Texas Style Brisket – The Best Recipe
If just the thought of Texas Style Smoked Brisket makes your mouth water, but the thought of trying to create your own makes your eyes water, here is the tutorial for you. There are many different recipes and methods for Texas brisket but the following is a tantalizingly delicious recipe you will want to repeat once you try it.
Have you been searching for the perfectly seasoned, most juicy Texas Style Smoked Brisket? Why not give it a try and be the master of your own brisket?
This helpful and easy-to-follow tutorial will provide all the instructions you need to be successful on your very first brisket-making experience. We will start at the beginning, from selecting the meat to the ingredients and tools you will need for this recipe. Have you always dreamed of being the grilling guru in your neighborhood?
We will take the guesswork out of meat selection, trimming the brisket, seasoning, and the grilling process. Let’s get the grill out and get started!
Tools You Will Need For Making Texas Style Brisket
To get started on this recipe, check and make sure you have the following tools for the job.
List of Ingredients
This authentic backyard Texas Style Smoked Brisket will serve approximately 18 people. The key ingredients are simple and easy to find.
1. Selecting the brisket: when selecting a whole packer brisket, if you are not sure, ask your butcher if the point and flat muscle are included. This is key in this recipe. Inquire also about the grade of the cut. If you go with prime beef, it will have more fat marbling. Why is this important? The more fat and marbling, the more flavor and juiciness in your finished product.
Go with a choice grade. A good rule of thumb is to ensure you have approximately ½ pound of brisket for each guest you are serving.
2. Trimming the brisket: while some recipes claim you don’t need to trim, the best smokehouse chefs do trim their brisket. If you are looking for a good finished product, you will want to spend the half-hour trimming. There are brisket trimming tutorials but here are 4 simple steps for the trimming process.
Step by Step Instructions For Preparing and Cooking Your Texas Style Brisket
Step 1 Season The Brisket
It’s finally time to put Texas in your brisket. This is a simple process:
Mix ¼ cup Kosher salt and ¼ cup of the coarse black pepper in a shaker. Coat the entire outside of the brisket. Be generous! Let the seasoned brisket rest while your pit is brought to temperature.
Step 2 Start Cooking The Brisket
The slow-cooked Texas brisket is going to take several hours. Be prepared to maintain an even temperature of 250 degrees. Some of the modern smokers have digital thermostats and digital temperature controls. It is always best to use a good old-fashioned meat thermometer to ensure you know exactly what the temperature of the meat is at all times.
When you are sure your temperature is stabilized, place the brisket, fat side up, on the grate and close the lid. The traditional Texas Style Smoked Brisket uses post oak, however, Pecan or other wood also works fine.
Simply add a little wood to the fire periodically to keep the smoker at a steady 250 degrees. No need to open the lid! Have a cooler of cold drinks by your side and be prepared to wait about 5 hours.
Step 3 Wrap The Brisket
In approximately 5 hours at 250 degrees, the outside of the brisket will begin to turn dark. This is perfect. It’s time for the wrap.
Tear 2 large strips of butcher paper and lay them across a table on top of one another. Remove the brisket from the grill, and place the meat in the middle of the top strip. Wrap tightly. Flip the brisket and repeat the process with the second strip, tucking the sides in tightly. Remember which is the top fatty side. Place the brisket back on the grill, fat side up!
Step 4 Finish The Brisket
By now, your mouth should be watering, and your stomach growling, but you still have a little more work to do. Temperature monitoring is important to stick a probe into the thickest part of the brisket, right through the paper, but don’t go too deep.
The probe should be in the middle of the meat. Monitor closely for another 3 to 4 hours, and when the temperature rises to 200 degrees, your smoked brisket is done! The meat should be tender and juicy and there should be no resistance when you stick it with the probe.
Final Preparations and Serving Instructions
Rest
While you might want to pull the plates out right away and present yourself with the title of “Pit Master”, there is one more important step in this process. You need to place the brisket in a dry cooler, close the lid, and let it rest for at least 2 hours before slicing. You can wait up to six hours (although I bet you don’t).
The resting process stops the brisket from cooking further and allows it to reabsorb the moisture which gives it its juiciness. Don’t skip the 2-hour wait!
Slice
To slice the brisket like a pit master, first, locate the point and flat and separate into two pieces. Slice the flat into ¼ inch pieces. Next, split the point down the middle, against the grain. You can cut the point into slices and cube the outer edges which may have some burnt ends.
Enjoy
Now, you are finally ready to enjoy your Smoked Texas Style Brisket. Serve and be ready for all the compliments on your first smoked brisket achievement!
Texas Style Brisket Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12- 14
Pounds
1 whole packer brisket - 2
Tablespoons
Kosher salt (course) - 2 Tablespoons Coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- It’s finally time to put Texas in your brisket. This is a simple process:
- Mix ¼ cup Kosher salt and ¼ cup of the coarse black pepper in a shaker. Coat the entire outside of the brisket.
- Be generous! Let the seasoned brisket rest while your pit is brought to temperature.
- The slow-cooked Texas brisket is going to take several hours.
- Be prepared to maintain an even temperature of 250 degrees.
- Some of the modern smokers have digital thermostats and digital temperature controls.
- It is always best to use a good old-fashioned meat thermometer to ensure you know exactly what the temperature of the meat is at all times.
- When you are sure your temperature is stabilized, place the brisket, fat side up, on the grate and close the lid.
- The traditional Texas Style Smoked Brisket uses post oak, however, Pecan or other wood also works fine.
- Simply add a little wood to the fire periodically to keep the smoker at a steady 250 degrees.
- No need to open the lid! Have a cooler of cold drinks by your side and be prepared to wait about 5 hours.
- In approximately 5 hours at 250 degrees, the outside of the brisket will begin to turn dark.
- This is perfect. It’s time for the wrap.
- Tear 2 large strips of butcher paper and lay them across a table on top of one another.
- Remove the brisket from the grill, and place the meat in the middle of the top strip.
- Wrap tightly. Flip the brisket and repeat the process with the second strip, tucking the sides in tightly.
- Remember which is the top fatty side.
- Place the brisket back on the grill, fat side up!
- By now, your mouth should be watering, and your stomach growling, but you still have a little more work to do.
- Temperature monitoring is important to stick a probe into the thickest part of the brisket, right through the paper, but don’t go too deep.
- The probe should be in the middle of the meat.
- Monitor closely for another 3 to 4 hours, and when the temperature rises to 200 degrees, your smoked brisket is done!
- The meat should be tender and juicy and there should be no resistance when you stick it with the probe.
- While you might want to pull the plates out right away and present yourself with the title of “Pit Master”, there is one more important step in this process.
- You need to place the brisket in a dry cooler, close the lid, and let it rest for at least 2 hours before slicing.
- The resting process stops the brisket from cooking further and allows it to reabsorb the moisture which gives it its juiciness. Don’t skip the 2-hour wait!
- To slice the brisket like a pit master, first, locate the point and flat and separate into two pieces.
- Slice the flat into ¼ inch pieces. Next, split the point down the middle, against the grain.
- You can cut the point into slices and cube the outer edges which may have some burnt ends.
- Now, you are finally ready to enjoy your Smoked Texas Style Brisket. Serve and be ready for all the compliments on your first smoked brisket achievement!
Nutrition
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