Texas Style Smoked Beef Brisket

An overhead shot of a BBQ platter on butcher paper; featuring sliced brisket, a white cup of sauce, and sliced pickles and onions.

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4.93 from 191 votes

Texas Style Smoked Beef Brisket

This Texas Style Smoked Brisket will give you that authentic Texas taste, right in your own backyard!

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Resting Time1

Total Time16 30

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Barbecue

Keyword: How to Smoke Brisket, Smoked Beef Brisket, Smoked Brisket

Servings: people

Equipment

1 Smoker I highly recommend this pellet grill!
chef's knife
butcher paper
Large cutting board

Ingredients

1 12-14 pound whole packer brisket
2 Tablespoons coarse Kosher salt
2 Tablespoons coarse black pepper
2 Tablespoons garlic powder (optional)

Instructions

Prepare and trim the brisket. Store your brisket in the refrigerator until you are ready to start trimming. Cold briskets are much easier to work with. Flip your brisket over so the point end is underneath. Remove any silver skin or excess fat from the flat muscle. Trim down the large crescent moon shaped fat section until it is a smooth transition between the point and the flat. Trim and excessive or loose meat and fat from the point. Square the edges and ends of the flat. Flip the brisket over and trim the top fat cap to about 1/4 of an inch thickness across the surface of the brisket.
1 12-14 pound whole packer brisket
Season the brisket. In a mixing bowl or empty spice container, mix the salt, pepper, and garlic. Share over the brisket to evenly distribute the spices on all sides.
2 Tablespoons coarse Kosher salt, 2 Tablespoons coarse black pepper, 2 Tablespoons garlic powder
Smoke the brisket. Set your smoker to 225 degrees F using indirect heat and hardwood smoke. Place the brisket on the smoker with the point end facing your main heat source. This is a thicker part of the brisket and it can handle the additional heat. Close the lid and smoke until and internal thermometer reads 165 degrees F (usually takes around 8 hours).
Wrap the brisket. On a large work surface, roll out a big piece of butcher paper (or foil) and center your brisket in the middle. Wrap the brisket by folding edge over edge, creating a leak proof seal all the way around. Return the wrapped brisket to the smoker, seam side down so the weight from the brisket crimps the edges of the paper wrap down tight.
Smoke the brisket again. Close the lid on the smoker and, maintaining 225 degrees F, continue cooking until the internal temperature of the brisket reaches 202 degrees F in the thickest part of the meat (takes anywhere from 5-8 hours).
Rest the brisket, then slice and serve. Remove the brisket to a large cutting board and allow to rest for 1 hour before slicing. Slice both the point and the flat against the grain with a sharp knife and serve immediately.

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