How to prepare beef brisket
Trim, season and set up your smoker the right way, and a whole brisket becomes the most rewarding cook of the year.
Brisket is two muscles joined by a thick seam of fat: the leaner flat and the richer point. A little preparation before it goes on the smoker makes the long cook far more forgiving.
Trim
Leave about 5 mm of fat on the fat cap and remove any hard fat or loose, thin edges that would dry out. Round off the corners so the brisket cooks evenly.
Season
A simple rub of coarse salt and coarse black pepper is the classic choice. Apply it evenly the night before or an hour before cooking, and keep the brisket in the fridge until the smoker is ready.
Smoke
Run your smoker at around 110–125°C with a mild hardwood. Cook fat side towards the main heat source, and wrap in butcher paper once the bark has set and the colour is where you want it.
Rest and slice
The brisket is ready when a probe slides in with little resistance, usually around 93–96°C internal. Rest it wrapped for at least an hour, then slice the flat across the grain about as thick as a pencil.