Texas Style BBQ Beef Brisket
Authentic Texas BBQ at Home for Friends and Family
Barbecued brisket is simultaneously one of the easiest and most challenging recipes in the world of barbecue.
Serves 10-12
EASY because it requires only one main ingredient: 100% grass-fed beef brisket.
CHALLENGING because pit masters spend years learning the right combination of smoke, heat and time to transform one of the toughest, most ornery parts into tender, meaty perfection.
What is brisket?
A full brisket is a single cut of grass-fed beef, and each cow has two: one on each side, just above the front shanks and below the chuck.
A butcher takes the beef brisket apart and trims it so that you have the choice between the leaner piece, usually called the flat brisket or first cut, and the more marbled piece with the most fat, often called the brisket point or second cut.
The flat brisket is traditionally prepared on Jewish holidays, turned into corned beef or sometimes used in pho (a Vietnamese soup).
The point brisket is the classic cut that's cooked in barbecue. All brisket, no matter which cut you choose, is a tougher cut of meat that needs to be cooked low and slow: think oven, slow cooker or indirect heat on a grill.
It’s this last one that we will focus on today.
Overcoming The Challenge
Two things help above all else in getting this right.
Choosing the right cut of brisket - namely, untrimmed, with a thick sheath of fat - A whole beef brisket (what’s usually prepared in a restaurant) weighs 18-20 lbs. Here I call for a partially trimmed brisket — a cut weighing 5-6 lbs. Do not attempt to make this with a 2-lb trimmed, fatless brisket; it will turn out much too dry.
Cooking the brisket in a shallow pan. The pan keeps the juices from dripping onto the fire and the grass-fed beef from drying out, while allowing for the maximum smoke penetration from the top.
Ingredients
Grass-Fed Beef Brisket (5 to 6 pounds), with a layer of fat at least 1/4 inch thick, preferably 1/2 inch thick
1 tablespoon coarse salt (kosher or sea)
1 tablespoon chili powder
teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Directions
Rinse the brisket under cold running water and blot it dry with paper towels.
Combine the salt, chili powder, sugar, pepper and cumin in a bowl and toss with your fingers to mix. Rub the spice mixture on the brisket on all sides. If you have time, wrap the brisket in plastic and let it cure in the refrigerator for 4 to 8 hours (or even overnight), but don't worry if you don't have time for this—it will be plenty flavorful, even if you cook it right away.
Set up a charcoal grill for indirect grilling and preheat it to low. No drip pan is necessary for this recipe. See this How to Set Up a Charcoal Grill Video for assistance.
When ready to cook, toss 1.5 cups of the wood chips (oak or pecan) on the coals (3/4 cup per side). Don’t use hickory...they don’t do anything hickory in Texas!
Place the brisket, fat side up, in an aluminum pan (or make a pan with a double sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil). Place the pan in the center of the hot grate, away from the heat. Cover the grill.
Smoke cook the brisket until tender enough to shred with your fingers (190 degrees internal temperature); 6 hours will likely do it, but it may take as long as 8. This is an art, and the cooking time will depend on the size of the brisket and heat of the grill.
Baste the brisket from time to time with the fat and juices that accumulate in the pan. You'll need to add 10 to 12 fresh coals every hour or so and toss more wood chips on the fresh coals; add about 3/4 cup chips every time you replenish the coals during the first 3 hours.
Remove the brisket pan from the grill and let rest for 15 minutes.
Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and thinly slice it across the grain, using a sharp knife.
Transfer the sliced meat to a platter, pour the pan juices on top and serve at once.
BBQ Sauce
The best Texas-style barbecue sauce combines the sweetness of Kansas City–style tomato sauces with the mouth-puckering tartness of a North Carolina vinegar sauce.
Go ahead, experiment with this...and have fun!
