Smoked Brisket Recipe

The best smoked brisket I’ve experienced was cooked on a stick burner pit, and now it’s my personal mission to recreate that brisket using one of these style pits. Really, there’s no better cut of meat more perfect for a stick burner than smoked brisket.

The basics of a stick burner are simple. You start a fire in the offset firebox, the heat and smoke roll into the cooking chamber, and it’s drawn out by a large stack on the end.

The most difficult part is maintaining the fire for hours upon hours. You don’t walk away from a stick burner for long periods of time, but this is what makes cooking on one of these pits fun.

I don’t get aggressive with the trimming on the brisket. I remove some of the thick fat that connects the flat and point and any sinew from on top of the flat. Take off any grey or discolored meat from the sides (this is just the areas exposed to more oxygen during processing). Flip the brisket over and trim the bottom layer of fat to 1/4”.

For the seasoning, I use a simple mixture of equal parts Kosher Salt and Corse Ground Black Pepper along with a light coat of my Killer Hogs Hot Rub for the seasoning but you can use your favorite rub as well.

Once the pit is running at 275 degrees, place the brisket inside and maintain the fire by adding splits of wood. I used Pecan but you can use post oak, hickory, or your favorite wood just make sure it’s seasoned (has low moisture content). To keep the pit running I’ve found that the fire needs a new stick of wood every 45 minutes.

When the outside of the brisket starts turning dark, wrap the brisket in butcher paper and continue to cook. This brisket took around 4-5 hours before it had the color it needed to wrap.

For the wrap, I place 2 sheets of butcher paper (food grade wrapping paper) overlapping on a table. Then just wrap the butcher in the paper so it’s tight and has plenty of insulation. This helps push through the stall without damaging the bark.

Use a probe thermometer inserted into the center of the flat to monitor internal temperature. It’s done once it gets to roughly 200 degrees internal. To monitor the internal temp while the Brisket was cooking, I used a Thermoworks Signals. And to verify the Brisket internal temp, I used a Thermapen Mk4.

Rest the brisket in a dry cooler for at least an hour to let the cooking process stop and ensure a juicy end product. THE REST IS KEY! You’ll loose a lot of moisture and tenderness if you slice right into the brisket after cooking.

When you’re ready to serve, slice the flat into 1/4” thick slices against the grain. For the point I go a little thicker and always cut a few burnt ends from the edges (my favorite part!).

This smoked brisket on my new Jambo Stick Burner was a dang fine brisket! It was so tender, had so much moisture and a great flavor. Plus you get that nice smoke ring from a stick burner and a great, light smoky flavor.

I have to say, I’m really enjoying chasing that perfect Texas Style Brisket!