Smoked Beef Brisket on the Traeger
Beef brisket smoked on the Traeger is a quintessential BBQ dish. We are particularly happy to serve brisket during the holidays, as it is a treat, goes a long way, and perfectly compliments (or replaces!) traditional turkey.
Equipment
- A smoker grill
- Pink butcher paper or foil
- A spray bottle
- A small sharp knife for trimming
- A large slicing knife
- Digital meat thermometer
- A cooler or tub to rest the brisket in (including towels, if necessary)
- Meat injection syringe (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 whole packer brisket (including point and flat) about 12-18 pounds
- 1+ cup salt and pepper-focused seasoning/rub
- ½ cup beef broth
- 2 cups beef broth or an injection mix optional
Instructions
- Begin by trimming your brisket. Leave about ¼ of an inch of fat on the back, and create a nice flat, even surface all over. Trim off parts that will likely cook too quickly and burn.
- OPTIONAL: if you are using just a flat or a brisket that is not prime grade, you may want to inject the meat throughout with 1-2 cups of beef broth or injection solution. This will help keep the meat moist and tender throughout the cook.
- Season brisket liberally with a salt and pepper-focused rub. You can make your own salt and pepper blend by combining equal parts 16 mesh pepper and kosher salt. Allow to sit, seasoned, at room temperature for 15-30 minutes.
- Preheat smoker to 225°.
- Place seasoned brisket in the center of the smoker and allow to cook for 4-5 hours.
- Check the brisket at 3 hours, and if it is looking dry, spritz liberally with beef broth.
- After 4-5 hours, check the internal temperature of the brisket. You want the bark to have developed and be nice and dark and the internal temperature to be between 160° and 170°.
- When the brisket reaches 160°-170°, remove meat from smoker and wrap tightly in pink butcher paper or aluminum foil.
- Return to grill and increase grill temperature to 275°.
- Continue cooking for another 5 hours, checking internal temperature hourly.
- Your brisket will be done when the internal temperature reaches between 200° and 204°. The best test is when the meat is "probe tender", where the probe of the thermometer slides easily into the meat. There should be no resistance when pushing in the probe, a bit like slicing through room temperature butter.
- The total cook time will vary by the piece of meat you cook. It could take between 8 and 16 hours to reach the finished temperature.
- Remove the meat from the grill, place (still wrapped) in a cooler and cover with a few towels. Allow to rest at least one hour. It should stay warm for about 6 hours.
- Cut into slices with a long slicing knife. Enjoy