There are plenty of reasons why you should make a brisket for your next barbecue. Not only is it a delicious cut of meat, but it’s also straightforward to prepare. In this article, we walk you through the steps on how to make the best electric smoker brisket recipe. All you need for these recipes can be found at a grocery store. If this is your first time using your electric smoker don’t stress all you need is a 10lb beef brisket whole, some BBQ rub, and an electric smoker.
There are many different ways to make smoked beef brisket, but these recipes are the best. They are simple and straightforward, and it produces a delicious perfect brisket. If you’re looking for an easy way to get the best results that everyone will love, then this post is for you!
Recipe 1:
*The cooking process to make the best brisket may take at least two days between marinating and cooking time.
Ingredients
For The Brisket
- 10 lb brisket
For The Brisket Dry Rub
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 Tablespoon seasoning salt or kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Place the brisket in a large glass dish.
- Combine all the rub ingredients in a small bowl.
- Cover the brisket with the spice rub ensuring you firmly press the rub into the brisket. Pro Tip: You want to ensure you are pressing the rub into the meat with a little bit of force so the rub can start to seep into the meat. Cover the Pyrex dish with either aluminum foil or plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. This first step is the best way to ensure you make a flavorful brisket.
- Soak the wood chips for at least 1 hour before smoking. Wrap the wood chunks in aluminum foil. Once the wood chunks are wrapped, place them in the tray in the smoker. Expert Tip: My personal preference is to use Apple wood chips – they add great flavor!
- Prepare the water tray by wrapping it with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Expert Tip: Drop in about 2-3 Tablespoons of liquid smoke into the water pan for an added smoky flavor.
- Prepare the smoker and preheat it to 225°F. Once preheated, put the brisket on the smoker racks, placing it fat side down.
- Insert an electric meat thermometer in the side of the thickest part of the center of the meat and close the smoker.
- Let it smoke low and slow, never letting the internal smoker temperature get above 250°F.
- When you get to the point where your meat has about 2 to 3 hours left to smoke (it should be somewhere around 165°F) what you want to do is pull the brisket out of the smoker and double-wrap it with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- This will help maintain the internal heat and help get past the stall. Wrap it tight. The tighter the better.
- Insert the meat thermometer or temperature probe back into the brisket, place it back in the smoker, and continue to let it smoke until your meat reaches an internal temperature of 185°F.
- From there, remove the meat from the smoker leaving it wrapped in aluminum foil.
- Take the meat still wrapped in aluminum foil and wrap it again in a large beach towel. Place the wrapped brisket in a large empty cooler, close the lid, and let it rest for 2 hours. This process really helps make the brisket juicy and tender.
- After the 2 hours have passed, you are ready to cut into your juicy brisket. Ensure you slice against the grain, so the connective tissue keeps the cut together, then serve.
*Note: you could cook this recipe with a pellet smoker or charcoal smoker but the instructions will vary.
Recipe 2:
If you are looking for a faster cook time recipe that doesn’t require making a rub – try the recipe below instead!
Ingredients
- 10lb beef brisket whole
- store-bought BBQ rub
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry the brisket.
- Trim the fat cap, leaving about 1/4-inch of fat. Trim away any other excess fat on the brisket. Remove the silver skin from the underside of the meat.
- To start the smoking process – soak the wood chunks for at least 1 hour before smoking, then wrap them in aluminum foil. Place them in the smoker tray and preheat your smoker to 225°F.
- While your smoke heats up, apply the trimmed brisket with BBQ rub. Apply liberally and rub across all sides of the meat.
- Transfer the entire brisket to the smoker. Apply meat probe to meat. Aim for the thickest part of the brisket.
- Smoke at 225°F until the internal temperature of the brisket reaches 160°F. Usually 6-8 hours.
- Carefully remove the brisket from the smoker and wrap it in foil tightly. Transfer back to smoker.
- Allow to smoker until internal temperature reaches 190°F, usually a further 2 hours.
- Remove the brisket from the smoker and transfer to a cutting board. As a general rule of thumb leave the foil on and allow it to rest for at least 20-30 minutes.
- Slice brisket against the grain into slices 1/4-inch thick. Serve up and enjoy.
Hopefully, this is the perfect smoked brisket recipe for your next BBQ. If you have any tips on how you make your own brisket leave it in the comments below!
