I have been wanting to smoke a beef brisket on my Pit Boss but had heard how hard it is. Unlike other meats, this is a muscular tough cut of meat, so it needs to be cooked low and slow. Well, I finally cooked my first one and created this guide to help you out!
Cooking a Beef Brisket on a Pit Boss
Cooking a brisket is no small task. Be ready for it to take several hours, here’s a quick glance at what it will take to cook a beef brisket on a pellet grill.
- Buy the perfect brisket
- Trim the excess fat
- Opt for hardy hardwood pellets (mesquite)
- Coat with salt overnight
- Season the grill 30 minutes before placing it on the Pit Boss
- Cook at 225°F – 275°F (don’t cook it too fast)
- Close the lid and cook to 165°F (use your thermometer)
- To spritz or not? (I chose not too)
- Remove at 165°F and wrap in pink butcher paper
- Put back on the grill and cook to 200°F – 203°F
- Remove and wrap in towel to rest for 1 – 2 hours
- Slice and serve
These are the exact steps I took when cooking my first ever beef brisket. I used the Pit Boss smoker, but this guide will work for any brand pellet grill.
The whole process took me 11 hours from start to finish. I put the brisket on the grill at 5:11 AM and it finished resting around 4:00 PM the same day.
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So, let me share my first experience of cooking a brisket with you. Don’t worry, I’ll walk you the entire process. You can also check out my YouTube video below or visit my YouTube channel.
So let’s get started.
What Is A Brisket?
A brisket is a cut of meat taken from the pectoral muscles of a cow. I go more into detail on what a brisket is and the different cuts on this article, so be sure to check it out.
This article will just cover the steps I took to cook my first one and the mistakes I made.
Choose a Brisket
Brisket is made up of two parts, the point and the flat. The point is the fattier part also known as the deckle. It contains more marbling and is what makes it tender and flavorful when cooked.
A brisket flat also known as the “first cut” is the largest and leanest of the muscle. It’s also the hardest part to cook, because it has a tendency to become tough if cooked incorrectly.
I had no clue what I was buying when I bought my brisket. All I knew was that I wanted to smoke one. So I picked it up from Costco and I paid $6.51 a pound.
My 7-pound brisket cost $45.50, which is not cheap. I wanted the smallest brisket I could find, in case I messed it up.
It wasn’t until after I purchased the brisket that I realized I should’ve gotten a whole packet brisket. A whole packet brisket is anywhere from 8-16 pounds, which is a lot of meat. If you’re new to cooking brisket, I recommend checking out this site.
That said, if you cook a whole packet you can vacuum seal it and do a lot with the left overs.
Prepping The Brisket
Whether you’re cooking a flat, whole brisket or a point, the prepping process is the same.
Trim the Excess Fat
First, you’ll want to trim up any excess fat. You don’t want to remove all the fat, trim it until it is about 1/4″ thick. Anything thicker than that and the seasoning won’t be able to penetrate the meat.
Trimming the brisket helps the smoke penetrate the meat, and create a dark bark. The fat cap is where you’ll find most of the fat.
Coat With Salt
Once you’ve trimmed the brisket, coat it with a layer of kosher salt. The salt helps tenderize the meat, which is vital.
Remember, the brisket is a muscular cut of meat, so don’t forget this step. Once it’s coated with salt, put the brisket in a jumbo sized bag and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight so it’s ready to cook the next day.
What Spices Go Well With A Brisket?
You can season beef with several different seasonings. I’ve written an article on how to season beef, that goes into more details on seasoning.
Basically, you can season it with whatever you like. There are several different brisket rubs online you can use. If this is your first time cooking a brisket, you may want to keep it simple.
You can even skip the experimentation process and just buy some store bought ones. The BBQ Bros Rub Southern Style Seasoning Set includes the Memphis, New Orleans, and Carolina style rubs in the same pack.
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- 100% Handcrafted BBQ Rubs: These blends are incredibly versatile and can be used for grilling, cooking, or smoking. Elevate your BBQ game and use it on ribs, brisket, pulled pork, steaks, burgers, and other meats with the robust and authentic tastes of these iconic barbecue regions.
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Beef Brisket Recipe
Since this was our first beef brisket we tried to create a simple rub. You likely already have the ingredients in your kitchen pantry.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 Cut brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Paprika
- 1/2 Teaspoon Chipotle powder
- 2 Tablespoons garlic powder
- 1/4 cup black pepper
This is called a Texas rub we found online and made ours a little bit different as it called for Cayenne pepper and we didn’t have any.
Don’t be scared to experiment with the rub. You may want your brisket a little spicier than ours came out.
What Do You Need to Smoke a Beef Brisket On Pit Boss?
Before I start smoking anything on the pellet grill, I like to make sure I have everything I’ll need at my fingertips.
- A Pellet Grill (Check out my pellet grills resource page)
- Pink Butcher paper (you can use aluminum foil)
- Meat Thermometer
- Hardwood pellets (preferably Mesquite)