I love all kinds of barbeque, and when the weather is nice it’s a perfect opportunity to fire up the smoke pit and smoke some meat. Smoked brisket can be a bit time consuming to make, however the process can be pretty straight forward.

I like to use a smoker to ensure that hint of smoke flavor. Since smoking meats usually takes longer and requires more fire time, I prefer to smoke large-sized briskets (around 12-15 pounds). This allows for lots of leftovers (for sandwiches, nachos, and tacos) which makes the long process a bit more worthwhile. Obviously the larger the brisket the longer the cooking time will be. Low heat and plenty of cooking time is the key to success when smoking meat. Stick to “low and slow” and you won’t go wrong.

Like a lot of my barbeque recipes this smoked brisket recipe may not win any contest awards, but it’s pretty darn good and is always a crowd pleaser.

Let’s get to smokin’! Here’s what you’ll need…

Ingredients:

Brisket Ingredients:

• 1 beef brisket
• brisket rub seasoning
• Cajun seasoning
• brown sugar, optional

Brisket Mop Sauce Ingredients:

• ½ pack of bacon, sliced into large chunks
• 1 onion, chopped
• ¼ cup garlic, minced
• ¼ cup celery, chopped
• 2 tsp. any hot pepper, chopped
• 48 oz. beer
• 2 tbsp. brisket rub seasoning
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tbsp. of prepared mustard
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. shrimp & crab boil
• 2 bay leaves

Brisket Glaze Ingredients (optional):

• 1 cup prepared barbecue sauce
• ½ cup lemon lime soda
• ¼ cup honey, optional

Instructions:

The Day Before – Seasoning the Brisket:

1. Take the brisket out of the refrigerator and out of the packaging, and lay on a baking sheet.

2. Generously season both sides of the brisket with brisket rub seasoning, Cajun seasoning, and brown sugar.

3. Put the brisket back into the refrigerator to marinade overnight.

The Day Before – Preparing and Cooking the Brisket Mop Sauce:

4. In a large pot, sauté the bacon, onion, garlic, celery, and peppers over medium to high heat for 10 to 15 minutes.

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5. Slowly add the beer, increase your temperature to high, and bring to a boil.

6. Once the beer mixture has come to a boil, add the rub, pepper, mustard, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, shrimp & crab boil, and bay leaves. Stir until well combined.

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7. Cover and simmer on low heat for 1 hour.

8. After the mop sauce has simmered, let it slowly cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate it overnight.

Smoking Day:

9. Take the brisket and mop sauce out of the refrigerator to slowly get to room temperature. Do this about 1-2 hours before smoking time.

10. Meanwhile get your fire started in your smoker and aim to get the heat up to 250 degrees F.

I primarily used wood for this fire so it took a bit to obtain hot coals. Charcoal works just as well, or you can mix wood with charcoal. I tend to use what I have on hand, and since I’m forever trimming Texas live oaks I’m guilty of using oak a lot. Different woods yield slightly different smoke flavors. I enjoy using mesquite too as it has a very strong smoke taste. Pecan is another wood that I sometimes use as well.

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11. When the heat is ready at 250 degrees F, place the brisket in the smoker fat side up and the point closest to the fire.

12. Cover the smoker and smoke the brisket for 1 hour per pound, or until the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 195 degrees F, while maintaining a heat temperature close to 250 degrees F. This will take some time.

It’s ok if it’s slightly over 250 degrees F. I usually aim to keep the needle between 250-275 degrees F. Try not to go over 300 degrees F as this starts to get into barbeque roasting territory.

13. About half way through the smoking time open the smoker and flip and rotate the brisket to ensure even smoking time. Begin mopping your brisket by spooning the brisket mop sauce over the brisket to infuse the brisket with flavor while it smokes.

It’s ok if the mop sauce leaves chunks of onions and bacon on top of the brisket.

Try to mop the brisket every hour, or when you check the smoker temperature.

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14. Once the brisket is done take it out of the smoker and place it onto a baking sheet. Let the brisket rest for at least 1 hour, and then remove any access mop sauce debris before slicing.

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15. Meanwhile mix your glaze ingredients together in a small bowl.

16. Begin slicing the brisket and transfer to an oven-safe dish.

17. Brush the glaze onto the brisket with a basting brush, serve, and enjoy!

We only glaze half of our brisket and leave the other half as is. It’s a personal preference if you wish to glaze your brisket or not.

Reheating Tips:

1. To serve the day after cover with foil, and reheat the brisket in the oven at 250 degrees F for about 30 minutes.

2. Also, if you pulled the brisket off early or realized that it was undercooked after smoking you can always do an “extended warm up” in the oven to finish cooking it.

3. If you froze any leftover brisket, another way to reheat the brisket is to use a sous vide. To use the sous vide, leave the brisket in the vacuum sealed storage bag, and place in a large pot of water with the sous vide temperature set at 155 degrees for 4-6 hours.

Check out more tips to reheat, store, and freeze leftover brisket here!