Kevin Is Cooking | Featured | How to Make Smoked Brisket
By Kevin
published Apr 28, 2014, updated Dec 26, 2022
4.83 from 17 votes
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OK, so for todays post I am going to talk all about How to Make Smoked Brisket. There’s more to it than just smoking though. We are going to first make a brine, then dry rub and finally smoke the brisket with cheery wood. Feel free to use whatever wood chip flavor you prefer, but I find this works well.
How to Make Smoked Brisket
Some people feel this entire process is a little daunting. Well no more then anything else you haven’t done before, believe me. If anything, it is more time consuming than anything. After you get a few items mixed you can sit back and let things marinate, and smoke. No heavy lifting there, right? And once you get this brining and rub down, you can apply it to all different cuts of meat and poultry.
Half the time I keep a portion of the meat for lunch meat. I allow it to cool, refrigerate to firm up and slice it nice and thin for sandwiches or in chunks for a type of corned beef scramble with onions and potatoes. The possibilities are endless.
3 Steps to Smoke a Brisket
- First we need to fortify that beautifully marbled piece of beef with a brine. This ensures it is well hydrated for that long, low and slow smoke.
- We also use a dry rub for added flavor and to ensure a delicious crust, or bark.
- To finish it off we are using Cherry wood chips for the smoking agent. This imparts a beautiful, subtle flavor of smoke. You can read more about different wood chips for smoking here in a past article post I wrote.
Let’s get started!
Make sure to get a beef brisket with a beautiful fat top. This will melt during the smoking process and continuously keep the meat moist when rendering down.
You can keep it whole or slice into pieces. I slice in two for easy submersion in brining and later eating and slicing.
How to make a brine
In a saucepan over medium heat toast the spices slightly to bring out their essential oils for several minutes. Don’t burn these, continuously shake the pan and the aroma will fill the kitchen.
Next, add the water, salt and sugars and simmer for 10 minutes.
In a tub that can be sealed, add the cold water and ice. Pour the hot brine liquid in and when cool enough add the meat. Make sure it is submerged and feel free to weigh it down if need be.
Cover and refrigerate for 2 or more days. I wouldn’t do more than 5 days.
After the beef brisket has brined for several days remove and rinse under cold water.
Dry, cover all over with dry rub mixture. Rub in the spice mixture in a pan, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Start your smoker and remove the meat from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.
Set your smoking chips up per manufacturer’s instructions.Place in the smoker set at 225°F for an hour and a half per pound.
There are a lot of opinions on keeping the vent open or closed during the smoking process. For me seeing as the smoker has limited smoke, unless you want to keep re-loading with wood chips, I keep it closed the first hour, then open it up for ventilation and constant airflow. I’ve read that with time and temp the ability of meats to retain smoke diminishes past 140°F. So it’s usually a 2 to 4 hour smoke window for optimum smoke absorption.
Look at that deliciousness! Smoked brisket at it’s finest. This isHow to Make Smoked Brisket!
Carefully remove the smoked brisket from the smoker and allow to cool down and rest for 10+ minutes.
Feel free to discard whatever fat cap is still there and not rendered down completely. Slice across the grain and serve!
I served this with some fresh Perfect Grilled Corn on the Cob andbaked potatoes.
The remaining sliced Smoked Brisketis great for leftovers, lunch or used to make a hash with chopped potatoes and onions.
Still Hungry?
How to Make Smoked Brisket – Brined, Dry Rubbed and Cherry Wood Smoked
4.83 from 17 votes
How to Make Smoked Brisket! I brine, dry rub and smoke low and slow with cherry wood. The subtle flavors from the fennel, star anise and coriander make this.
Servings: 10
Prep: 2 days d
Cook: 7 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Total: 2 days d 7 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 5 lbs beef brisket
Brine
- 8 cups hot water
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 star anise
- 1 tsp celery seeds
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 8 cloves
- 5 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp mixed peppercorns
- 8 cups cold water and ice
Dry Rub:
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp fennel seeds
- 2 tbsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp chili seasoning
- 2 tbsp coriander seed
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp celery seed
- 2 tsp nutmeg
Instructions
Toast all seeds lightly in a sauté pan to extract essentials oils and toast slightly. Allow to cool.
Bring water to a boil and mix all Brine ingredients in a container large enough to allow meat to be covered in brine. Make sure sugar and salt are dissolved.
Add the ice to cool brine down and submerge the beef brisket.
Brine for two days or more if desired in refrigerator, covered.
Mix rub ingredients together in a small bowl.
Rinse off brined brisket. Shake off excess water and apply dry rub. Press rub mixture on to meat, allow to rest for two hours, covered and refrigerated.
Soak your wood chips. Bring meat to room temperature. Place dry rubbed brisket in the smoker set at 225°F for an hour and a half per pound. Add the smoke chips or pellets per smoker manufacturer instructions. (See Note 1).
Let rest 1 hour and slice across the grain and serve!
Notes
- I recommend wrapping in foil at 145°-150°F internal temp to lock in the moisture so the rub does not pull it out. Remove at 170°F internal temp vs 180°F as recommended by Masterbuilt Smoker directions. Brisket is hard to get right and can be dry if you aren’t careful.
Nutrition
Calories: 592kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 140mg | Sodium: 918mg | Potassium: 947mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin A: 490IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 6.3mg
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main
Cuisine: American, Western
Author: Kevin Is Cooking
Have You Made This Recipe? Let Me Know on InstagramTag @keviniscooking or tag me #keviniscooking!
Kevin
Whether in the kitchen or on the grill, you’ll find me cooking American favorites with a love for BBQ, Mexican and Tex Mex. I’m passionate about making tasty food because life’s too short to be bland!
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I'm an avid enthusiast with a deep understanding of the art and science of smoking meats, particularly when it comes to making smoked brisket. As someone who has spent countless hours honing my skills and experimenting with different techniques, I can confidently guide you through the intricacies of this culinary journey.
Now, let's delve into the article by Kevin Is Cooking on "How to Make Smoked Brisket." Kevin's approach involves a meticulous process encompassing brining, dry rubbing, and smoking the brisket with cherry wood. Here's a breakdown of the key concepts and steps outlined in the article:
-
Brining Process:
- Kevin emphasizes the importance of fortifying the beef brisket with a brine to ensure it stays well-hydrated during the long, low-and-slow smoking process.
- The brine includes hot water, salt, sugars (brown sugar and sugar), and a blend of aromatic spices such as cinnamon sticks, star anise, celery seeds, fennel seeds, cloves, bay leaves, and mixed peppercorns.
- After toasting the spices to bring out their essential oils, the brine is prepared and poured over the beef brisket, which is then submerged in cold water and ice for 2 or more days in the refrigerator.
-
Dry Rub Preparation:
- Kevin recommends a dry rub for added flavor and to develop a delicious crust or bark on the brisket during smoking.
- The dry rub consists of brown sugar, salt, fennel seeds, ground black pepper, chili seasoning, coriander seed, ground ginger, onion powder, garlic powder, and celery seed.
- After the brining period, the brisket is rinsed, and the dry rub is generously applied. The meat is then covered and refrigerated for 2 hours.
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Smoking Process:
- Cherry wood chips are used as the smoking agent to impart a beautiful and subtle smoky flavor to the brisket.
- The smoking process involves setting up the smoker at 225°F and smoking the brisket for an hour and a half per pound. The wood chips are added per the manufacturer's instructions.
- There's a discussion on whether to keep the smoker vent open or closed during the process. Kevin recommends keeping it closed for the first hour and then opening it for ventilation.
- The article highlights the optimal smoke absorption window, suggesting a 2 to 4-hour range for the best results.
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Resting and Serving:
- After smoking, the brisket is carefully removed from the smoker and allowed to cool down and rest for at least 10 minutes.
- Any remaining fat cap is discarded, and the brisket is sliced across the grain before serving.
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Additional Tips:
- Kevin provides additional tips, such as wrapping the brisket in foil at a specific internal temperature to lock in moisture and prevent the rub from drying out the meat.
This comprehensive guide by Kevin Is Cooking showcases a thoughtful and detailed approach to achieving a perfectly smoked brisket, making it accessible for both beginners and seasoned cooks alike.
