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–+ servings
Sliced smoked brisket with a charred, seasoned crust is arranged on brown butcher paper. The meat appears juicy with visible smoke ring and texture. Uncut pieces of brisket are visible in the background.

Pellet Grill Smoked Brisket (Texas-Style)

Texas-style smoked brisket on a pellet grill with a mayo binder, simple SPG rub, spritzed with beef broth, wrapped in butcher paper, and rested until perfect. The real deal.

Equipment

  • Pellet grill
  • butchers paper
  • Spray bottle for the spritz
  • disposable aluminum pan filled 3/4 of the way with water (used during the cook)

Ingredients 

  • beef brisket untrimmed weight should be about 15-20lbs
  • ¼ cup mayo
  • kosher salt
  • coarse ground black pepper
  • garlic powder

Beef broth spritz

  • beef broth I use Better Than Bouillon
  • apple cider vinegar

Instructions

  1. Set your pellet grill to 200℉. Turn on SuperSmoke if your grill has it. If it doesn't, that's ok. Add a disposable aluminum pan in the smoker and fill it with water (and keep it filled while cooking) to increase moisture in the chamber.
    2. Increasing the moisture in the cook chamber helps the smoke adhere to the meat better and give it more smokey flavor. Smoke likes moisture. More moisture = more smoke flavor. That doesn't mean a sopping-wet brisket absorbs more smoke. It's all about humidity. A humid environment encourages better smoke adhesion and a dry, arid environment discourages smoke adhesion.
  2. Prepare and trim the brisket. Follow my guide on how to trim a brisket for smoking if you need help learning how to do it.
    beef brisket
    3. Weigh the total of the meat that you trim off. This will help you know how much your trimmed brisket weighs so you know how long the cook will be. For example, if you have a 20lb brisket and you weigh your trimmings at 7lbs, you have a 13lb brisket.
  3. In a large plastic tub, place the trimmed brisket and apply the mayo binder evenly all over. I like to use a large plastic tub because it keeps the work area clean. You can use a cutting board if that's what you have.
    ¼ cup mayo
    A large piece of raw meat, ready to smoke, is coated with a layer of white spread—possibly butter or margarine—and sits in a gray rectangular roasting pan, perfect for those following a step-by-step guide to trim a brisket.
  4. Season the underside (the flat) with coarse ground black pepper only.
    coarse ground black pepper
  5. Flip the brisket fat-side up. Season with kosher salt, coarse ground black pepper, and a light dusting of granulated garlic powder.
    kosher salt, garlic powder, coarse ground black pepper
    A hand sprinkles a mixture of salt and pepper from a plastic container onto a large, raw piece of meat coated in a creamy substance in a baking dish—an essential step in any brisket guide before you smoke or trim brisket.
  6. Place the brisket fat-side down directly on the grates on the second shelf furthest away from the heat source with the point end closest to the heat source (flat furthest away from the heat source).
    Two large pieces of brisket for smoking cook on the upper rack of a smoker grill, with a disposable aluminum tray beneath them to catch drippings.
    7. Smoking on the second shelf on a pellet grill is critical. Pellet grills heat source comes from the bottom. The closer the meat to that heat source, the drier the meat will be. Often times, meats with long cook times will form a leathery, dry crust on the side of the meat closest to the heat source. If you don't have a second shelf, you must smoke with the fat-cap facing down to shield the meat from drying out.
  7. Close the smoker and smoke for about 5 hours, until the bark starts to form.
  8. Starting at the top of the 5th hour, spritz the top (up-facing) side with a 50/50 mix of beef broth and apple cider vinegar every 45–60 minutes, three times.
    Two large cuts of seasoned meat, perfect brisket for smoking, are on a grill rack above an aluminum tray filled with liquid. Smoke surrounds the meat inside the smoker. A meat thermometer probe is inserted into one piece.
  9. Lay out two big sheets of peach butcher paper in a cross. The cross shape helps prevent juices from escaping. Wrap the brisket and place it back on the smoker, fat-cap facing down.
    A large, darkly crusted smoked brisket rests on brown butcher paper, showing a well-cooked bark and visible meat juices—a testament to proper smoking techniques and how to trim a brisket for mouthwatering results.
  10. Increase the temperature to 250℉ and smoke until you can probe the meat and feel very little resistance (like a knife that goes into soft butter).
    11. The total cook time for a trimmed brisket is about 1-1.5 hours per pound of meat. So, if you have a 20lb brisket and you trim off 7lbs of mass, you have a 13lb brisket. A 13lb brisket will take at least 13 hours to cook.
  11. Remove it from the smoker. Do not unwrap it. Wrap it in several kitchen towels. place it in the empty ice chest and close the lid. Let the brisket rest at least 2 hours, up to 12 hours.
  12. To serve, slice against the grain. To learn how to slice a brisket, follow my guide on how to slice a brisket.

Nutrition

Serving: 226g | Calories: 793kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.03g | Protein: 102g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 307mg | Sodium: 418mg | Potassium: 1623mg | Sugar: 0.03g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 9mg
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