Beef Brisket has a reputation for being tricky – I’ve found it to be very straightforward and predictable with the correct recipe and cooking method. This can be held for 1-4 hours after cooking, so start on this early and you can then hold it until serving time. The recipe here is for cooking on a Pit Barrel Cooker, but can be adapted for other smokers.
The brisket ready for serving. Here, the chopped burnt ends are on the left and the slices are on the right.
Ingredients
Full Packer Brisket
Kosher Salt
1-2 whole sweet onions for caramelized onion topping.
Beef Rub
3 Tbsp coarse pepper.
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp mustard powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne powder
Beef Mop
1 cup coffee
1 cup beer
1 cup beef stock
½ cup ketchup or tomato paste
¼ cup cider vinegar
3 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2-3 Tbsp Molasses
1-2 Tbsp butter or beef fat
2-4 tsp hot sauce
Simmer together 20-30 minutes
Instructions
Trim the fat from the brisket, down to 1/4” – 1/8”. Remove any silver skin. Trim off any gray edge meat. Put a cut across the flat at the narrow end so that you can tell what way to cut against the grain. Put some slices diagonally across the fat to help the rub to penetrate.
Sprinkle with kosher salt (½ tsp per pound) and inject with at least a cup of beef broth (parallel to the grain). Wrap and then let sit overnight in the fridge.
Before cooking, rub with yellow mustard and apply most of the beef rub an hour before going on the cooker. Put 2 PBC hooks in the thicker part of the brisket (though the flat and the point) to just catch the bar. Reapply some rub to any thin spots.
Preheat the smoker for at least 30 minutes prior. Place the brisket in the smoker when it comes to the proper temp.
Once an hour, mop the brisket as it hangs in the cooker using a brush or BBQ mop. Mop it lightly, so as not to run too much off and reduce the heat of the coals.
Take the brisket to 150-165 degrees internal; this will take 3 to 5 hours.
Remove and wrap with foil, adding a ¼-½ cup of the mop. Place in a 250 degree oven or roaster and take the brisket to 200-205 degrees; 2-3 more hours.
When it hits the target temp, take the brisket still wrapped in foil, wrap it in a towel and place in a cooler to stand for at least an hour, and up to 4 hours.
Remove the brisket from the foil, being careful not to lose any of the juice.
Catch the juice and mix with remaining mop to make the au jus.
On a packer brisket, the point is on top of the flat on one end. Remove the point from the flat so you can slice them separately since the grain in one runs perpendicular to the grain in the other.
Remove 2″s from each end as these tend to get dry. These will be your burnt ends. Combine them with some of the au jus and/or BBQ sauce and heat them together.
Cut the remaining flat and point ¼“thick against the grain, and serve on buns. You can use au jus or a barbecue sauce on the meat.
Making Caramelized Onions:
Slice onion 1/8” thick
Preheat a large skillet on medium low, and add 1 Tbsp each of butter and peanut oil
Do no more than 2 large onions in a 12” pan at one time
Slowly cook the onions to brown them without burning them.
When the onions are done, deglaze the pan with just enough beer or wine while the onions are still in the pan. Mix the liquid, fon, and onions together.
