Smoked Brisket

Total Time
Prep: 20 min. + chilling Grill: 8 hours + standing

Updated on May 16, 2024

This smoked brisket recipe is always a crowd favorite—it really melts in your mouth! —Jodi Abel, La Jolla, California

Editor’s Note: This is a fresh beef brisket, not corned beef.
Test Kitchen Approved

Smoked Brisket

Yield: 20 servings
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 8 hours

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 fresh beef brisket (7 to 8 pounds)
  • rub:
    • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
    • 2 tablespoons onion powder
    • 2 tablespoons chili powder
    • 1 tablespoon ground mustard
    • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
    • 1 tablespoon paprika
    • 1 tablespoon smoked sea salt
  • mop sauce:
    • 2 cups beef broth
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
    • 2 tablespoons hickory-flavored liquid smoke

Directions

  1. Brush olive oil over brisket. Combine rub ingredients; rub over both sides of beef. Place brisket on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine mop sauce ingredients. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate until ready to grill.
  2. Soak hickory and mesquite chips or pellets; add to smoker according to manufacturer's directions. Heat to 225°. Uncover brisket. Place brisket in smoker fat side up; smoke 2 hours. Brush generously with mop sauce; turn meat. Smoke 2 more hours; brush generously with mop sauce again. Wrap brisket securely in heavy-duty aluminum foil; smoke until a thermometer inserted in beef reads 190°, 4-5 hours longer.
  3. Let beef stand 20-30 minutes before slicing; cut diagonally across the grain into thin slices.
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