Cooking tender, flavoursome and juicy brisket doesn’t have to take lots of time and effort, especially when you use the Smoke to monitor your temps. The Smokin’ Elk showed us how easy it is to smoke two different brisket cuts to perfection using the hot and fast method.

Temperatures

Cook until the core temperature of the brisket reaches around 65-70°C. Once it has come up to temperature, wrap it in foil and leave it until the internal temperature is reading around 93°C. Once you’re happy, remove the brisket and wrap it tightly in some foil to rest for at least an hour.

Not all meat is equal and that is why we should all be cooking to temperature and not to time. The same principle applies to brisket, along with different methods for cooking different parts of the brisket to achieve the best results.

A brisket consists of two main muscles, generally known as the point and the flat. Together, they form a full packer brisket. If you are able to choose between the two, then I would always recommend the point end. It’s thicker, has more fat and is generally more forgiving than the flat.

Find yourself a good quality butcher that can provide you with a high welfare grass-fed brisket. I use Philip Warren Butchers for this exact reason. If you buy brisket from the supermarket, the chances are you will get a rolled piece of brisket flat. It’s harder to achieve good results with this, but it can still be done.

Let’s take a look at my foolproof method for each type. For both types, you’ll want to set your BBQ up for indirect cooking and set your temperature to around 150°C. Use some good seasoned wood chunks for the smoke.

Brisket point / full packer brisket

• Trim the point of any excess fat. Any hard fat that is on there can come off but leave a thin layer on top of the brisket. Season well with salt and pepper. Brisket can take a lot of seasoning so please don’t be shy with this.

• Once seasoned, put it in your BBQ / smoker and cook until the core temperature reaches around 65-70°C. Feel free to spritz it with water every hour.
• Once it has come up to temperature, wrap the brisket in foil and stick your Thermapen into the thickest part of the meat. Put it back in the smoker and leave it until the internal temperature reaches 93°C.
• Unwrap the brisket and use your Thermapen probe to test the meat in several places. You want the probe to be able to slide in and out with little to no resistance. If it still feels a little tough then wrap back up loosely and check again every 20 minutes until it’s tender throughout.
• Once you’re happy, remove the brisket, keep it tightly wrapped in the foil and let it rest for at least an hour but ideally longer. I like to wrap it in some old towels and put it in a cool box for 3 hours to rest. Don’t worry, it’ll still be nice and hot when you’re ready to eat. Once ready, slice across the grain and serve.

Rolled brisket flat

• Leave it rolled and season it all over. You can use plenty of salt and pepper or you can use a good beef rub, something that is going to help pack in additional flavour to this lean piece of brisket.
• Roughly chop three onions, two carrots and six cloves of garlic and add them to a pan large enough for the brisket. Sit the brisket on top of veggies then put it on your BBQ / Smoker until the core temperature reaches around 65-70°C, spritzing every hour.
• Once it has come up to temperature, add 1 litre of beef stock to the pan along with some more of the beef rub. Use some tin foil to tent the brisket then insert your Thermapen into the thickest part. Put it back in the smoker and leave it until the internal temperature is reading around 93°C.

• Unwrap the brisket and use your Thermapen probe to test the meat in several places. You want the probe to be able to slide in and out with little to no resistance. If it still feels a little tough then wrap back up loosely and check again every 20 minutes until it’s tender throughout.
• Once you’re happy, remove the brisket and wrap it tightly in some foil to rest for at least an hour. If resting for longer, wrap it in some old towels and put in a cool box where it’ll be fine for a good few hours. When you’re ready to eat, remove, slice and serve.
• It’ll have a different texture to the brisket using the method above and that is because of the braise. But it will have still taken on the smoke, it’ll be nice and tender and the flavour will be spot on! You can even make a gravy with pan juices that are left behind just to add some more flavour.

So that’s it, a very quick overview and run down of how I like to cook different briskets with as little effort and time as possible. There are so many different ways to cook brisket and everyone will have their own method so it’s all about just getting stuck in and seeing what works for you. And remember, even if it doesn’t go entirely to plan the first time, you can still make an amazing chilli out of it and learn from your mistakes on the next one. Before you know it, you’ll be smashing out juicy, tender and flavoursome brisket time and time again. Enjoy!

The Smokin' Elk

Fire Cooking Fanatic, BBQ School owner

@thesmokinelk

"I'm Elky, also known as The Smokin' Elk. I absolutely love cooking to fire and the Thermapen helps me up my game by cooking to the perfect temperature, every time. It's the one BBQ tool I wouldn't be without!"