Even among Texans, there is plenty of debate about the best way to smoke a brisket. However, the one thing everyone agrees on is that a good brisket rub should have plenty of ground black pepper.
Instructions
- Mix the mustard and pickle juice together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Mix the black pepper and salt together in a separate bowl and set aside.
- To trim the brisket, remove it from any packaging and pat it dry with paper towels.
- With the fat-side of brisket facing down, use a sharp knife to remove any excess fat from the bottom of the brisket, also removing the hard, thick fat towards the point-end of the brisket.
- Turn the brisket over and trim off the excess fat (also called the fat cap), leaving a ¼" thick layer, trying to avoid exposing any meat. Then, trim the front of the flat-end, rounding off the corners.
- Turn the brisket over again and spread a thin layer of the mustard mixture over the brisket, then sprinkle a generous amount of the rub on top, patting the rub into the meat.
- Turn the brisket over, and repeat the seasoning process with the fat cap. For best results, place the brisket in a large aluminum foil pan and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for 12–24 hours.
- Set the grill to 250°F. When the grill has come to temperature, brush the grates clean.
- Prepare the grill for indirect, low & slow cooking, 225°–275°F. Remove the grates from the indirect side of the grill and place a foil drip pan on the flavorizer bars, then fill with 4 cups of water. Replace the cooking grates over the drip pan.
- Use the snake method to prepare the kettle grill for indirect, low & slow cooking.
- Place the wood chips in a smoker box over the lit burners. Preheat the grill until smoke appears and brush the grates clean.
- Place an aluminum foil pan in the center of the charcoal grate and fill halfway with water. Line the perimeter of the kettle with 2 rows of briquettes that circle ¾ of the way around, placing a 2nd row of 2 briquettes on top of the first row. Be sure that the briquettes are lined up vertically, and that all the briquettes are touching.
- Place the wood chunks on top of the charcoal, toward the beginning of the snake. Light the snake with 8–10 lit briquettes and adjust the dampers to achieve a temperature of 225°–275°F
- Insert the probe into the thickest part of the brisket, making sure the probe isn’t in the fat separating the point from the flat.
- Place the brisket, fat-side up in the grill. Cook until the bark has set and the internal temperature is around 165°F, 6–8 hours.
- Place the brisket, fat-side up, above the water pan. Cook until the bark has set and the internal temperature is around 165°F, 6–8 hours.
- Place the brisket, fat-side up above the water pan. Cook until the bark has set and the internal temperature is around 165°F, 6–8 hours, rotating the cooking grate as necessary to keep the bottom of the brisket from burning.
- Remove the brisket from the grill and wrap in butcher paper, then wrap in a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil, being sure not to make the foil airtight.
- Cook the wrapped brisket until a probe slides through the meat with little resistance and the internal temperature is 201°–207°F, 2–4 hours more.
- Remove the brisket from the grill, wrap in a towel and place in a cooler to rest for 6 hours, until the internal temperature is 140°–150°F.
- To serve, slice the flat of the brisket against the grain, stopping when you’ve reached the point. Rotate the brisket ¼ turn to slice the point against the grain.
