Smoked Beef Brisket

In 2015, I was so inspired after reading Aaron Franklin’s book, Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto, that when I smoke brisket, I will religiously follow Aaron Franklin’s simple Texas style seasoning and smoking techniques to smoke the brisket.  IT’S AMAZING!

To date, my longest cook is this beautiful, juicy, and beefy Smoked Brisket.  It is not the most difficult thing I ever cooked, but it definitely required the most patience and time to complete.  From start to finish, it took over 14 hours before the succulent beefy goodness was ready to eat.

Overall, brisket is one of the most rewarding and satisfying cooks I’ve done on the smoker.  My favorite part during the whole process is finally getting to sit down and enjoy the end result with my family and friends.


Ingredients:
14 pound USDA Prime Beef Brisket, trimmed
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons coarse black pepper

8 ounces of Oak wood chunks

Steps:
Season Brisket – After trimming off excess fat on the brisket, season the brisket liberally with salt and pepper.

Smoke Brisket – Set-up smoker and bring smoker temperature to between 225-250 degrees.  Add wood chunks to the smoker.  Place the brisket in the smoker and smoke it for 6-7  hours or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees.  Remove the brisket from the smoker and wrap it in pink butcher paper or foil.  Continue smoking brisket (wrapped) until the internal temperature reaches at least 198 degrees.

Rest Brisket – Remove wrapped brisket from the smoker and place it inside a cooler covered with towels for additional insulation.

Slice Brisket – After two hours, remove the brisket from the cooler, unwrap it, and place it on a cutting board.  Slice brisket against the grain and serve.

Tips:

• Monitor the internal temperature of the brisket with a thermometer probe during the smoking process and avoid unnecessarily opening smoker during the cooking process.
• Pink butcher paper can easily be purchased on http://www.amazon.com.  Foil works fine as well.
• Use the highest-quality brisket you can get.
• Season the thicker parts of the brisket with more salt and pepper.
• I generally use 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt for every pound of meat.