Beef Brisket

I finally jumped on the Traeger bandwagon and I’m so glad I did!! With this electric wood pellet grill, smoking meat is just about as easy as turning on the oven. We lived in San Antonio, Texas for several years so I know that barbecue purists are all about wood chunks and lump charcoal, but wood pellets work perfectly for my suburban self 🏘🔥. This amazing Smoked Beef Brisket can be adapted to work with any smoker (I’ll even give you a suggestion for a gas grill) and it honestly couldn’t be any simpler! The pink smoke ring on the meat means you nailed it! ⁣
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Beef Brisket, trimmed – with a ¼” fat cap left on (brisket comes in point and flat roasts, my preference is point end, but either will work great)⁣
Kosher salt and pepper in equal amounts⁣
Oak pellets or oak wood chips⁣

While the smoker preheats to 275 F, generously season beef brisket with equal amounts of salt and pepper. Position probe thermometer in the thickest part of the roast. Place brisket, fat cap up, directly on smoker grill and close lid. Let brisket smoke for at least 3 hours, without opening lid or checking meat. Once meat reaches 160 F, wrap in butcher paper (or foil) and continue to smoke until meat reaches 205. The time this will take varies depending on the size or your roast and the temperature outside. But I find that a 10 pound brisket will usually take around 7-8 hours. Let finished meat rest in its packet on the counter for an hour before serving. ⁣
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For the best results, you will want to use a probe thermometer (or at the very least a digital thermometer) to monitor the progress of your meat. Thermoworks is my favorite brand of thermometer (and I’m in love with their new bluetooth model), but any reliable thermometer will do the job!

If you don’t own a smoker, don’t let it stop you from making brisket! Here is a variation for gas grills…You can soak 4 cups of oak wood chips for 15 minutes and drain. Then using 2 large pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil, wrap soaked chips in 2 foil packets and cut several vent holes in tops. Place the foil packets on the grill grates next to the brisket as it cooks. Keep the temperature in the grill at 275 until meat reaches 160, then wrap the meat in foil or butcher paper. Place wrapped brisket on a baking sheet and finish cooking inside in the oven until the temperature of the meat reaches 205. Let rest for an hour before serving.