Texas smoked brisket
Central Texas salt-and-pepper brisket, low and slow
In the barbecue towns of central Texas, Lockhart, Luling and Taylor, brisket is smoked over post oak for half a day with nothing on it but coarse salt and black pepper, then sliced on butcher paper and sold by the pound with white bread, pickles and onion. The fatty point and the leaner flat both turn meltingly tender under a black, peppery bark. Chef's tip: cook to feel, not just time: it is ready when a probe slides into the thickest part like going into soft butter, usually around 95 °C inside.
- Total time
- 750 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix the 4 tbsp coarse salt and 4 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper and rub all over the 11 lb whole beef brisket, point and flat. Leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight, or at least 1 hour.
60 minStep 2: Light a smoker or a covered barbecue set up for indirect heat and bring it to 250°F, adding a few 6 oak or hickory wood chunks chunks for clean, blue smoke.
30 minStep 3: Put the brisket on the grate fat-side up, the thick end toward the heat, close the lid and smoke for 6–8 hours, keeping the temperature at 110–250°F, until the bark is dark and set and the inside reads about 167°F.
420 minStep 4: Wrap tightly in 1 roll butcher paper or foil and cook on for 3–4 hours more, until a probe slides in with no resistance at around 203°F. A common mistake is pulling it out by the clock; an undercooked brisket is tough however long it rested.
210 minStep 5: Rest, still wrapped, in a cool box or a low oven for at least 1 hour.
60 minStep 6: Slice the flat across the grain into pencil-thick slices and cut the point into thicker slices or chunks. Serve with 12 slices white sliced bread and 7 oz dill pickles and sliced onion.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 0 g
- Fat
- 38 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does texas smoked brisket take?
- About 750 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 720 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of coarsely ground black pepper?
- Black peppercorns, freshly ground, same amount.
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