join my members-only group The Grill Squad to access my Brisket Pitmaster Class (and so much more!) to increase your confidence in all things BBQ. Together we can help you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a backyard BBQ hero!
Smoked Brisket Flat
Video
Ingredients
- 1 7-8 pound brisket flat
- ¼ cup Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub
- ¼ cup beef tallow melted
Brisket Flat Injection
- 1 cup beef stock
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat your smoker to 275 degrees F using your favorite hardwood. My preferred combination for brisket is an equal mix of oak and cherry.
- Trim the brisket flat. Use a sharp knife to trim off most of the fat cap from the top of the brisket and all of the silver skin from the underside of the brisket.
- Inject the liquid into the meat. In a jar, combine the beef stock and the Worcestershire sauce. Use a meat injector to distribute the injection every 2-3 inches throughout the brisket flat.
- Season. Sprinkle Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub equally across all sides of the brisket flat.
- Smoke the brisket flat. Place the brisket flat on the smoker, close the lid, and cook for 4-5 hours, or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F.
- Wrap. Remove the meat to a large sheet of butcher paper. Drizzle the brisket flat with 1/4 cup of melted beef tallow and wrap tightly, tucking as you wrap to ensure there are no big air pockets or exposed pieces of brisket.
- Continue smoking. Return your wrapped brisket flat to the smoker, close the lid, and continue smoking at 275 degrees F for about 2-3 hours, or until the meat is very tender. The thermometer probe should slide in and out like it's softened butter and will likely read around 200 degrees F.
- Rest. Remove the smoked brisket flat from the smoker to a baking sheet and allow it to rest for at least 45 minutes or up to an hour.
- Slice and serve. Once the meat is well rested, open up the paper and slice against the grain. I like to shoot for slices that are about 1/4 inch thick. Serve with BBQ sauce, pickles, peppers, and other tasty sides.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
**I originally published this post in September 2022, but recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. However, the recipe remains the same.
If the size of my brisket is 4 lbs, is the cook time cut in half?
You can estimate around there, but meat is done when it’s done. Make sure you cook to internal temperature over time, and use a good meat thermometer.