Best Smoked Beef Brisket

The main reason I purchased Steven Raichlen’s book, The Brisket Chronicles, was this right here. The best smoked beef brisket.

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword beef, smoked

Cook Time 12

Resting time 2

Total Time 14

Servings

Calories 3109kcal

Author Steven Raichlen's The Brisket Chronicles

Equipment

Pink butcher paper

Ingredients

1 large beef brisket full packer, 8-12 pounds
½ cup kosher salt
½ cup ground black pepper
red pepper flakes to taste (I was not shy with it)

Instructions

Begin by trimming the fat from the brisket. Keep 1/4" of the fat, but remove the rest.
Fire up your smoker for smoking at 250 F. Use whatever wood you prefer. I used hickory.
Combine the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Rub the mixture onto the brisket. Don't be shy, get it on good and thick and everywhere. Don't miss a spot.
Transfer to the smoker and smoke until the meat reaches 165 F.
Remove the brisket to a large piece of pink butcher paper. Wrap tightly. If your brisket is large you might want to use two pieces of paper, one wrapped left-to-right and one wrapped top-to-bottom of the brisket to make sure it gets sealed.
Return the brisket to the smoker and continue cooking to 205 F.
Remove the brisket and place it into a cooler for 2-4 hours. Do not remove it from the paper during this time and do not open the cooler. I use an old cooler since the brisket may leave a (wonderful) aroma in the cooler. Do not use a styrofoam cooler as it will melt.
Unwrap the brisket. Pour any juices that have accumulated into a bowl. Slice thin against the grain and then drizzle with the reserved juices.

Notes

I like to take a picture of the brisket after I have trimmed the fat. This lets me identify (and remember) the direction of the meat grain so that I can slice it against the grain when done. Sometimes I find it hard to spy the grain after the meat has been covered in rub and smoked.

Nutrition