Free recipe
Texas Beef Brisket
Built around beef brisket and coarse salt -- the method starts by patting the brisket dry.
Anchored by beef brisket, coarse salt and coarse black pepper, this BBQ dish starts by patting the brisket dry and comes together in about 35 minutes -- the kind of medium recipe that earns a permanent spot in the rotation.
A 35-minute cook time that's mostly hands-off simmering or roasting.
A few technique steps to focus on, but nothing that needs special equipment.
Built around beef brisket, so the flavor comes from real ingredients, not a spice packet.
Ingredients
- 1 beef brisket (4-5 lb / 2 kg), fat cap left on
- 3 tbsp coarse salt
- 3 tbsp coarse black pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- Wood chips (oak or hickory), if using a smoker
Nutrition (estimated, per serving)
Calculated from this recipe's own ingredient list; treat as an estimate, not a lab measurement.
Method
Pat the brisket dry and trim the fat cap to about 1/4 inch thick.
Mix the salt, pepper, and garlic powder and coat the whole brisket generously - this simple rub is the Texas classic.
Set up a smoker or grill for very low indirect heat, about 250F/120C, with wood chips for smoke.
Cook the brisket fat-side up, covered, for several hours (roughly 1 to 1.25 hours per pound), keeping the heat steady.
When the internal temperature reaches about 165F/74C and the bark is dark, wrap the brisket tightly in foil or butcher paper and keep cooking.
Continue until the thickest part reads 203F/95C and a probe slides in like soft butter.
Rest the wrapped brisket at least 45 minutes (it stays hot).
Slice against the grain into pencil-thick slices and serve.
Doneness check, from the method above: When the internal temperature reaches about 165F/74C and the bark is dark, wrap the brisket tightly in foil or butcher paper and keep cooking.
