Pellet Grill Smoked Brisket
Making a Pellet Grill Smoked Brisket is worth the wait. Â I used to be intimidated to make brisket because of the cost of the meat and fear I would mess it up and waste that money. Â Over time and with practice, I got better and better, and now it is a piece of cake. Â The only thing you need is time and patience. Â Briskets are pretty easy to make but they cannot be rushed. Â So you have to have this in your plans already in order for it to taste good.
I allow myself a full 24 hours to make a brisket from the serve time it is supposed to be ready for. Â So if I plan on serving it on Saturday afternoon, I have to get it started on Friday afternoon. Â That allows me to do the smoking to the bark stage until Friday evening and then the smoke stall stage overnight while I am sleeping. Â Then on Saturday morning, if any additional cooking is needed, it can finish up and it still has time to rest before slicing.
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When it comes to seasoning a brisket, you can keep it simple, use a rub, make it spicy or season it up. Â I like a slightly spicy seasoned brisket but as long as I have garlic powder, pepper, paprika, and chili powder, I will substitute additional seasonings with seasonings in the cabinet if needed. Â The secret to moist brisket is keeping the brisket moist during the long cook. Â This is achieved with first covering the brisket in oil, using a water pan in the smoker and spraying the brisket with water, apple juice, beer or beef broth/stock. Â So good luck, take your time and enjoy a wonderful brisket!
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Ingredients
- 1 10-13 lbs whole beef trimmed brisket (I like to buy them with the Deckle Fat Removed)
- Vegetable or Canola oil
- 1/3 cup kosher salt
- 1/3 cup coarse black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons of garlic powder or granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
- 4 Tablespoons of Spanish Style Paprika
- 2 teaspoons of chili powder
- 2 teaspoons of Tony Chacheres Creole Seasoning
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Supplies
- Pellet Grill (we have a Traeger)
- Pellets (oak, hickory or pecan) – Â Sometimes you can get good deals at Sam’s Club, Costco, Lowes and Home Depot
- If you do not make your own rub, try a pre-mixed rub
- Baking Sheet
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Cup
- Foil
- Butcher Paper
- Thermometer
- Cooler or resting bag
- Disposable Gloves or heat resistant gloves
- Spray Bottle
- Aluminum foil pan (make sure it is small enough to fit in your smoker)
- Electric Knife
- Cutting Board
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Instructions
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Start by rinsing off the brisket in cold water and trim away the hard deckle fat, except for the slimming fat cap to 1/4 to 1/2 inch for even cooking. Â There are plenty of videos on the internet on how to trim a brisket. But if you don’t want to bother with this step, just get a trimmed brisket with the Deckle Fat Removed at the store or from a butcher. Then place on a cutting board, foil, or large baking sheet for seasoning.
- Then cover the brisket with vegetable or canola oil. Â This provides a nice base for the seasonings to stick to.
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Mix in a small bowl the seasonings to make a rub or you can buy pre-mixed rub: salt, paprika, cumin, creole seasoning, garlic powder or granulated garlic and black pepper.
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Liberally season the brisket on all sides, pressing the rub into the meat for better adhesion. Â I like to start one the non-fat side and then flip it over and season the fat back side. Â Also, I like to season my brisket the day before and then let it marinate overnight.
- On the day you are cooking the brisket, if it was marinating overnight, set it out on the counter and allow it to get to room temperature (about 1-2 hours).
- Before heating up the smoker, line the under rack tray to catch the grease and for easier clean up. Â Next take a foil pan that will easily fit in the smoker and fill with cold water. Â Then place the foil pan in the back of the smoker.
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Next, pre-heat your smoker to 225-250°F.  So on our smoker we found that the temperature of 240-250° works best but this will depend on your smoker and the type of wood pellets you use.  Use post oak wood for authentic Texas flavor, but hickory or pecan also work well.
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Place the brisket fat-side up in the smoker.
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Smoke for 6-8 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches about 165°F (74°C). So leave the lid closed without checking on it for the first 5 hours.  Then, spritz with water, apple juice, or beef broth every hour after the first 5 hours to keep the surface moist until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and there is a nice dark color developed, known as the “bark”.
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Next remove the brisket from the smoker and wrap in butcher paper, peach paper, or heavy duty foil and then place back on the smoker.
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- Continue to smoke for another 8-10 hours or through the stall.  This is a long period of time when the temperature of the brisket doesn’t really go up and can even decrease. This is the time the brisket is doing its magic and becoming amazing.  You could also check the pellet level, refilling if appropriate, and go to bed and let this phase continue overnight.  Just continue smoking until the internal temperature reaches 200-205°F.  Make sure to check the temperature in the middle of the flat part of the brisket (and not the fat).
- Next, place the wrapped brisket in a cooler or resting bag and allow to rest for at least 2 hours but can rest up to 6 hours. Â Then slice against the grain. Serve with classic sides like potato salad, seasoned rice, baked potato, coleslaw, beans, pickles, and white bread.
Notes:
- You can unwrap a brisket and put it back on the smoker after an overnight cook to fix soft bark. Simply remove the paper or foil, return it to the smoker at a low temperature (200–225°F) for 1–2 hours until the bark firmed up, or move it to a lower-temp oven.  Just don’t forget to refill the water pan in the smoker to retain the moisture.
- Another tip if you run out of time to finishing smoking on the grill or your brisket is not fully cooked/tender.  In a large deep roasting pan and a bottom rack, add one carton of beef stock or broth and then cover tightly with foil and bake in the oven on 250°F for an hour to three hours or until brisket is tender.  Then allow it to rest for at least 45 minutes before slicing.
