Smokey, fall apart, melt in your mouth, so delicious smoked beef brisket. It could very easily be the best part of the weekend. Time to try this Traeger Brisket recipe.
One of my favorite parts is the thick tasty bark that develops on a brisket from the long smoke. It adds flavor but also helps keep all those lovely juices inside to cook and break down the brisket. Low and slow is the name of the game here.
Using my Traeger Grill to not only hold a constant temperature but also monitor the brisket's internal temperature makes this pretty easy. Instead of constantly monitoring the grill, I set this Traeger brisket and listened for the temperature alarms while I accomplished some other stuff.
Recipe
Traeger Brisket
Equipment
- Traeger Grill or other smoker
Ingredients
- ¼ cup salt
- ¼ cup ground black pepper
- ¼ cup garlic powder
- 13 lb whole beef brisket
Instructions
- Trim excess fat from the brisket. Be sure to locate the ridge of fat between the point and the flat. The fat cap side should be cut down to only have ¼" of fat on that side.
- Season the meat with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Once seasoned, let the brisket rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
- Preheat your smoker or pellet grill to 225°F. Once it is preheated, place the brisket on with the fat side up. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 170°F.
- Once the brisket reaches 170°F, wrap it in butcher paper and place it back in the smoker at 225°F. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 202°F.
- Once the brisket reaches 202°F. Remove from grill. Let it rest for at least 2 hours. I recommend wrapping it in a towel and placing it in a cooler while it rests.
- After the brisket has finished resting, slice and serve. Be sure to slice the brisket against the grain. The flat and the point have a different direction of grain by about 90 degrees.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published on August 27, 2021. Revised and Republished on April 10, 2024.
Spencer Lindquist says
I’ve never smoked a brisket before this. Followed the recipe to the letter. I have never had better brisket, ever. Flavorful, juicy, fall apart amazing. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Alvin Schroeder says
I have got to cook the brisket a day ahead of time and transport it. How would I reheat It and keep it moist?
Taryn Scarfone says
For transporting and reheating, I would not slice it ahead of time. Keeping the brisket whole is the biggest thing that helps it stay juicy. So, smoke it and then put the whole thing in the fridge still wrapped. It is also best to reheat it low and slow. Reheat in the oven at 250°F for about 4-5 hours for a whole brisket. Keep it wrapped in butcher paper, then wrap again tightly in foil. I also recommend adding a little moisture before sealing, like 1/2 cup beef broth. Pour it around the brisket, not on the bark.
After reheating, keep the brisket wrapped and place it in a cooler lined with towels for transport. It will stay hot for several hours this way. Slice it right before serving for the juiciest results. Save any juices from the wrapping and pour them over the sliced brisket before serving.
Asia says
So in your recipe, you don’t mention anything about spritzing the brisket with apple cider vinegar, though I’ve read that in some of the comments when people ask. Do you spritz or not because I want to follow your exact recipe ☺️
Taryn Scarfone says
We do spritz about half of the time we make this. I haven't noticed a big difference in doing it or not. If you want to just fill a spray bottle with apple cider vinegar and spray the brisket every 45 minutes until you wrap it.
Asia says
Thank you for your response! Making this on Sunday and I’m very excited
Mark Avery Jennings says
So excited to try this!! Making it for a Christmas party. Do you use a sauce at all - I saw some folks add a sauce at the very end, or have it for dipping
Dan says
Followed this recipe for the most part. It turned out awesome!! I did leave the BBQ butcher paper on it while it sat in the ice chest. I will definitely follow this recipe again!! Thank you
Cindy says
Not sure if you are still following this thread, but I have a question regarding resting the meat. Do you leave the butcher paper on the meat when wrapping in a towel and placing it in a cooler?
Taryn says
Yes, you leave it wrapped.
Lisa says
Hi Paul & Taryn
I hope you’re still responding to this post!
I have a 13 lb brisket that I cut directly down the middle to make two smaller ones. The flat part and then the thick part. Now more people are coming and I need to do both. Should have expected that!! Question… how do I manage the timing of the two separate pieces? Put the thick one on first or wrap them back together? Advice?
Thanks!
Taryn says
Hi Lisa, that is a great question. We would keep them separate. You could put the thicker piece (the point) on an hour earlier than the flat. The key is pulling it off when it is done. Then it can rest in a cooler for a couple hours.
Cindy says
Do you leave the butcher paper on the brisket when you wrap it in a towel to let it rest in a cooler?
Taryn says
Yes
Rdawg says
I prefer taking it off. The towel really holds in the juices
John says
Ya. An old sock works great as well. You have to leave the butcher paper on!!
CCS says
How often do I you spritz? Apple cider vinegar? Thanks!
Taryn Scarfone says
I will give it a quick spritz every 45 minutes or so. You don't want to open the smoker more than that.
Mark Avery Jennings says
Hi - what do you spritz it with? Also I see lots of recipies ask for a 12-24hour in the fridge before going on the Traeger, do you recommend that?
Taryn Scarfone says
Apple cider vinegar works well. Sometimes our brisket will go in the fridge prepped and sometimes we skip that step. We do it more for timing. If it needs to get put on the smoker at 5am it is easier to prep the night before. We haven't noticed a difference in the final product.
Carla Fiorella says
New to smoking meat. We have white butcher paper with one side that has a shiny coating. Do we use this? If so, do we wrap the shiny side in or out? In other words should the shiny side touch the meat?
Paul & Taryn says
Some white butcher paper can have a wax coating which will not work with smoking. It is possible that the paper that you have is food safe for wrapping and preserving food but not for cooking. However, if it has a wax coating the wax will melt onto your food from the heat of the smoker.
Dave says
When allowing the brisket to rest in the cooler do you put ice in the cooler?
Paul & Taryn says
No, you are using the cooler to insulate the brisket and keep it hot. Not to cool it down.
Ron says
Oh my goodness.
Wayne says
I have two small briskets - trimmed and about 1.5 to 2 inches thick. One weighs about 2 lbs and the other is almost 3 lbs. I would like to follow this recipe but am wondering how long each step will take to acheive those temperatures. It’s about 1 degree F here
Paul & Taryn says
It's impossible to know exactly. My guess is 2-3 hours to reach 160 and then another 1-2 hours to reach 202. I'm basing these times off of recipes we have for smaller cuts of beef, such as chuck roast.
Tiffany says
I am a Texan whose Grandfather used to smoke briskets to perfection on a caveman smoker, and I have ruined more briskets than I can count in my fancy pants Bradley electric smoker. This is the first one that has ever turned out perfectly - we used mesquite pucks and followed your directions exactly, and it tasted just like my Grandpa's! Thank you SO much!!
Larry Anderson says
can you use aluminum foil instead of butcher wrap?
Paul & Taryn says
You can but butcher paper works better. Foil will cook faster. The butcher paper is porous and stills allow smoke to permeate the paper.
Timothy says
Do you have any idea how long it takes to get to 170? I’d like to throw it on around midnight and get some sleep but don’t want it to get too warm as I sleep.
Paul & Taryn says
It takes 7 to 9 hours to reach that temperature.
Chelsea says
I am making a 20lb brisket for a big family get together. Any idea how this size would effect my cook time or how long it will take from start to finish?
Paul says
That's a great question, Chelsea. And that is a big brisket! First, a question for you. Is that 20lbs after trimming? You want to trim down that fat cap. If you haven't trimmed it down yet, you might drop it by 3 to 5 lbs. It might be closer to 15 lbs that you smoke. It will take about an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes per pound to smoke the brisket at 225 degrees F. Remember to give yourself plenty of time. You can rest it in a cooler after it finishes smoking for up to four hours and you will be fine. A long rest is better than wishing you had more time.
tadas says
I'm planning on smoking an 8 to 10 pound brisket next weekend for a family gathering of 8. You say to smoke the meat for 7 to 10 hours before wrapping, but I didn't see any mention of how long it should take to get to the 202 degree point afterwards. What should I expect?
Thanks!
Paul says
Great question. In my recipe, I was smoking a 13 lb brisket that I trimmed about 2 lbs of fat off. At 225F, it will take about 75 minutes per lb(give or take an hour or so). There are several factors that go into the time, which is why monitoring the internal temperature is important. When you wrap the brisket, it makes it easier for the meat to heat up and cook. It will typically take about 2 to 3 hours to go from 170F to 202F once the brisket is wrapped. It can take longer, it can be shorter depending on the size and shape of the meat. Patience is the key. The beauty of brisket is that you can finish early and keep it in a cooler for several hours before serving it. So if you plan to serve it at 4 pm. Shoot to have it finish at 1:30 or so. If it cooks faster and finishes at noon, stick it in the cooler. It will stay hot and in a safe temperature zone until 4 pm. If it takes a little longer and you finish at 3 pm. Perfect, let it rest for an hour before serving. The key is your final internal temp. I hope that helps. Good luck with the smoke!
Elizabeth says
I am cooking for an event 24 hrs later? Can follow the above recipe and wrap for 4hrs and refrigerate? Slice and reheat? If so- reheat and then slice? Suggestions? I have made this recipe several times but rarely have leftovers. Wondering if possible?
Paul & Taryn says
We rarely have leftovers either. I think you can wrap for 4 hours and then refrigerate it. I would reheat and then slice the brisket so it doesn't lose moisture.
David says
Hi, where should I stick the thermometer for the most accurate temp? Noob question I know…
Thanks for this recipe!
Taryn says
As close to the center as you can get. Make sure the tip of the probe is in the middle and doesn't go through to an edge.
Splef says
Which part of the brisket do you put the temp probe in? The thickest part? Thanks!
Paul says
Yes. I will leave the temperature probe in the thickest part as it smokes. When I think it is done, I will check a few places to make sure it has cooked evenly. Some thermometers have multiple probes so you can monitor the whole brisket while it smokes.
Rayma says
Has anyone ever smoked their brisket ahead of time and froze it? Then reheated for a family get together.
Paul & Taryn says
Yes, we do this all the time!
Mark says
Do you use a binder? Thanks.
Taryn says
This time we did not. We use yellow mustard a lot.
Alfonso Juarez III says
What type of thermometer would you recommend for asserting the core t internal temperature alarm. I have a silverton and it has a hard wired thermometer.
Paul says
I primarily use the Traeger meat probe. I also use a wired one with two probes if I want to measure a few different spots while it cooks. ThermoPro TP-17 Dual Probe Digital Cooking Meat Thermometer, I bought it on Amazon. You can set both probes for different temperatures. The built-in alarm is loud and I am able to hear it with no problem. I mostly use it on a big piece of meat, or when I am smoking multiple items. It also works well for a quick instant-read if I want to check the internal temp on something.
tim says
loved it
Joshua says
I love how simple this was to do. So juicy and tender. Everyone loved it. Thank you!
Jo Anne T. says
I also have a Traeger grill, and you are right, they are the best! Mine has been used mainly for smoked turkey at Thanksgiving and brisket and ribs the other months of the year, but since I learned the trick about wrapping in the pink butcher paper, I will be smoking more briskets! Currently have ribs thawing for later today, and will use the butcher paper wrap on these also! Love Traeger!
Brandy says
We made this for one of our summer cook outs and it was perfection! Everyone loved it!
Allison says
So delicious and tender! Loved it!