Pellet Grill Brisket Recipe
The only thing it takes to create amazing brisket on a pellet grill is time! Some folks might claim that the only way to produce a brisket with authentic Texas-style bark and a smoke ring is by cooking it on a stick burner pit, but I’m hear to show you how you can do it on a pellet grill. With a few simple seasonings, some butcher paper, and plenty of low and slow hours on a pellet grill, you will blow your friends and family away with this pellet grill brisket. I start with a full packer brisket weighing in at 16lbs – I was lucky enough to catch this Certified Angus Beef brisket at my grocery store. The first step is to trim the brisket. For this, I’m using my Red Handle 6″ Boning Knife.
Remove the thick “vein” of fat located between the flat and point. Take off any discolored or “grey” looking meat from the edges. This is where the meat oxidizes a little in the packaging. I also trim the thin edge on the flat because it will over cook and crumble.
Round off the tip of the flat as well as most of the silver skin on top. On the fat side of the brisket I knock it down to 1/4” thick. I like fat on the bottom of my slices but it doesn’t need to be too thick. Also the fat will help insulate the brisket during the long cook.
Now that it’s trimmed you want to get some seasoning on the brisket. I use a layer of my Killer Hogs Hot BBQ Rub. It has a little more pepper and less sugar than my regular rub and goes great on Beef. I also layer on a light coat of my Killer Hogs TX Brisket Rub for added salt and texture.
You can use any seasoning you want just give it a good coat; brisket is a big cut of meat and needs plenty of seasoning. The seasoning goes on a few hours before the brisket hits the pit. This gives the seasonings time to work on the brisket. You want at least an hour but up to 4 hours is perfectly ok.
When it comes to cooking brisket on a pellet grill you can plan on it taking upwards of 16 hours on a brisket this size. I start the brisket out overnight. At 10:30 pm the pellet grill is fired up to 195 degrees running pecan pellets. It’ll take about 20 minutes or so for the grill to stabilize. The brisket goes on the pit fat side down and then it’s time for me to go to bed. The pellet grill does all the work for you; just make sure you have plenty of pellets in the hopper.
After 8 hours in the smoke, a beautiful bark is set on the brisket and it gets what I call “the meat sweats”. Moisture will start seeping out of the flat and accumulating on the top side. This is exactly what you want to see. At this point it’s time to wrap.
To keep all that delicious bark we worked so hard to create the brisket gets wrapped in butcher paper (you can find some food safe butcher paper on Amazon) If you use foil the bark will steam and turn soft but by using a good peach butcher paper the bark is preserved and has perfect texture. Tear off 2 strips of paper about 48” each. Overlap the paper to form one wide sheet. Place the brisket in the center of the paper and fold one end up and over the flat tucking it tight. Bring the opposite end up and over and tuck it under the point end. Fold the edges underneath the brisket forming one “package”.
Before placing it back on the grill insert a probe thermometer (I use a Thermoworks DOT) into the center of the flat. Internal temp at this point will be somewhere around 150-160 degrees.
Place the brisket back on the pit fat side down. (The folds of the paper will be on the bottom if you did it right.) Now continue to cook the brisket until the internal hits 200 degrees. The pit can be bumped up to 250 degrees at this point and it should take a little over 8 hours to finish.
When the DOT alarm goes off verify the internal temperature by using a Thermapen or other hand held thermometer. You want to feel for a soft texture in the flat and point. The flat should match the DOT alarm and the point will be a few degrees higher. The cooking part is finished at this point but the brisket still needs to rest before slicing. Place it in a dry “empty” cooler with the lid on and let it set for a couple hours. This will give the brisket time to relax and will make for a juicer brisket in the end.
After the rest, remove the brisket from the butcher paper and place on a cutting board. Use a 12” brisket slicer and start at the flat end. Cut the brisket into 1/4” slices stopping once you get towards the end of the flat. At this point turn the point end 90 degrees and slice the point into slices as well. You can trim the edges into burnt ends for a real treat.
This brisket will rival any “stick burner” out there. The slow time in the smoke at the beginning of the cook works magic on the bark just practice patience and let the pellet grill do all the work.
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Pellet Grill Brisket
Description
The only thing it takes to create amazing brisket on a pellet grill is time. With a few simple seasonings, some butcher paper, and plenty of low and slow hours on a pellet grill, you will blow your friends and family away with this brisket.
Ingredients
- 1 whole packer brisket (16lbs)
- 1/4 cup Killer Hogs Hot Rub
- 1/8 cup Killer Hogs TX Brisket
Instructions
- Trim thick area of fat from brisket, remove thin edge and any silver skin from top of flat. Flip the brisket to fat side and take it down to 1/4”.
- Season the brisket with Hot Rub followed by TX Brisket Rub.
- Rest brisket for a few hours before placing on pit.
- Prepare pellet grill for low and slow smoking at 195 degrees using pecan pellets.
- Place brisket fat side down on pellet grill and smoke for 8 hours.
- Wrap brisket in butcher paper, insert probe thermometer into center of flat, and place back on smoker.
- Increase smoker temp to 250 degrees and continue cooking brisket until internal temperature reaches 200 degrees.
- Rest brisket in a dry cooler for 2 hours.
- Slice into 1/4” slices starting with flat. Rotate point and slice it into slices as well, removing the edges and slicing them into cubes for burnt ends.
Keywords: smoked brisket, brisket Traeger, brisket pellet, brisket pellet grill, how to smoke brisket on pellet grill, pellet grill brisket, bbq brisket, pellet smoker brisket, simple brisket recipe
Have a Question About This Recipe?
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With a full pellet hopper were you able to go through the night without re-filling the hopper? I have not had my pellet grill for long and was just curious about how long a full hopper would take to burn down. I would hate to ruin a cook because I ran out of pellets.
On my PitBoss is holds 20 lbs of pellets and I’ve easily gone 12 hours cooking that low. So I would say yes for the initial cook. Would have to refill at the stall.
Hope this helps
How do you stop yours from jamming, it seems like mine’s will jam if it get too full
It will depend on how big your hopper is. A 20 lb hopper that low should go for at least 12 hours. I have a 40 lb hopper, so I can only guess. Just fill up before you go to bed or are going to be away from it for an extended period of time. If you have a wifi controller, you will know if the temps drop off.
Enjoy
I haven’t done this recipe yet but at that low of heat depending on your hopper size it should be fine cooking over night, it takes me about two cups of pellets for every hr I’m cooking…
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My first over night cook was tonight, I filled my hopper up at 1am after 5hrs it was only down two inches, more than 10lbs if pellets left.
Yes, it was just fine! Used about 10-15% of the pellets on camp chef
standard is a lbs of pellets per hour at 225-250. my recteq 590 can burn longer than anything i have cooked.
It depends on your feed rate, but on my recteq RT700 I use about a pound per hour. I have a 40 pound hopper so 40 hours. This is why I bought the recteq. I never have to worry about pellets running out through the cook.
Tom, after about 140 the meat will no longer absorb the “smoke” and you can finish it in the oven if You ran out of pellets.
Exactly what i do, but at the wrap stage. At 195 my GMG only uses 15% of the hopper, and oven finishes at 250. We like the smell in the house!
I went through the whole night no problem using Traeger 575. Temp was in 40s. After I wrapped and bumped temp to 250 I had to add pellets
Excellent, Malcolm you the man !
Malcolm, you do not know the effect you had on this old worn out Marine. I retired after thirty two yeas service, thought this going to be the high part of my life…..wrong. I was totally lost, not knowing what to do or anything else, I was getting to the point of what the heck,I am just flat out worthless. I did not care if tomorrow came or not. Then I started watching your videos on you tube, why, I could not tell you, the more I watched the more interest came about. Being retired military I can not afford a good grill, I am limited on cuts of meat I can buy but Malcolm your videos gave me some thing to look at and wonder if i could BBQ like that, you put meaning back where it used to be. I look forward to new videos. Thank you for giving me some thing to fill the hole I was in…….!
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Skip… Thank you for your service. My greatest regret in life was not serving. Just a month shy of my actual enrollment, I chose to pursue a career elsewhere. I should not complain because it has allowed me to earn a living. Modest, but decent. I mention that because, sir, I hope you never feel the need to search for your purpose in life again. There are millions of us that are thankful for your sacrifice. Your career has given your life more purpose than most of us can imagine. I’m forever grateful and we are forever indebted to you and your brothers and sisters in the armed forces. Thank you!
On behalf of me and my family, Thank You Skip! We are greatfull and look up to the hero’s that served our nation!
You sir are nothing but class!
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Thank you for your service Skip. Great story and I hope your enjoyment in bbqing continues.
Skip, I will never fully understand the sacrifice those who served have endured, nor will you ever truly understand the thanks that the rest of us feel. I am proud that I live in a country where people like you have forged a path of freedom. I stand and get teary eyed every time we salute you.
Skip, did you ever get that grill that you were dreaming of? If not, I have the first $100 to contribute to your purchase! Thanks for your service!!!
I have a second $100 and seriously hope you take me up on it. Let’s get this man a smoker!
Did Skip get a new smoker? I got the rest of the new smoker, (or all of it). Personally I have a pit boss from Walmart and I love it…if that works. Skip, if you can give me an address, I will send you one. Thank you for your service. I estimate the hopper will run 24+ hours without refilling at 200.
Thank you for your service. My son-in-law is a Marine. Couldn’t ask for a better one. God Bless you.
Thank you for your service sir
Yo Devil Dog. Did you get a smoker? I will pitch in too…just don’t know how to go about doing it…
I could send you a check or cash or something…don’t know if you can post an address or email it to me or what…kinda leary bout posting my email address on here….
I am retired Navy.
Semper Fi jarhead!
Skip, I rarely comment on posts but feel compelled to comment on yours. In searching for more brisket recipes on a pellet grill I ran across this site and decided to read the comments. I see your comments are from nearly two years ago. I truly hope things are looking up for you now and you have found the assistance to change things. I’m a retired Navy E8 with 34 years service including 12 years as USNR. Us military folk are a unique group and more diverse than anything I can think of. With that comes a lot of experiance and knowledge. If you haven’t, I suggest you join a local VFW, American Legion, or VVA Landing Zone near you. You’re not alone. Talking with others helps. I know!!
I have a Junior Elite T. After the initial 8 hrs of smoke at 195 degrees and then wrapped and put back on pellet grill for 8 another hours at 250 degrees. For the second half of the cook could I put the wrapped brisket in the oven at 250 degrees til internal of 202 degrees. Why burn through the pellets if it’s no longer going to be taking on smoke. Thanks Malcom! Love your videos and podcast!
I just like using the smoker instead of the oven
Hi Malcolm,
I just bought a 12lb brisket and am new to this. Do you think my cook time will roughly be around 12 hours if I follow the steps you’ve provided? Only difference being is I have a tin foil wrap.
Yes, but go by internal temps instead of just time.
Hi Malcom – I’m an a mature in need of help. I tried to follow this for a 13lb’r and didn’t get a great result. The flat was really dry and didn’t bend down around a fork; it pulled more like roast beef. I took it to 205 over 16hrs and rested for around an hour. Did I go too long?
Yeah, it did go too long. Smaller briskets will require less cooking time.
Hey Malcolm,
When you’re resting the brisket after trim/seasoning before putting it on the grill are you keeping it at room temp or back in the fridge?
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I did a 16.5 lb brisket and followed this recipe. Except I put it on my Traeger at 1am. instead of 11:00 pm It took 14 hr and 30 min. I let is rest 3 hrs. It turned out excellent.
Malcom, What about doing this in a standing smoker like a masterbuilt. This is what i have and enjoy cooking with it, i know it’s not the best system out there but it works well i believe. downfall is you need to keep recharging the wood chips but for now this is what we do.
Great stuff, Malcolm – thank you. One question – in other brisket videos, you’ve injected with beef broth, but didn’t do so here. Is there any downside to injecting a brisket cooked on a pellet grill? If not, would you do any of the other steps differently if it were injected?
You can inject, but for this recipe I just kept it simple. I would still just follow the internal temps for cooking.
How much does this recipe change for a brisket flat I have a traeger but couldn’t find a whole brisket.
It will decrease the cooking times
That brisket looked amazing and had such great bark for a pellet smoker! I haven’t cooked at this low of a temp before- I can only find flats right now, would you expect the cook time to be 1 hour per pound at these temps or would an 8.5lb flat take closer still to the house 16 hours the full brisket took?
You can use just a flat, but your times will change drastically. I would expect it to be half the cooking time.
I just did a twelve lb full brisket on my BGE, at 245. I was planning on it taking around twelve hours but I hit 195 at the six and a half hour mark. Any idea what could have allowed this cook so fast?
To be that hot and fast – it had to be cooking at a higher temp. You might want to get a grate temp or a cheap oven thermometer to set on the grate to verify those temps.
I’ve also found by trend analysis using my basic Traeger and the Thermoworks Smoke X monitoring system that your local ambient temperatures REALLY play into the cook times! Ie. a brisket, ribs, etc done during the summer here in Tampa, FL. cooks a hell of a lot faster at the same set “temp” then my turkey breasts did in the winter months around Nov/Dec. Summer time ambient temps around 95 degrees on the patio vs. 65 degrees during the holiday cook sessions. I noticed significant cook time variations based on the season/temps. Your cook temp is only half the equation! My advise is to get a good temp monitoring system which saves your cooks. You can then adjust timing and temps for the season and ambient temp differentials. Cheers!
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First time smoking a brisket.
It is 10 lbs and I am using a Rec Tec pellet smoker
Not sure how many hours to cook unwrapped and then how many to cook wrapped.
Serving it in the evening around 6 pm.
Super excited
I cook it until it has the bark I want – usually around 160 internal – then I wrap. Then I cook it wrapped until it hits 198-202 internal (and feels like you a probing butter). Then I place it in a dry cooler and let it rest for at least 1 hour (but you can go up to 4-5 hours and it only gets better with the rest). So give yourself plenty of time and go by internal temps instead of times.
Hi just wandering, every time I cook brisket it always comes out really stringy, and I was just wandering if their is anything that I’m doing wrong.
Thanks Brian
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Sounds like it was either overcooked or it was a lesser cut
May have been sliced with the grain of the meat, instead of against it?
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So fat side down the first cook and then fat side up for the second cook? Thanks
I go fat side down the whole cook.
Why cook fat side down? I’ve seen most recipes call for cooking fat side up? I appreciate your videos & info! Thank you.
I like to go fat side down because the fat protects the brisket while it cooks – and it allows you to build that great bark on top of the brisket. Some people like to go fat side up because they say the fat cooks in the meat, but I’ve never noticed it makes any difference on the juiciness of the brisket and you don’t get the bark.
I am going to cook (4) 10-11 lb briskets all at one time . Any suggestions on cook time .
If you have plenty of space on your cooker and have plenty of airflow around each brisket, then your cook time won’t increase much – if at all.
Curiously speaking I would think also the time of year and exterior temperature will speed the cooking as well. I had a 7lb brisket a few weeks back and I estimated about and hour and fifteen minutes cook per pound but it ended up cooking in about 6 hours. I then rested it for about three hours, Tender and juicy. I have noticed the same when cooking ribs as well.
I am just curious – you said this was 16 lb. brisket and you did some extensive trimming. How much did you actually trim off ? I am trying to get an idea of cook time by weight. I know we go by temperature.
thanks in advance.
You can estimate 1 hour per pound. But give yourself plenty of time – you can always hold it in a dry cooler for hours and it will only get better
Malcom, I’ve used a lot of your recipes and none disappoint, I appreciate the easy to follow videos and the recipes !
I am having an issue with consistency on brisket I hope you can help me with…I have cooked 7-8 full briskets on my Traeger pellet grill and have followed time and temp recommendations and most have been perfect. I have had 2 instances where the Flat was good but Point has been tough and unedible. Wondering if I’m doing something wrong or just got a bad brisket, thx
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Hey Malcom, love all your videos man. I’ve used a handful of them to walk me through some cooks that have turned out really well. I’ve done a brisket on a traditional stick burner before. Now I’m getting ready to give it my first go on my PitBoss. I’ve got a 17lb brisket before trimming. I’m thinking I’m going to follow what you have going in this video the only thing I’m trying to decide is I’m wanting to make some burnt ends to go with my slices and I think I want to cook my brisket whole like you have. My question to you would be at what point would be best to separate my point and flat? My thoughts are get the flat up to that nice soft feel 200 or so and separate at that time. Rest my flat in a cooler and get to cubing and tossing my point in a pan with whatever sweet bbq nectar of the gods I’m feeling at the time and let that magic happen while my flat is resting. Just wondered what your process is if you are cooking a full brisket when you would separate the two? I’ve seen your video where you separate the two before the cook. Do you ever do something similar to how I’m talking about going about it? I’m all about the low and slow and I’m fully expecting to not be finishing up my cook until sometime the next evening. Just wanting to do this bad boy right. Thanks in advance. I appreciate any advice you might have to offer.
Sounds like you got the right idea! Most of the time the point is where it needs to be once the flat is done. You can always separate the two from the beginning and get the most bark and tenderness as possible on both. Good luck and appreciate the support!
Malcolm,
Great brisket recipe, the results were fabulous! Went 6 hours unwrapped and 4 wrapped on just a flat,which is all we can get here and it was perfect. Used your AP seasoning and followed that with your BBQ Rub.
Question, since typicality all we can get here is just the brisket flat, they always come with a lot of silver skin on the top side. I struggle with removing the silver skin without gouging the heck out of the brisket. Is there a secret to removing the silver skin from the brisket??
You need a good, thin, very sharp knife and a lot of practice. You want to just glide right under the sliver skin (kinda like removing skin from fish).
I have not used the paper wrap before and wonder how much difference it would make if it is wrapped in foil? It seems that you lose a lot of juice with the paper wrap but does the amount of bark offset that? Thanks!
Yeah – you do loose some of the rendered juice but it doesn’t affect the juiciness of the brisket at all. And you do get a much better bark with butcher paper.
Can you use parchment paper instead or butcher?
Just picked up a 13# brisket, never done one before so I am quite nervous. You used the butcher wrap, will foil work just as well? Will it alter the cook time/temps at all? Thanks
Foil will work fine. Just go by internal temps and not time.
Hey Malcom! I love your recipes. You’ve made me a party hero at my house. I was wondering about the spice level from using the hot rub. I’ve got some kids that will be eating the brisket this weekend and just wondered how much of a kick that gave on this cook. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing this resourceful article . Do you write any smoothie recipe related article on your site next time?Thanks.
Looks amazing Malcom! Are you just cutting the fat vein out without separating the point from the flat? Is there a way to do burnt ends with this recipe or are you just slicing the point with the flat?
I just removed most of that fat vein. And you can separate it and make burnt ends when it’s done – just let the flat rest and cube up the point, throw it in a pan with sauce and let it keep cooking for those “burnt ends”
How much pellets would you need for this!
We filled the hopper up and let it do the work for us but I would assume about 10 pounds would be accurate.
When you rest the seasoned brisket prior to smoking, do you refrigerate it while resting? Covered?
I usually let it set out and come up to room temp while letting it rest. But if I’m going for longer than 1-1.5 hours, I’ll put it back in the fridge.
Great post thanks share.David Brown famous for delicious smoker recipes, expert cooking methods, cooking tips, and tricks as well as for his cooking recipes.
Hey Malcom it looked like the bag of pellets you were adding to the hopper in the video had apple written on it. In the recipe it says use pecan pellets. Did you use apple pellets in the video ?
Not sure what that clip was, but I do prefer using pecan pellets with brisket. Sometimes hickory and pecan mixed. But you can use whatever pellet flavor you like.
Getting ready to start brisket tonight at your direction. Curious at fat side down instead of up like all others say?
I prefer fat side down – the fat protects the brisket from the heat and allows you to build that great bark on top
You are my turn to when grilling.
Awesome pellet grill brisket. My Traeger does not have a 195 degree setting, so I did about 9 hrs on smoke at 180 degrees. Had like a half inch smoke ring.
Happy Independence Day!
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Tried this brisket for the first time over the weekend on our Yoder 480 and it turned out phenomenal. Used pecan pellets and had an incredible smoke ring although I was cooking a 12 pound brisket it did take me around 18 hours to achieve 200 internal temperature but I believe that was due to the stall I encountered
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Malcom, Can you speak to the USDA 40 – 140 rule when cooking below 225. I’ve always been taught to follow that. If cooking below 225 the meat risks not getting to 140 in 4 hours. The rule states that can be a bad thing that is not safe. There is a new wave of pellet smokers that are cooking below 225 like this for extended periods of time and I wondered your thoughts on that.
I put meat on room temp and never had any issues. But if you don’t feel comfortable, then don’t do it.
Your recipe and instructions were excellent. The amount of detail was great. I just made my first brisket today. It came out perfect, smoky, tender with nice bark. I used a pellet smoker to cook the 16 lb brisket with salt/pepper and crusting rub. The butcher paper that I ordered didn’t arrive in time, so I used parchment paper which worked great. I followed your timing with slow smoke over night followed by wrapping and finishing plus long rest. Thanks. I will be making brisket again.
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I was so excited to try this recipe/method. We ordered our brisket whole from the butcher but it came in two 4.5 lb pieces. Boo! It was supposed to feed a crowd. Now what do we do? Same instructions but 1/3 the time? Thank you!
I use a basic S&P rub on mine, let it sit for 1 hour before placing in fat cap up in my pitboss copperhead on the rack above a pan of water under in the drip tray. Set the smoker to “smoke” setting for 1 hour them spritz with apple juice before bumping temp to 225°. Continue to spritz every hour until internal temp reaches 165 (usually around 4 to 6 hours…your results may vary… I usually cook 60 to 100 lbs per time). Once at 165° I wrap in peach butcher paper as above until internal temp of 203° is achieved at which time I pull from heat and wrap the brisket and paper in aluminum foil then wrap the foil wrapped meat in an old towel and place in cooler for up to 6 hours to rest. Super tender every time.
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Forgot to mention, I bump smoker to 275° once I wrap to finish them off. Usually takes me 12 to 14 hours to do a 100 lbs this way, plus rest time (DO NOT SKIP RESTING THE MEAT!!)
Followed Malcom’s directions using my Camp Chef pellet grill with Traeger Oak pellets.
12 lb brisket; ran it for 8 hours @ 200F from 23:30 to 07:30. Sprayed it down with some water once at 3:30. Wrapped it up and took it to an IT of 201F by 13:15.
After a 3 hour rest in the cooler, I unwrapped, sliced, and got rewarded with absolute perfection. Bark was perfectly set and the smoke flavour was very pronounced. Flat stood up to slicing and pulled apart beautifully with little resistance. Point was to die for.
Budget yourself 1.25 hours per pound and do not rush it or crank the heat. Give yourself lots of time and take it up to at least an IT of 200.
This recipe is a winner 5/5
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Hi Malcom,
Just wondering if its ok to use parchment paper to wrap the brisket in pellet smoker as an alternative to butcher paper? Thanks, Greg
Hi Malcom,
I was curious what brand or brands of wood pellets you recommend? Iv been using the traeger ones. But I feel like there are other brands out there that are better. Was wondering what your thoughts on this were!!
Made this brisket this weekend. It came out awesome… We like our brisket with some juice. Do you have a Au Jus recipe that would go good with this brisket?
Definitely a 5 star brisket, thanks!
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Hi Malcolm,
Most of the time I only cook for myself and my wife. I cut my brisket in 3-4 lbs portions. Is this a bad thing to do? I know the cook times are really cut in have. Do I still go to 150, then probe it and finish it at 195 for a smaller cut? I
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It’s going to be about 100 degrees this weekend and I’m going to be smoking a 16 lb brisket. I’m using a Memphis Grill. Does the outside temp effect cooking time? In hot temperature it doesn’t seem like I have the grill cool down I would normally get when I’m opening and closing the grill during spritzing the meat. Does it cooked the meat too fast?
Malcolm, is there a difference between white butcher paper and pink paper? Does it change how the meat cooks, or change the flavor? I asked my wife to look for butcher paper at the store and she brought me home a giant 30 lb roll of white butcher paper. Is it usable?
I adjusted the times for a smaller brisket but generally followed your lead. Got a killer crust, gorgeous smoke ring, and the pull was perfect. Thanks for the solid instructions!
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Should I brine my brisket before smoking it
I don’t brine briskets unless I’m making pastrami
Hey Malcolm!!
This recipe looks amazing! I followed it word for word last time and rested for 4 hours. When I went to slice it the texture was more like pot roast than brisket.
Could I have overcooked it? Or did resting in the cooler continue to cook the brisket? I pulled it at 202.
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Spot on recipe! Just finished my first brisket. Cook time was a bit longer, just a shade over 17 hours. I used Traeger’s Texas Beef pellets. I left the thermometer in while it rested in the cooler. Nice to keep an eye on what was happening. Thanks Malcom!
No need to spritz or put a water pan in the smoker?
Didn’t work for me, and I’m not sure what went wrong. Point was falling apart inside the paper, like pulled beef swimming in fat; the flat was like a well done steak. We had about four slices in the middle that were edible. Temps rock solid (rectec probe and thermapen); 7 hours to 165; wrapped in paper, and took another 6 hours to get to 200. Never felt the ‘probe tender’, it was just leather from about 180 on.
Any ideas?
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Amazing brotha! Keep up the videos and good work
You’re a legend my friend
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I have a question. My brisket is about 8.63 # how much time do you think this would require to smoke ?
My smoker only has 25 degree increments – should I do the first stage at 175 or 200?
You are the man Malcom! This recipe made for an amazing brisket. Smoked up an 18+lb beauty this weekend on my Timberline, and it turned out fabulous. Came in just over the 15 hour mark, which surprised me a bit with the extra weight. So moist and delicious. Good thing… because we are gonna be working through it for a few more days of leftovers! Thanks!
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What pellet grill did you use in this video ? Treagor ?
Yes! It is a Traeger.
I’m wondering if anyone has any advice for me. I’m cooking a 12 lb brisket on a Traeger. The first 8 hours went fine. When I wrapped it in butcher paper, it was sitting at 145 internal. I set the smoker heat to 250 like the recipe calls for. 7 and a half hours later and the internal temp is only up to 166. I know patience is a virtue with brisket, but this seems to be going too slow. Can anyone think of a reason why?
I just found your site, and I am excited to try your recipes. We have a new Traeger, and the ribs have been out of this world. We tried a small brisket (around 4 lbs.). It said to smoke it till it reached 160 degrees. I assume that is where you get the wonderful bark . Funny thing it reached 160 in about an hour at 225. Then we wrapped it in foil. It took forever then (around 6 hours) to get to 200. We let it sit for about 45 minutes in a cooler. The results were not very smoky and I thought it was overdone. What could we do to get that bark and have it more juicy? Just getting a larger cut?
Hi from Australia. After a failure with a brisket on a Weber I found your videos on pellet grills and went and bought a Pit Boss smoker. Last night I put down a 15lb brisket from Costco using this recipe. 16hrs later and after a 4hr rest in a towel I was rewarded with the best smoke ring and softest brisket I have ever made (including in the oven). Thank you for your easy to understand recipes and videos which have helped this smoker beginner tremendously.
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I made my first brisket the other day following this recipe and it was awesome!! Thanks for the detailed video. I can’t wait to make this again.
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Malcolm,
Having problem getting the brisket tender. Typically will be smoking just the flat (8-9 lbs).
Run the smoker around 200 for the first 3 hours or so, until I start to see moisture on the top of the brisket. Then will wrap and go to 225 until hitting around 200-205f. The brisket has a fair amount of smoke and because of using your rubs great flavor, hust can’t get it tender. Where am I going wrong?
I should note I’m using a Pit Boss smoker and it tends to run just a little hotter than set point.
Thanks for the help!
Malcolm I like your work. I learn a lot from you.
I always trust hour advice Malcom. You have turned my Bbq skills to an incredible level. With your advice I have the confidence to concur any Bbq challenge. Your direction is simple and easy to follow. Thank you for sharing all you know. So much Appreciated!
Did your brisket recipe last week it was amazing
18 lbs brisket followed the recipe it was done in 14 hr put in in a cooler for about 4hr Moist tender good bark used my GMG pellet smoker served it with your bbq beans Thanks for another great recipe
This was my second time using this recipe. First time it was good but I didn’t wrap as tight and I cooked fat up. This time I followed it to a tee other than makiwith temperature a bit here and there and OMG it was absolutely amazing. Great bark, beautiful smoke ring, juicy and extremely flavorful. I nailed it!!! Thank you
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This was my second time using this recipe. First time it was good but I didn’t wrap as tight and I cooked fat up. This time I followed it to a tee other than making some slight adjustments with temperature a bit here and there and OMG it was absolutely amazing. Great bark, beautiful smoke ring, juicy and extremely flavorful. I nailed it!!! Thank you
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This recipe has a longer cook at lower temps up front. Is that generally how you have to build better bark on all pellet smokers? Would the same idea apply on pork butts or other meats to get that dark bark like you get from other types of cookers?
I bought a 8lb brisket flat (no point) from Costco and am cooking with this method – followed each step to a T thus far and it’s taking FOREVER. 8 hours on the smoke overnight brought the internal temp to 150. But after I wrapped it in the butcher paper and bumped the temp up to 250, the temp stayed at 150 for over 6 hours! It’s sitting at 175 right now 17 hours in to the cook. I am surprised that the smaller cut is taking so long. Any ideas?
Malcolm, which model Traeger were you using in this video. I’m currently using a Pit Boss 456D and have a hard time getting to run for more than four hours without the flame going out. I’m going to upgrade to something better this summer.
Awesome. I’ve tried multiple recipes and this one is it. I do occasionally inject beef broth and spices
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How long is too long to rest a brisket?
It’s about keeping that internal temp above 140. Some resultants have proofing cabinets that allows them to hold meat for hours safely. If you are holding it in a dry cooler at home, I would say 4-6 hours is your window.
For pellete grills do you slide the cover and expose the fire while cooking or do you keep it closed?
I loved it. I am going to make this recipe tomorrow. Thank You a lot. Are you going to share more recipes in near future? If “YES” then I am going to bookmark your website right now.
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Yes! New recipes are given each week. You can also search on our website for any other recipes we have done in the past!
If doing an 8lb brisket with this same process. Would you estimate the time being roughly 8-9 hrs?
Malcom, I’m going to do a 13# Brisket. Is your recipe basically 1 hour per pound or more about temperature? At 150F wrap and when it reaches 200F take it off and rest it? Your recipes are always spot on. I know this is only 13# but it’s a 4 person family so it’s plenty big enough for us. Thanks for your time, Scott
Hey Malcolm, we usually just cook up a flat, but this year we could get a whole prime packer brisket for the same price as the choice flats. Our Traeger is an older one, our temp choices are smoke, 180 and 225 on the low end. Since it was only 3 degrees here in Minnesota last night, we went with the 225 setting, figuring it would average out lower than that. It was on overnight, 10 hours, and then wrapped and put it back on at 250. After 3 hours, the brisket was at 215! It’s resting now, it looks and feels real tender. But how would you adjust with the limited temp settings we have?
Just wanted to drop a note: I’ve made this brisket recipe twice now and it is absolutely killer. Getting ready to start another tonight for New Year’s. Thanks for this, Malcolm!
Malcolm great video. I liked the way you explained everything in layman’s terms. The fat stuck to the paper, and the bark on top was a little stringy. I pulled it at 150 and wrapped in paper and took it to 200. 2 hours in the cooler. Too long?
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Malcolm,
I am experimenting with grass fed/finished beef. How would you change your recipe? I know the cook time should vary significantly. Thanks so much for everything you do!!!
We’ve used this recipe several times now and it’s pure gold!
Everyone is amazed how a brisket can be this good, including myself as I didn’t like beef briskets until now!
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If pulling brisket off and say going to rest it for 4-5 hrs prior to event would you suggest removing butcher paper and wrapping in foil before cooler of letting it ride in same butcher paper for that long in cooler?
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I accidentally pierced my brisket through the bottom with a temp probe, now the juices are leaking out of the bottom, is there any way to save the brisket or is it just going to be dry now?
This is a simple but long cook. The meat turned out soooo juicy. It just melted in my mouth with minimal work to chew it. Absolutely Marvelous! Thanks!
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Have used this recipe twice on my Grilla Grills Chimp. Used Malcolm’s Kiler Hogs Hot BBQ and Brisket rubs. The common reaction has been this is the best thing I have ever tasted. By the way this was y first and Second briskets, so Malcolm had me cooking like a pro out of the gate!
When I do briskets this way, I do it at 225 the whole time wrapping it at the the same time as you etc. What is the advantage of starting at 195 and then upping the temperature to 250?
Fat side down? NEVER!!! The fat goes on top so it can baste the meat.
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If you do it right you don’t need the Texas crutch, I’m from Texas and I’ve never wrapped a brisket, not once…. EVER… and never will. I’m not saying it’s wrong to wrap if that get’s your results, I’m just saying I don’t need too.
Spot on, what do you think about basting butcher paper and brisket with beef tallow before wrapping?
Soooooooo god I love this brisket
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First time smoking a brisket. I thought this recipe would work best because I am handicapped in that I can only have an electric smoker and the fact I only have access to a cheap supermarket brisket. I used Killer Hogs TX brisket rub and smoked it overnight at 190 for 8 hours then wrapped in butcher paper and dialed the heat up to 250 for another 10 hours. The bark was perfect and although the flat was a bit dry, it was perfectly tender. Nothing a little Killer Hogs vinegar sauce to fix it. Now the point was different. It shredded like pulled pork and came out great. My wife said it was better that pulled pork and we are from North Carolina. When I wrapped the brisket it was temping at 137. Next time, I think I may bump the starting temp to 205 so hopefully it will temp close to 165. Hopefully that will cut back on the cook time and have a bit more moisture in the fiat. Any suggestions around be greatly appreciated.
I’m a complete newb but I’ve read a few other places that people will either use beef tallow on the butcher paper or inject it. I think that might address the dryness.
Hey Malcolm: how much does the altitude play into the cook? Last week, I did your pork butt without the wrap. I have a Yoder. It turned out awesome but took 17.5 hours.
This week, I currently have a brisket on the Yoder and wrapped after 8 hours at 161. We’re currently almost 18 hours in and are only at 187. I budgeted for extra time this week for a longer smoke but I’m on pace for around 24 hours on the grill. Is this something I should just expect being at an altitude of 6,300 ft?
Thanks!
Being more specific, I have the Yoder 640 pellet so it is holding the temps fairly consistent.
Thanks meg for sharing! I loved your recipe.
He’s right I do my briskets the same way… Comes out money every time…. Some cook faster than others but as long as you do the 8 hr initial slow smoke and wrap in butcher paper after it just goes by feel afterwards… I probe at times but just grabbing and feeling it works the best. Once it becomes plyable… Just giggly you know it’s ready to rest…
Flavor was great but dry trying to figure out where I messed up? 9.7lb did 195 for just under 5 hours and was at 152 degrees. Cooked 4 hours more and thickest part of point at 202. Rested in cooler for 3 hours.
Just trying to determine what I did wrong for next time l
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Thanks for sharing this very yummy recipe.
This blog is great. I’m also looking forward to the new video
Do you not use the same temps for a flat?
I cooked a 6lbs flat following this recipe. Cooked at 200 until it reached 165 about5 hours then wrapped and raised temp to 250 until it reached 195. Let rest for 2 hours and the flavor was good but it felt a little tough or overcooked. I thought if I stuck with the internal temps it should be bullet proof?
Everyone thinks I’m awesome with the pellet grill, but I definitely watch your videos before smoking!
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What type of wood pellets did you use?
It was awesome. Used Costco Prime Brisket.
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I marinated mine with Kosmos and followed Malcolm’s instructions. Best Brisket I’ve ever made. Although it takes much longer, We prefer this style Brisket over the Mixon Hot and Fast style
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New to this site today. I have another $100 for Skip for a new grill.
Karl
Looking to make this soon! Quick question…my smoker doesn’t have a 195 setting. I can either do 190 or 200. Which temp should I go with? Does that 5 degree variance matter a ton?
Excellent Brisket Recipe. Turned out very nice.
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Excellent Recipe. Lots of good complements. Thanks.
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Thanks, Malcom! This is only my second brisket, but I followed your recipe to the letter and it turned out awesome! Even got rave reviews from my son who is somewhat of a barbecue snob. The only thing I noticed was when I increased the temperature after wrapping to 250 I got a temperature spike to over 300, but that’s the smoker- it’s kind of small- a Louisiana sl700 from Costco, so I backed off and raised the temp gradually. Total cook time on a 19 lb prime brisket trimmed to 13 lbs was 15 hrs (8 over night, 7 wrapped) with a 3 hour rest. Perfect! Thanks so much!
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I have tried about ten of your recipes throughout your site. Going back to the basics for opening weekend of college football. Brisket and lobster Mac.
Do you ever use a binder with your briskets?
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Anyone use a binder with a brisket? I have tried yellow mustard with a pork butt and didn’t taste it…assume I can do the same with a brisket but some reassurance would be nice! 🙂
I always use mustard on my brisket!
Absolutely delicious! We live at a higher elevation so it takes a little longer, but spot on!
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Thank you for your fantastic recipe! I did my first brisket yesterday (into today) on my Recteq 700 using your method. It was a HUGE hit at my son’s birthday party. Your videos are very helpful and I look forward to more cooks using your recipes. Your rubs are excellent as well! Thanks again!
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Great information Malcom. I’ve enjoyed all your videos. I have only been smoking meat for a year, all on a $500 pellet smoker. My friends and family think I am an artist but all I do is follow your directions word for word. Keep up the great work.
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Great Stuff, please keep sharing such recipes for us.
Just did a smaller brisket yesterday. Excellent results. Thanks Malcom.
So far so good long cook. I usually do a quicker smoke but since it was Xmas dinner why not. This looks like it’s going to be real tender.
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MR – thanx for the brisket insights. Been experimenting with my pellet grill and just wasn’t satisfied. I had decided to try the fat side down on my pellet grill before I saw your post and you confirmed my decision. Unquestionably for me, this is the answer since the heat source is so close, directly below the meat. I had not done the overnight cook, but like that very much. Did the wrap with butcher paper at 155 degrees. Took about 12 .5 hours for a 12 lb. Brisket before trimming. However, what I was disappointed in was the resting inside the dry cooler. I left my meat in there for about 2.5 hours. When I opened it up there was so much condensation the paper was engulfed and swimming in moisture, juices and oil, along with an accumulation of juices in the bottom of the cooler. The meat was wet and consequently the bark was, too. I feel like I did something wrong. Your thoughts.
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I have an 18lb brisket and doing my first overnight cook? Should I probe my brisket or just let it smoke at 195 for 8 hrs. I believe my grill I’m my smoker is hotter then what the temp actually says. Thank you for all your videos. I wasn’t much into cooking at all, now it’s an every weekend occasion thanks to you.
Right on with this recipe! I often smoke briskets on a pellet smoker and get tons of delicious flavor. Love that you kept the recipe simple, simple can make some of the best food.
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Malcom, I’m looking forward to trying this method. However, my low temperature options on my Traeger are either 180 or 225. Can I smoke “phase 1” at 180 instead of 195 and then bump up to 250 once the meat temperature reaches 150-160 internally or should I use the 225 setting (which seems too high to me)?Thank you in advance