So... What is it?
Texas-style smoked beef brisket is a signature dish of American barbecue! Known for its simplicity and bold flavour —seasoned simply with a coarse rub of salt and black pepper (sometimes with garlic or paprika), then slow-smoked over hardwoods like oak or mesquite for 10–16 hours at low temperatures around 107-121°C / 225–250°F. This long, slow cook renders the fat, breaks down connective tissue, and creates a deep smoke ring beneath a dark, flavorful bark on the outside. The result is incredibly tender, juicy meat with a rich, smoky flavour and a balance of savory crust and melt-in-your-mouth interior!
Batch Size & Cook Time
- 2.5kg (but you can scale this up however big you want!)
- aprox. 12 hours total - roughly 6 hours unwrapped, 4 hours wrapped, 1-2 hours rest
- prep time 15 mins
Equipment
- Smoker (we used a texas style offset smoker but you could use other styles, or make it unsmoked in an oven)
- unwaxed butchers paper or tin foil (I prefer butchers paper)
- thermometer! This is important, we used an inkbird but any bbq Thermometer will do
- charcoal chimney starter
- lighter or matches
What ingredients?
- 2.5kg Brisket (we used a small point cut for this one, but the same methods apply!)
- Salt Rub of your choice
- BBQ Charcoal (i prefer lumpwood)
- Hard wood (can use this alone or charcoal alone) I used Iron Bark
- Smoking woods (optional) such as cherry wood
Step by step process
Step 1 – MEAT PREP – THE NIGHT BEFORE (OR AT LEAST 2 HOURS BEFORE COOKING)
- Ideally you want to cook a whole brisket, as the smaller it is the easier it is to dry out, but like us you could just cook the point
- Trim excess fat to about ¼ inch on top, and remove any hard fat that won’t render.
- Pat the brisket dry with paper towels.
Step 2 – Season generously / Rub your Meat!
- Using a salt rub of your choice pour it over the meat and rub it / pat it into the meats surface as evenly as possible
- if you have the time or patience you could also rest it in a fridge overnight to help dry-brine the brist and gain better bark development, but this is optional!
Step 3 BBQ Prep
- Start your fire in the smoke box, or if using charcoal use your chimney to light the coals, once hot tip them into the fire box
- take your time to stabilize the BBQ temp, aiming for 107-121°C / 225–250°F. You want this to be stable before starting the cook, aim for 30 mins of stability before starting
Step 4 Place brisket on the smoker
- Insert your thermometer into your brisket then place on the BBQ
- Fat side up if heat is from below, down if heat is from above or side. We had ours fat side down
- Position thick end (point) toward the heat source.
- (optional) you can also sprits with apple cider vinegar, water, or beef broth to keep surface moist and enhance bark if you wish to.
- Smoke until internal temp hits ~165°F (74°C) This may take 6–8 hours. The brisket will stall (stop rising in temperature) as moisture evaporates from the surface.
Step 5 Wrap the Brisket
- wrap tightly in butcher paper (preferred for better bark) or foil (for juicier, softer bark)
- return to the smoker and cook until the internal temp reaches 200–205°F (93–96°C)
Step 6 Rest the brisket
- Let it rest wrapped in a cooler or warm oven (around 67°C / 150°F) for at least 1 hour, preferably 2–4 hours. This helps juices redistribute.
Step 7 Time to Slice!
- Cut against the grain of the flat, and rotate 90° when slicing the point.
- Aim for pencil-thick slices (about ¼ inch) / a little over half a cm
- ENJOY!!
