Central Texas
Smoked Brisket

Place the brisket fat-side up on a cutting board. Trim the hard fat cap down to exactly ¼ inch — this is the golden rule. Remove any hard, waxy fat that won't render during the cook. Flip the brisket and trim any silver skin or loose meat from the flat. Shape the brisket so it's aerodynamic — round edges help smoke flow evenly.

Coat the entire brisket with a thin layer of yellow mustard or olive oil as a binder. Mix the coarse black pepper and kosher salt in a 2:1 ratio — this is the classic Texas Dalmatian rub. Apply generously to every surface, pressing firmly. The fat cap gets a heavier coat since some will fall off during the cook.

Preheat your smoker to 250–275°F (121–135°C). For wood, use post oak for the authentic Central Texas flavor — it's the gold standard. Hickory adds bold smoke, pecan gives a milder, nuttier profile. Wait for clean, thin blue smoke before adding the brisket. White billowing smoke will make your brisket bitter.

Place the brisket fat-side DOWN on the smoker grate (this protects the flat from the direct heat below). Smoke at 250–275°F without opening the smoker for the first 3 hours. After that, spritz every 90 minutes with the beef broth mixture to keep the surface moist and build bark. The brisket will develop a deep mahogany color.

Around 150–165°F, the brisket will hit 'the stall' — the internal temperature stops rising and may even drop slightly. This can last 2–4 hours and is caused by evaporative cooling as moisture escapes the meat. This is completely normal and is actually when the bark is forming. Do not panic and do not crank up the heat.

Once the brisket reaches 165°F and has a deep, dark bark that doesn't smear when you touch it, wrap it tightly in two layers of pink butcher paper. Return to the smoker. Butcher paper allows the brisket to breathe slightly, preserving bark texture while pushing through the stall. Continue cooking until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the flat reaches 195–205°F.

Temperature is a guide, not the rule. The real test is the probe test: insert a thermometer probe or metal skewer into the thickest part of the flat. When it slides in with zero resistance — like pushing into softened butter — the brisket is done. Check multiple spots. The point (fattier end) will always be done before the flat.

Remove the brisket from the smoker, still wrapped, and place it in a dry cooler lined with towels. Let it rest for a MINIMUM of 2 hours — 4 hours is ideal. This is not optional. The rest allows the collagen to fully set into gelatin and the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. A rushed brisket is a dry brisket.

Unwrap the brisket over a large cutting board to catch all the juices. Separate the flat from the point by cutting through the fat seam between them. Slice the flat against the grain into ¼-inch pencil-thick slices. The point can be cubed into burnt ends or sliced against its own grain (which runs perpendicular to the flat). Each slice should hold together but pull apart with a gentle tug.