Central Texas Brisket
This classic Central Texas brisket relies on a simple salt-and-black-pepper rub, clean post oak smoke, and patient low-and-slow cooking to create a deeply seasoned bark and tender, juicy slices.…
Ingredients
- 1 12- to 14-pound brisket Whole packer brisket
- 1/4 cup Coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 cup Coarsely ground black pepper
- 6 to 8 chunks or split logs Post oak wood
- 1 panful, for the smoker Water
- 1 large sheet Unwaxed butcher paper
Instructions
- Trim the brisket while it is cold. Remove the hard, waxy fat from the underside, trim the fat cap to about 1/4 inch, and remove thin flaps of meat and any silver skin. Round off sharp edges so they do not burn.
- Combine the kosher salt and coarse black pepper. Season the brisket generously on every surface, pressing the seasoning onto the meat. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes while the smoker heats.
- Prepare a smoker for indirect cooking at 225 to 250°F (107 to 121°C), using clean-burning post oak and a water pan if your smoker tends to run dry. Wait until the smoke is thin and light rather than dense and white.
- Place the brisket in the smoker with the fat side facing the heat source, which is usually fat side down on an offset smoker. Insert a probe into the thickest part of the flat, close the smoker, and cook until the bark is dark mahogany and the internal temperature reaches about 165 to 175°F (74 to 79°C), usually 6 to 8 hours.
- Wrap the brisket tightly in unwaxed butcher paper, returning it to the smoker seam side down. Continue cooking at 225 to 250°F until the thickest part of the flat reaches 200 to 205°F (93 to 96°C) and a probe slides into the meat with very little resistance. This generally takes another 4 to 6 hours, but tenderness is more important than the exact temperature.
- Transfer the wrapped brisket to an empty cooler or a warm oven turned off. Rest for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours, keeping it wrapped, so the juices redistribute and the meat finishes tenderizing.
- Unwrap the brisket and separate the point from the flat if desired. Slice the flat across the grain into 1/4-inch slices and cut the fattier point into thicker slices or cubes. Serve immediately with white bread, dill pickles, sliced onions, and barbecue sauce on the side.
Watch the Central Texas Brisket cooking video
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