Foolproof Pellet Smoked Brisket (Texas Style)

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My husband's brisket is legendary around these parts. Anyone who has been lucky enough to have his brisket brought to their party knows it ends up the main event. And I'm not exaggerating, you should be there at my god-mama's cookout on Memorial Day weekend! People were still talking about it weeks later, that's how good it is.

This recipe is tried and true. We developed it together over a year and have recreated it through blustery winter smokes, hot summer days, and driving it four hours in a cooler down to Virginia Beach in a cooler for family dinners. It's never let us down.

Smoked Beef Brisket on a Pellet Grill

Just a heads up, brisket isn’t a quick weeknight meal but that’s part of what makes it so good. This is a low-and-slow, plan-ahead kind of dish that’s mostly hands-off but totally worth the time.

You’ll dry brine overnight with my favorite brisket rub, then let the smoker do the heavy lifting while you go about your day, followed by a well-deserved rest before slicing.

So these photos? I want you to examine them closely. Go on, zoom up in there. Know that there is no photoshopping of liquids, no injections, no gimmicks; the glistening, juicy slices of perfectly smoked brisket with iconic rosy smoke rings are all the real deal. It's 1000% worth the wait.

TL;DR Why You'll Love this Texas Style Brisket Recipe

• Tastes like a pitmaster smoked it - this doesn't just taste like a piece of roast beef out the oven, it has that deep, wood-fired flavor and a proper smoke ring like all good BBQ should.
• Foolproof recipe for beginners - You don't have to hope and pray that the recipe works out. This post walks you through the stall, when and how to wrap, and how to rest your brisket like the pros so it's juicy, jiggly, and tender. Even the flat!
• Real-life tested, elders approved - my husband and I developed this recipe over a full year and many, many briskets. This made it through winter, winds, the summer squalls, traveling while resting, I mean everything. Our family (and our friends' families!) have loved this specific method every time!

What You Need to Know Before You Smoke a Brisket

Dry Brine for Juicy Brisket and Great Bark

The trademark of great brisket is juiciness, tenderness, and great crust, aka bark. I'm a dry brining fiend, it makes any tricky protein perfectly juicy af (like my Thanksgiving turkey!).

Wet brining just has too much moisture, which steams instead of allowing that outside to dry and create bark. It's also so messy.

Why dry brining works:

• Draws salt deep into the meat to boost flavor from the inside out.
• Helps that bark set like a champ!
• No buckets or buttermilk, just a sheet pan.

How to Choose the Perfect Brisket to Smoke

When shopping for a brisket, you want to get the most bang for your buck.

• Look for a 'full packer'. This recipe calls for a whole brisket, whole packer brisket, or full packer brisket with the point and flat attached.
• Uniform flat. A flat with thin, random ends will get those lopped off and you waste money.
• Fat cap under 1". Anything thicker gets trimmed anyway so you're paying for fat you're cutting off (could be useful for homemade beef tallow!)
• Prime or Choice. More marbling = more moisture. Prime = $$$ and delicious, Choice = affordable and just as delicious. Don't bother with select.
• Do the bend test. A flexible brisket means less hard fat that gets cut away and a better cook.

How to Trim a Brisket

Before trimming

After trimming

• First, round out the flat. Trim off any greyed meat and fat (toss 'em) and really thin parts that'll burn and dry out. A smooth, rounded flat protects it and cooks evenly.
• Don't go wild cutting off fat. We want about ¼ inch thick layer of fat on the brisket to protect it from drying out during that long smoking process.
• Carve out the fat vein. There's a thick, hard block of fat in the point that you'll want to mostly remove, keeping some of it for moisture and flavor. Keep that excess fat though, it makes great beef tallow!
• Bonus tip: While dry brining, season that little flap in where you carved the fat vein out for even more flavor.

How to Smoke Brisket like a Pro

Step 1 | Trim the brisket. Pat the brisket dry with paper towels, then flip the brisket fat side up. Use a sharp paring knife to remove any greyed meat, excess fat, and the fat vein in the point. Leave a ¼ inch fat cap on the flat to protect it from the heat, the point can have less fat. Flip it again, meat side up, and remove any silver skin from the meat side.

Step 2 | Dry brine with the dry rub. Whisk together the seasonings to make my favorite brisket rub. It's a lot of salt for a lot of meat, so trust the process. Generously rub the mix all over the brisket and into the carved fat vein. Place it on a wire rack over a sheet pan, fat side of the brisket down, and dry brine uncovered in your fridge overnight.

Step 3 | Start the smoke. Preheat your pellet smoker to 190ºF. Wait for thin, blue smoke before proceeding.

Place the brisket on the grates fat side down with the point towards the heat source. Smoke for 8 hours; when the internal temp is 160ºF, it's time to wrap.

Step 4 | Wrap the brisket in butcher paper. Once the brisket hits 150ºF-160ºF, check for bark formation and a deep color. Remove the brisket from the smoker and lay out two sheets of peach butcher paper. Brush or spoon on beef tallow before wrapping. Wrap tightly, keeping the fat cap down and tuck all paper edges underneath to protect the meat.

Step 5 | Finish the smoke. Raise the smoker temperature to 250ºF. Place the wrapped brisket back on the smoker, point side toward the heat again.

Insert a meat thermometer probe into the thickest part of the flat through the paper and continue smoking until the internal temperature of the brisket hits 202-205ºF, about 7-8 more hours.

Step 6 | Rest the brisket. Take the brisket from the smoker and let it rest wrapped up for at least 2 hours in a closed cooler or turned-off oven to lock in all that tenderness and moisture.

Slice the brisket against the grain and serve up the juiciest tender brisket your friends and family have ever had.

Chef's Tips for the Best Smoked Brisket

• Start cold for better smoke rings. Cold meat grabs smoke better, making a gorgeous, contest-worthy smoke ring. It's science!
• Wrap once there's bark. Make sure the bark is dry, dark, and doesn't come off when you touch it; that's your cue, not the temperature.
• If you're doing this in the winter, expect to use more pellets to keep the pellet grill smoker hot. 
• Keep an eye on your pellet hopper and refill it before heading to bed! Don't let it run out of wood to burn.
• A windy day can prolong the cook time! We are more worried about the temperatures than the time. This is why a meat probe is so important.
• Slice the brisket flat and point separately. Their grains run in different directions so cut them apart and slice as they need individually.

Equipment I Used

• Pellet Grill Smoker - Your best friend for this recipe. It keeps the temp steady and adds all that smoky flavor without babysitting the fire.
• Wood Pellets - Fuel for the smoker. We like hickory or apple wood for brisket. Avoid mesquite, it’s too strong.
• Baking Sheet and a Wire Rack - this is what you'll dry brine the brisket on in the fridge.
• Meat Thermometer - I highly suggest a temp probe that can attach to your phone and alert you when the brisket reaches peak temp. Instant-read works too, but the probe’s a game changer.
• Peach Butcher Paper - Used for the Texas Crutch method to power through the stall without losing bark. Don’t use regular butcher paper or foil, peach paper lets the smoke in and keeps that bark crisp.
• Cooler - Keeps it hot for hours and helps the juices redistribute as it rests. Cover the wrapped brisket with towels for extra insulation while traveling.
• Sharp knife and cutting board - You’ll need a sturdy board with a juice groove (trust me), and a sharp knife. My husband swears by his chef knife, says it’s like slicing warm butter. (He’s not wrong.)

Pellet Smoked Brisket (Texas Style)

By: Eden Westbrook

5 from 9 votes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

If you’re ready to make a pellet smoked brisket that’s tender, juicy, and full of bold, smoky flavor you’ve found the ultimate guide. I’ll show you how we trim, rub, smoke, wrap, and rest a full packer brisket on a pellet grill so you get that pretty smoke ring and juicy meat all the way through with perfect slices. Use your Traeger, Pit Boss, or any pellet grill; the method is the same. Make it for Sunday supper, game day, or your next backyard BBQ, it's a crowd-pleasing fan favorite!

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Brine + Rest Time: 10 hours hrs

Cook Time: 16 hours hrs

Total Time: 1 day d 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

28 servings

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 14 pound full-packer beef brisket, up to 16 pounds
• ▢ ¾ cup kosher salt
• ▢ ½ cup freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ ½ cup light brown sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup garlic powder
• ▢ ¼ cup paprika
• ▢ ¼ cup beef tallow, optional

Instructions 

Trim the Brisket

• With a sharp knife, carefully trim fat, silver skin, and greyed meat off the brisket, leaving a ¼ inch layer over the flat and point. The point can have less fat on top, it’s already marbled in.
  14 pound full-packer beef brisket

Dry Brine Brisket

• In a small bowl, whisk together kosher salt, black pepper, brown sugar, garlic powder, and paprika.
  ¾ cup kosher salt, ½ cup freshly ground black pepper, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup garlic powder, ¼ cup paprika
• Rub this brine mixture generously over every part of the brisket, then place the brisket on a wire rack-lined baking sheet and put into the fridge overnight to dry brine uncovered.

Smoke until Stall

• Set your pellet smoker to 190ºF and wait for thin, blue smoke to appear. Set the dry brined brisket onto the smoker’s grill grate fat-side down and the point towards the heat source of the smoker.
• Let smoke for 8 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 150-155ºF using a meat thermometer probe in the thickest part of the flat.

Wrap the Brisket

• Once the internal temperature has reached 150ºF, have butcher paper ready to wrap the brisket. You will need two layers. Check the brisket for a dark color and a bark that doesn't come off when touched, that's when it's ready. If the bark still hasn't set, let the brisket continue smoking until it sets, usually around 150ºF to 160ºF.
• Place the brisket carefully onto the middle of the butcher paper and wrap tightly. If using beef tallow, pour it onto the brisket before wrapping. All excess butcher paper must be beneath the brisket with the fat cap side down.
  ¼ cup beef tallow

Smoke until Done

• Turn the temperature of the smoker up to 250ºF.
• Place the brisket into the smoker again, positioning the brisket point toward the heat source again, fat side down. Stick the meat probe into the thickest part of the flat, do not puncture all the way through.
• Continue to smoke the brisket until your temperature is 202-205ºF, for about 7-8 more hours.

Rest and Serve

• Once the brisket reaches 202º'F to 205ºF, remove it from the smoker and place into a large insulated cooler or onto a baking sheet and into a draft-free oven for 2 hours minimum to rest, still wrapped. Keep the meat probe in the meat to make sure the temperature does not go lower than 140ºF if you're resting for more than 2 hours so it remains safe to eat.
• Once the brisket is rested, remove from the cooler, unwrap from the butcher paper and slice with a large knife between the flat and the point. Serve sliced or chopped.

Last step!Be sure to snap a pic and share on Instagram #sweetteaandthyme and tag me at @sweet_tea_thyme so we can all see!

Recipe Notes

Storage and Freezing

Once your brisket has cooled down to room temperature, wrap it tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap to prevent air from getting in. Place the wrapped brisket in an airtight container or a large resealable plastic bag.

Store the brisket in the refrigerator for up to four days or in the freezer for up to three months.

NOTE: If you’re freezing the brisket, I recommend vacuum sealing it to prevent freezer burn. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, place the brisket in a freezer-safe zip-top bag and slowly submerge it in water to press any extra air out.

Reheating Instructions

To reheat, remove the brisket from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Unwrap the brisket and place it in a baking dish or on a baking sheet and cover tightly with foil to prevent it from drying out.

Bake in a preheated oven at 325ºF (165C) for about 15 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Remove the foil from the brisket and continue baking for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the brisket is heated through and has a nice crust on the outside.

Let the brisket rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Note: You can also reheat your brisket on the grill or in your smoker, but be sure to keep a close eye on it to prevent it from drying out.

FAQs

How much brisket to serve per person?

A serving is ½ pound per person, though people will ask for seconds!

How do I know when my brisket is done cooking?

When your meat reaches 202-205ºF, it is ready to come off the smoker and rest in a draft-free oven or cooler. This temperature is when we know the connective tissues have melted down, making for tender brisket.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 0.5 pound, Calories: 387kcal (19%), Carbohydrates: 9g (3%), Protein: 48g (96%), Fat: 17g (26%), Saturated Fat: 6g (38%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 141mg (47%), Sodium: 741mg (32%), Potassium: 858mg (25%), Fiber: 2g (8%), Sugar: 4g (4%), Vitamin A: 498IU (10%), Vitamin C: 0.03mg, Calcium: 39mg (4%), Iron: 5mg (28%)