Texas-Style Brisket

Texas-style brisket cooked on the kamado with salt, pepper and smoke. A simple rub and low and slow cooking let the flavour of the beef shine.

By David Vadis

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 600 min
Rest: 90 min

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Gloved hands holding sliced smoked brisket to show its bark and pink smoke ring.

OVER THE FIRE / THE RECIPE

Texas-Style Brisket

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 600 min
Rest / prove: 90 min
Makes / serves: Serves 15
Difficulty: A little practice
Method: Indirect
Temperature: 110°C
Cuisine: American

For best results, dry-brine the brisket with salt and pepper the day before cooking.

Ingredients

1 whole packer brisket
Salt and pepper

Method

Trim the brisket

Trim the brisket while it is cold from the fridge. Remove the hard, waxy fat and the thick fat between the point and flat.
Remove the silverskin and any thin or ragged edges.
Leave a 5–6 mm fat cap.
Keep suitable fat trimmings to render into tallow.

Season

For the dry rub, mix 2 parts coarse black pepper with 1 part kosher or sea salt. Apply evenly without coating the meat excessively. If possible, leave the seasoned brisket uncovered in the fridge overnight.

Cook low and slow

Aim for a dome temperature of approximately 110–120°C.
Use lumpwood charcoal with a few chunks of smoking wood.
Allow roughly 8–12 hours or more, depending on the size and thickness of the brisket.
Cook until the brisket is probe-tender, rather than relying on a specific internal temperature.

THE SETUP