Texas-Style Smoked Brisket
Mains · Serves 14 · Prep 30 min · Cook 12 hr · Total 12 hr 30 min
Salt, pepper, oak smoke and a lot of patience: that is the whole recipe. Light the fire the night before a big gathering, and don't skip the long rest in the cooler, because that's where the flat turns tender.
Ingredients
- 1 whole packer brisket (12 to 14 lb), well chilled
- 1/4 cup coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 cup coarse-ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, for spritzing
- 1/2 cup water, for spritzing
- post oak or hickory wood (splits or chunks)
Steps
- Trim the brisket while it is cold: take the hard fat cap down to about 1/4 inch, remove the silverskin from the meat side, and round off any thin, ragged edges so they don't burn.
- Stir together the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Season the brisket evenly on every side, then let it sit at room temperature while the smoker comes up to 250 to 275°F with oak or hickory.
- Set the brisket in the smoker with the point toward the heat. Smoke until the bark is dark and set and the thickest part of the flat reads 165 to 170°F, 6 to 8 hours. After the first 3 hours, spritz with the vinegar and water mixed together any time the edges look dry.
- Wrap the brisket snugly in two sheets of unwaxed butcher paper and return it to the smoker. Cook until the flat reads 200 to 205°F and a probe slides in with almost no resistance, 3 to 4 hours more.
- Rest the wrapped brisket in a dry, empty cooler (or a 150°F oven) for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
- Separate the point from the flat along the seam of fat. Slice the flat against the grain about as thick as a pencil. Turn the point 90 degrees and slice it a little thicker. Serve right away.