Texas Smoked Brisket
A whole packer brisket rubbed with coarse salt and pepper, smoked low and slow over oak or hickory, wrapped in butcher paper and rested until tender. Serves 12 to 16.
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Central Texas brisket is seasoned with nothing but coarse salt and black pepper and smoked for most of a day until it develops a dark, peppery bark and a pink smoke ring. It is a project, but a simple one: steady low heat and patience.
Wrapping in butcher paper partway through helps it push through the stall while keeping the bark crisp.
Ingredients
- 1 whole packer brisket, 12 to 14 pounds
- 1/4 cup coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 cup coarse ground black pepper
- Oak or hickory wood
- Pink butcher paper
Instructions
- Trim. Trim the hard fat and leave about 1/4 inch of fat on the fat cap. Mix the salt and pepper and season the brisket all over.
- Smoke. Heat a smoker to 250°F. Smoke the brisket fat side up until the bark is dark and the internal temperature reaches 165 to 170°F, 6 to 8 hours.
- Wrap. Wrap tightly in butcher paper and return to the smoker until it reaches about 200°F and a probe slides in like butter, 3 to 5 hours more.
- Rest. Rest wrapped in a dry cooler at least 1 hour, up to 4.
- Slice. Slice the flat across the grain into pencil-thick slices and the point a little thicker.
Tips
- Plan on about 1 to 1 1/2 hours per pound, and start early.
- Probe tenderness matters more than the exact temperature.
Questions about this recipe
- What is the stall?
- A long plateau around 160°F when evaporation cools the meat. Wrapping helps push through it.
- What wood is best for brisket?
- Post oak is classic in Texas; hickory and pecan also work.
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