Traeger Smoked Brisket - Tender beef brisket recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to smoking a tender brisket? ›

Keep the fat side up so the juices can drip through the meat. Wrap in foil. Begin by smoking your brisket unwrapped so the fat, spices, smoke, and heat start to create the bark. For about half of the cooking time, wrap your meat in foil to preserve moisture and also steam the meat to make it even more tender.

Preheat the Traeger Grill to 225°F. Generously season the brisket with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place the brisket directly on the grill grates and close the lid. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (roughly 5-7 hours).

Our general rule of thumb is to plan on between 30 and 60 minutes per pound when learning how to cook a brisket. For example, a 16-pound brisket cooked at 275 degrees Fahrenheit will take between 10 and 12 hours. The entire process from trimming, injection, seasoning, and cooking will take between 18 and 20 hours.

Place the fat side of the brisket up, and let it cook for about 2-3 hours for the bark to set. Spray your bark every hour or so as needed. Continue cooking until the stall or until your brisket is tender and ready to some off the smoker.

Pound it out.

Pounding softens and tenderizes meat, making it easier to cut and eat. One of the easiest — and cleanest — ways to do this is to sandwich the meat between a couple pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper and pound it before cooking.

Wrapping the brisket at this stage also helps keep it moist and tender by trapping the juices and preventing it from drying out. If you wrap a brisket too early, you may end up with a softer, less textured bark. If you wrap the brisket late, it may take a lot longer to cook.

Cutting brisket in half is the most logical thing to do. You may not need the whole primal cut, or the size can be too big for a smoker. If you cut it in half you'll also speed up the cooking process, and you can still cook it to perfection.

Wrapping the brisket will prevent what's called "the stall" — when evaporation from the surface of the brisket halts the cooking process. It also gives you more control over the final appearance of the bark, and can help lock in moisture that would otherwise be lost as the brisket cooks.

If You Ask Us, Fat-Side-Down Is The Way To Go

So, the next time you're cooking a delicious cut of brisket on your wood pellet grill, remember these tips: no flipping, basting, braising, and always cook fat-side-down.

Place the brisket, fat-side down, directly on the grill grates. Close the lid and smoke for 3-4 hours, spraying with the mop sauce every hour. Increase the grill temperature to 225℉ and continue to cook, spraying occasionally with the mop sauce, until the internal temperature reaches 204℉, 6-8 hours more.

Does brisket get more tender the longer you smoke it? ›

Always pay attention to how much marbling and connective tissue your brisket has. If there's a lot, you'll need to increase your smoking time to achieve a tender and flavorful final result.

The type of connective tissue in brisket is called collagen. Cook the meat quickly and you get tough, dry meat. Cook a brisket slowly, with some liquid, and the collagen turns into gelatin. A tender and moist brisket is the result.

Keep in mind, a long cooking process doesn't always equal a great smoked beef brisket. Not only could your brisket be finished 10 hours too late, it could also be done 6 hours too early. Play it safe and learn the ropes before inviting your friends and family over for your first brisket.

Background. Once a brisket is rubbed or seasoned, it does not go right on the smoker. Most experts agree that it needs to go in the refrigerator so it can absorb that seasoning.

Dissolve the salt and sugar in the boiling water. Add the ice, then let cool to room temperature. Place the brisket in the brine and cover. Transfer to the refrigerator to brine overnight.