A simple and mouthwatering recipe for Smoked Beef Brisket to make in a Big Green Egg or your preferred type of smoker. As for flavor, you can use our recommended rub blend, or your favorite store-bought or homemade barbecue rub. This is the best brisket recipe and always gets rave reviews!
This is my husband's technique for preparing a brisket for smoking in our Big Green Egg, and it's truly slow-smoked brisket heaven on a BBQ platter. So, of course, I had to share the deets! Smoking brisket takes patience and perseverance, but once that first succulent slice of tender brisket falls apart in your mouth, the extra effort is all worth it. This recipe requires patience, but it's easy enough for first-time smoker newbies. Our favorite way to use leftovers is to make this easy recipe for Slow Cooker Brisket Chili!
As for the rub, I use homemade burger seasoning. If it's delicious on burgers, it's delicious on barbecue! We typically have the dry spices and seasonings in the pantry, and it's always nice when recipes come together without having to buy a bunch of obscure ingredients.
Do you have a favorite recipe for making a smoking beef brisket in the Big Green Egg? Please share your top pick in the comments below!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- A fool-proof method for making the best smoked brisket (ideally in the Big Green Egg Smoker!)
- You get perfect juicy brisket with great bark every time, so there is no need to fear wasting time and money on an expensive cut of meat.
- Smoked brisket is perfect for making a lot of meat at once and repurposing the leftovers in different dishes all week.
- As for flavors, the options are endless.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Beef brisket - A whole brisket consists of the point and flat. The point has more soft, fatty pieces while the flat is leaner. Look for a quality cut with consistent marbelization throughout. Your local butcher can assist you in getting the best cuts of beef.
- Yellow mustard - For rich, warming flavor and to help form the bark on the surface of the meat as it smokes.
- Dry barbecue rub - I love this homemade burger seasoning, but you can use any dry rub here. Make sure that it contains a few rub essentials: black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and brown sugar. See below for how to make coffee rub for brisket.
- Coffee - strong and freshly brewed, helps keep the brisket extra juicy and flavorful.
- Beef broth - Helps lock in the moisture as the beef rests.
How To Make Smoked Beef Brisket
Step 1: Prepare brisket for smoking. Trim away large pieces of excess fat, leaving a thin cap of fat on the top. Remove the fat kernel. Pour seasoning into a small bowl and with gloved hands, coat the brisket with yellow mustard, then rub the entire brisket generously with your choice of dry spices and seasonings.
Step 2: Prepare smoker. Add wood to your smoker or big green egg (I used one hickory chunk and two pecan chunks) and heat to 230F.
Step 3: Smoke uncovered. Then, place brisket with the fat side facing up in the smoker. Insert the temperature probe and smoke until the internal temperature of the beef reaches 165 degrees f.
Step 4: Smoke covered. Then transfer the meat to a disposable broiler pan filled with coffee, cover, and return to the smoker until the internal temperature reaches 190F.
Step 5: Wrap in foil and rest. Then wrap the meat in a water-tight aluminum foil pouch.
Before closing the pocket, pour hot beef broth over the top, secure the pouch and place the wrapped brisket in a cooler to rest for 2-3 hours. We like to use one of these small styrofoam coolers.
Step 6: Finally, remove the brisket and place it on a large cutting board. Slice it against the grain into juicy, fall-apart beef strips.
How To Make The Best Coffee Rub Brisket
Rubbing beef brisket with coffee grounds adds subtle flavor and doubles as a fantastic meat tenderizer. The acids tenderize the proteins without overpowering the meat with coffee flavor. It also helps create a beautiful blackened crust on the meat.
Making the best coffee rub for brisket is as simple as combining 1 to 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds with your favorite dry barbecue rub.
Recipe Tips
- It's important to trim the fat but for best results leave some to naturally moisten the meat as it cooks in the smoker.
- Wood chunks make a difference in flavor. Oak, mesquite, hickory, and pecan wood chips are great options.
- Pro Tip: The key to achieving perfect smoked brisket is using a programmable meat thermometer to track the internal temperature of the brisket. We love and use the Inkbird thermometer for grilling and smoking meat. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the brisket while cooking.
- Let the brisket rest undisturbed, so the flavors and juices have plenty of time to redistribute in the meat.
Serving & Repurposing Beef Brisket
Again, don't forget to try this awesome brisket chili with leftover meat!
We also like serving brisket slathered in homemade barbecue sauce with a side of flavorful Southern Vinegar Slaw. It's also great with garlic roasted potatoes and slow cooker mashed potatoes.
See below for more delicious ways to repurpose leftover beef brisket.
- Shredded beef salad
- Beef tacos
- Beef nachos
- Steak and cheese sandwiches
- Beef quesadillas
- Grilled cheese sandwiches
- Omelets
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Slow-smoked brisket is best wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for 3-4 days.
Freezing: Let cool, then wrap portions of brisket tightly in a couple of layers of plastic wrap, and keep frozen for 2-3 months—Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating smoked brisket: Preheat your oven to 325°F. Meanwhile, pull the leftover brisket from the fridge and set it out at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Then wrap it securely in foil, and reheat for at least 30 minutes or until the meat is warmed through.
Recipe FAQ
The precise time it takes to smoke beef brisket in a big green egg smoker will vary, but as a rule of thumb, the brisket should be smoked for at least 1 hour and 15 minutes per pound.
It helps! Wrapping brisket in foil speeds up the cooking process and helps prevent "the stall." This is when moisture at the surface of the meat interferes with the cooking process.
195°F is the precise temperature for moist, melt-in-your-mouth meat. The internal temperature will continue to rise while the meat rests, so ideally, remove the brisket from the smoker at 185°F. Even slightly overcoming brisket can result in dry, chewy meat.
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*This post was originally published in June 2016. It has been updated to improve the reader experience. This delicious beef recipe remains the same. 🙂
Smoked Beef Brisket on A Big Green Egg
Ingredients
- One whole beef brisket point and flat (anywhere from 8-12 lbs)
- ¼ cup yellow mustard
- barbecue rub I used this homemade burger seasoning with great results
- 1 cup strong freshly brewed, coffee
- 1 cup beef broth heated
- blend of hickory and pecan wood
Instructions
- Trim brisket until about ⅛” of fat remains on top.
- Ensure the entire fat kernel is removed from the interior of the brisket. It will not ever, ever render out.
- Cover the entire brisket in yellow mustard.
- Rub with your favorite rub recipe
- Prepare your smoker to 230*F and add wood. I used one chunk of hickory and two chunks of pecan
- Place brisket, fat side up, in the smoker and insert temp probe.
- Once meat reaches 165*F, get a disposable broiling pan and fill with one cup of strong coffee, place brisket in pan with coffee and cover tightly, then Cook until 190*F.
- Construct a pouch out of aluminum foil.
- The bottom of it needs to be water tight.
- Remove brisket at 190*F and transfer to aluminum foil.
- Add one cup of hot beef broth to the foil pouch with the brisket and place in a cooler to rest for 2-3 hours.
- Remove brisket and slice against the grain.
Notes
- It's important to trim the fat but for best results leave some to naturally moisten the meat as it cooks in the smoker.
- Wood chunks make a difference in flavor. Oak, mesquite, hickory, and pecan wood chips are great options.
- Pro Tip: The key to achieving perfect smoked brisket is using a programmable meat thermometer to track the internal temperature of the brisket. We love and use the Inkbird thermometer for grilling and smoking meat. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the brisket while cooking.
- Let the brisket rest undisturbed, so the flavors and juices have plenty of time to redistribute in the meat.
Nutrition
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Biz
I have yet to jump on the Green Egg bandwagon because of the money, but it's on my list of things I'd love to get one day! That looks delicious - love the resting in the cooler - great idea!
Amee Livingston
We bought our egg from a neighbor for a steal and it's been an awesome purchase! Thank you Biz! 🙂
Jett Whitfield
Yum! My husband got a smoker for his birthday and we did a brisket last weekend. Yours look amazing! Hope you are feeling good! =)
Jeanette (randomwriggley on Instagram)
Amee Livingston
Thank you Jeanette! Yes, I'm feeling great, thank you for asking. Isn't brisket heavenly?!! My husband is having a blast with this green egg. 🙂
Erin
Holy moly, Amee! This. looks. amazing! And that slaw.....this is heavenly!
Amee Livingston
Thank you Erin!
Deloris
Smoking a brisket is a lot of work, but well worth it. And honestly, I don’t know why people are afraid to try it… I find the process just as easy as a pork butt (with only a few extra steps).
Stacie
Very interesting recipe! I have never glazed brisket, but will absolutely try. I am also intrigued by your 190 interenal temp, as I’ve found I need 195-200 to get that perfect tenderness in brisket. I’ll try this soon and keep you posted on my results – Thanks Amee
Shannon
Beef looks very nice, what type of smoker are you using? I always use electric smoker to smoke, but yours seems better.
Frederick W McGraw Jr.
Couldn't have smoked a better Brisket. I do give 1 more hour unwrapped at 180 degrees to finish.
Amee Livingston
Thank you for the feedback and tip! I'm glad that you enjoyed it!