1 brisket flat (we prefer around an ~7-8 pound flat for this recipe). Note that this recipe is the same for a whole brisket (point and flat), you will just need to extend the cooking time to around 14 hours. If you can’t find a brisket flat separated from the point, ask your butcher to separate them. Save the point for another cook - BURNT ENDS!
1 stick of butter or ~½ cup of bacon fat
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
2 cups beef broth
~ 3 cups apple juice
Equipment Needed
A grill or smoker that can maintain a constant temperature of 250 - 275 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 10 hours. We prefer Big Green Egg.
Aluminum pan that can fit into your grill or smoker
Remote thermometer. Ours has two temperature probes - this is great for this recipe because it allows you to monitor the temperature of the brisket and the temperature of the grill. You can spend any amount of money on them, but the link above is a great intro version.
Directions
Remove brisket from wrapping the night before you plan to cook.
Inject the brisket with the beef broth. Optional: we make a mixture of beef broth, fish sauce and lime juice for this, but straight beef broth works great. Really ensures that the brisket stays moist throughout the cooking process.
Cover the brisket liberally with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Let sit in the refrigerator overnight.
Get up early the next morning (we get everything going around 5:00 am) - remember that this is a long cook and the brisket needs to rest for a couple hours before serving.
Get your grill or smoker up to a stable 250 degrees. We love our Large Big Green Egg for its heat retention, but you just want to make sure that you can maintain the temperature between 250 - 275 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the duration of the cook. Note: if you are using a grill, make sure that you are set up in the indirect cooking arrangement. Use the heat deflector if you are using a Big Green Egg.
Place an aluminum pan in grill or smoker and fill with apple juice.
Place the brisket on the grill. Depending on the type of grill/smoker that you’re using, be sure to determine whether you should place it fat-side-up or fat-side-down. Here’s a great guide.
Insert a remote thermometer horizontally in the brisket and place the other into the grill. One our Big Green Egg, we simply lay the second temperature probe on the grill grate next to the meat.
Cook until the internal temperature of the brisket is around ~100 degrees Fahrenheit and baste with Patterson’s Mopping Sauce.
When the internal temperature of the brisket is between 165 - 170 degrees Fahrenheit, remove the brisket from the cooker and wrap in unwaxed butcher paper (note that you can also be aluminum foil, but we prefer unwaxed butcher paper because it ensures better bark formation). Before closing the wrap, place butter or bacon grease on the surface of the brisket.
Place the wrapped brisket back on the cooker and re-insert the probe horizontally back into the brisket (through the paper).
Cook until the brisket has reached an internal temperature of ~203 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove from the cooker (keep it in the paper) and place it in a cooler to rest for at least 2 hours.
After it has rested, remove from the cooler and slice against the grain of the meat. See here.
Enjoy! It’s great as is, but even better in tacos!
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