Creative Bbq Brisket Recipes For Your Next Cookout

BBQ brisket is a delicious, tender, and juicy meal that can be cooked in a variety of ways. Whether you're using a grill, smoker, or oven, the key to a perfect brisket is slow cooking and low heat. This allows the tough connective tissues in the meat to break down, resulting in a tender and flavourful dish.

Before cooking, it's essential to trim the fat cap on the brisket to an even layer and apply a dry rub or marinade to enhance the flavour. Then, it's time to fire up your barbecue! Maintain a low, consistent temperature, and cook the brisket indirectly for several hours until it's fall-apart tender.

For an added smoky flavour, you can also try smoking your brisket using wood chips or chunks. Wrapping the meat in foil during the cooking process can help speed up the cooking time and ensure a juicy, tender result.

Once your brisket is cooked to perfection, don't forget to let it rest before slicing against the grain and serving with your favourite sides. Enjoy your mouthwatering BBQ brisket!

How to cook BBQ brisket

There are several ways to cook BBQ brisket, but the key to achieving tender, juicy meat is slow cooking. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to cook BBQ brisket:

Preparation:

First, you'll need to trim the fat on the fatty side of the brisket to about 5mm thick. On the meatier side, remove the membrane to expose the coarse-grained meat underneath. Get rid of any hard clumps of fat on both sides.

Seasoning:

Mix salt and pepper and rub the brisket evenly on both sides. You can also add other spices like onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, and chilli powder to your rub. Put the brisket in the fridge until you're ready to cook; at least 20 minutes, but you can leave it uncovered in the fridge for up to 24 hours to amp up the flavour.

Cooking Method:

The key to grilling BBQ brisket is setting up two heat zones. Start by searing the brisket over direct heat or a direct flame to caramelize the meat. Then, move it to a cool zone with the burners off, where the meat will slowly cook for a few more hours. This technique mimics the temperature environment of a cold smoker, resulting in super tender brisket meat.

Temperature and Timing:

For a 3-lb brisket, cook it fat-side down over direct heat for about 10 minutes on each side. Then, adjust the grill heat to 250º and move the brisket to the cool zone. After 2 hours, check the internal temperature of the meat. When it reaches 180º, transfer the brisket to a large piece of foil and place it back on the grill.

Continue cooking until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 200º, which should take about 45 minutes to 1 hour more.

Resting and Serving:

Once the brisket reaches the desired internal temperature, transfer it to a cutting board and tent it with aluminium foil. Let it rest for about 30 minutes before slicing. Slice the meat against the grain and serve with your favourite BBQ sauce.

Alternative Cooking Methods:

If you don't have a grill, you can also cook BBQ brisket in the oven or a slow cooker. For the oven, cook at 320F/160C for 5 hours. For the slow cooker, cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. You can also finish your brisket in the oven after slow cooking to get a gorgeous caramelization. Drizzle the brisket with oil and roast it in the oven at 200C/390F for about 15 minutes until brown spots appear. Remove, baste with sauce, and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes until caramelized.

Tips for the Perfect BBQ Brisket:

• Don't throw away any juices that collect in the foil—mix them into your BBQ sauce for extra flavour.
• If you have leftovers, don't cut up the extra meat. Refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 3 days and slice off servings as needed to keep it juicy.
• When ordering brisket from your butcher, ask for a neat-shaped whole piece, trimmed of any excess fat. A more uniform piece of meat will be easier to handle.
• Brisket is best served fresh off the smoker or grill, but if you must cook it ahead of time, wrap the cooked and rested brisket in foil and place it in an insulated cooler to rest for up to 4 hours.

Now you're ready to cook mouthwatering BBQ brisket!

What to serve with BBQ brisket

There are many side dishes that can be served with BBQ brisket. Here are some ideas:

• Coleslaw
• Potato salad
• Baked beans
• Macaroni salad
• Southern-style baked mac & cheese
• Broccoli salad
• Potato rolls
• Cornbread
• Creamy corn casserole
• Steamed corn
• Mashed potato
• German potato salad
• Sauerkraut
• Frijoles
• Texas toast
• Pickles

How to prepare BBQ brisket

Choosing and Preparing the Meat

Before you start cooking, you'll need to choose the right cut of meat and prepare it for cooking. Here are some tips:

• Choose a whole packer brisket if possible. Smaller cuts, like a hunk o' flat (HOF) or hunk o' point (HOP), tend to lose more moisture, shrink a lot, and become tough.
• Look for USDA Choice grade or higher. The amount of marbling (intramuscular fat) in the meat will impact how juicy and tender it is, so go for well-marbled brisket.
• Trim the fat cap to about 1/4 inch thick. You can also try to remove some of the fat layers between the two muscles in the brisket (the point and the flat) by slicing through them, but be careful not to cut all the way through.
• Remove any silverskin, a shiny, thin, tough membrane, from the meatier side of the brisket.
• Inject the brisket with beef broth to add moisture and enhance flavour. This is optional but can help keep the meat from drying out during the long cooking process.
• Apply a dry rub or seasoning to the brisket and let it sit for at least 20 minutes, or even up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. A simple mixture of salt and pepper works well, but you can also experiment with other spices like garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, and chilli powder.

Setting Up Your Cooker

Whether you're using a charcoal barbecue, a gas grill, or a smoker, there are a few key things to keep in mind:

• Maintain a consistent, low temperature. For barbecue, this might mean lighting only a portion of the coals or burners to create two heat zones: one for searing and the other for slow cooking. Aim for a temperature of around 225-250°F.
• Use a meat thermometer to monitor the temperature of your cooker and the internal temperature of the brisket. This will help you determine when the meat is done.
• If using a charcoal barbecue, add a handful of coal every half hour or so to maintain the heat.
• Soak wood chips in water and add them to the coals or smoker box to create smoke. For a charcoal barbecue, place them around the edges of the coals to avoid altering the temperature.

Cooking the Brisket

Now it's time to cook your brisket! Here's a step-by-step guide:

• Place the brisket on the cooker, fat-side down, over direct heat and sear until the spices are browned, about 10 minutes per side.
• Move the brisket to the cool zone of the grill or reduce the temperature to 225-250°F.
• Cook the brisket slowly until it reaches an internal temperature of 180-200°F. This can take several hours, depending on the size of your brisket.
• Wrap the brisket in foil when it hits the stall (when the internal temperature stops rising due to evaporation cooling). This will help it power through the stall and reduce cooking time.
• Continue cooking the wrapped brisket until it is tender and reaches an internal temperature of 195-205°F. This is when the brisket is considered "done", but you can also go by feel—the meat should jiggle like jelly when poked.
• Let the brisket rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to redistribute and results in juicier meat.

Serving

Finally, it's time to enjoy your delicious BBQ brisket! Here are some tips for serving:

• Slice the brisket against the grain to ensure tenderness.
• Serve with your favourite barbecue sauce, a simple mixture of ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and spices.
• Offer a variety of sides like coleslaw, potato salad, mac and cheese, and bread rolls.
• Enjoy your juicy, smoky BBQ brisket!

How to smoke your own BBQ brisket

Smoking your own BBQ brisket is an art that requires patience and precision. Here is a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to smoke your own BBQ brisket:

Select and Prepare Your Brisket:

Choose a brisket with good marbling for tenderness and flavour. Look for a firm texture and an even fat cap. You can trim the fat cap to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Remove any silver skin or excess fat from the meat.

Season Your Brisket:

You can use a simple mixture of salt and pepper, or try a barbecue rub with additional spices like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and chilli powder. Apply the rub liberally to the brisket and let it chill in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

Smoke Your Brisket:

Use a smoker or a grill set up for indirect cooking at a very low temperature, around 110-225°F. Place the brisket on the grill, fat side down, and smoke for several hours. The smoking time will depend on the weight of your brisket.

Wrap Your Brisket:

Wrapping the brisket in foil or butcher paper is crucial to achieving a juicy, tender texture and a dark caramelized bark. Wrap the brisket tightly and return it to the smoker until the internal temperature reaches around 200-205°F.

Rest Your Brisket:

Resting the brisket allows the juices to redistribute and results in a more tender and flavourful meat. Rest the brisket for at least 30 minutes, but preferably longer (up to 3 hours or more). You can also place the wrapped brisket in an insulated cooler to rest for an extended period.

Slice Your Brisket:

Slice the brisket against the grain for maximum tenderness. There are two overlapping muscles in a brisket, the flat and the point, with different grain directions. You can separate the two muscles and slice each against the grain, or slice the brisket as a whole, following the grain of the flat.

Smoking your own BBQ brisket is a time-consuming process, but the results will be well worth the effort!

How to get crispy BBQ brisket

Preparation

Before cooking, trim the fat cap of the brisket so there is just a thin, even layer remaining. A sharp knife is best for this. You can also remove any hard clumps of fat on either side of the brisket.

Dry Rub

Next, prepare a dry rub with a mix of spices. A typical combination might include onion powder, garlic powder, light brown sugar, mustard powder, chilli powder, and salt. You can also add paprika powder, cumin powder, and cayenne pepper. Mix your chosen spices and rub the mixture evenly over the entire surface of the meat.

Leave the dry-rubbed brisket uncovered for at least 20 minutes to infuse the meat. You can also refrigerate it for up to 24 hours for a more intense flavour.

Grilling

The key to grilling BBQ brisket is to set up two heat zones on the grill. Start by searing the brisket over a direct flame to caramelise the meat. Then, move the brisket to a cool zone with the burners turned off, and close the lid. This mimics the temperature environment of a cold smoker and is the key to achieving super tender meat.

Finishing

After a few hours, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. When the internal temperature reaches 180º, transfer the brisket to a large piece of foil and return it to the grill to finish cooking. The meat is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 200º.

Resting

Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and tent with aluminium foil. Let the meat rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Serving

Slice the brisket thinly, cutting against the grain. You can serve it with a BBQ sauce made from ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, and spices.

Tips

• Don't throw out any juices that collect in the foil—add them to your sauce for extra flavour.
• For leftovers, don't cut up the extra meat. Refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to three days, and slice off one or two servings at a time to keep it juicy.

Frequently asked questions