How To Smoke Brisket On An Offset Smoker (Stick Burner)

The biggest challenge to smoking brisket on an offset smoker is maintaining a slow, steady heat that lasts for hours. David breaks down the process in this step-by-step guide on how to smoke brisket on an offset smoker.

The biggest challenge to smoking brisket on an offset smoker is maintaining a slow, steady heat that lasts for hours. Many find it too laborious, but the fun is all in the cook to folks like David Spivey. All you need is some wood, fire, smoke, meat, and a lot of patience. And well, some nice cold beer never hurts, either. 

Brisket is one of the most challenging cuts of meat you can lay upon your pit. Brisket is a lean cut of beef that can become tough and leathery, especially when introduced to heat. Throw in a large mass of steel with a firebox things get a little more complicated.

We’ve guided you on how to make traditional smoked beef brisket on a charcoal grill, so now, David will show you how to smoke brisket on an offset smoker – our Texas Original Pit offset stick burner named “Charlie.”

Let’s get fired up and smoke some Texas-style brisket on a stick burner!

What is an Offset Smoker (Stick Burner)?

An offset smoker is one of the most classic barbecue smoker designs. Offset smokers feature a large horizontal chamber where the food smokes and a small chamber “offset” to one side where the charcoal and wood burn, called a firebox. 

Offset smokers are also known as barrel, horizontal, or side firebox or cookers. They are most commonly referred to as “stick burners.” It gets this name because wood logs are the primary source of fuel to heat the smoker and cook the meat.

Offset smokers are relatively large, with shelves capable of handling multiple racks of ribs, briskets, pork butts, poultry, or a combination.

Wood Selection for an Offset

Wood is the primary source of fuel for an offset smoker, so you want to use wood logs with the following characteristics to get the famous blue smoke every pitmaster dreams about:

• Splits of wood 6 to 12 inches logs. Split with an ax about 3 to 4 inches thick if large and too round.
• Aged dry wood without a lot of moisture

You can buy mini smoking logs at most hardware stores or online HERE.

Types of Wood for Smoked Brisket

When it comes to brisket, we almost always use mesquite. We like it because the beef can stand up to its unique, robust flavor. Mesquite is a popular type of wood for Texas-style BBQ. 

Hickory, post oak, and pecan are also good choices for smoking a brisket. At the end of the day, it depends on the availability of the wood and personal preference.

How To Smoke Brisket On an Offset Smoker (Stick Burner)

Servings: 8-12 | Time: 6 to 8+ Hours

Equipment and Supplies:

• Offset Smoker (stick burner)
• 2-3 bags/boxes of mini wood logs (we use mesquite for brisket)
• Charcoal – lump or briquets
• Charcoal Chimney
• Water
• Aluminum Pan about the same size as the brisket for water
• Tongs
• Probe Thermometer
• Instant-Read Thermometer
• Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil or Pink Butcher Paper
• Old Cooler – (optional) for holding brisket (keep reading to learn more!)
• Large Cutting Board
• Brisket Knife

Click HERE for a full list of David’s Grill and Smoking Accessories!

Ingredients Needed:

• One whole beef brisket (both point and flat together, about 10-12 pounds), with a fat cap at least ¼-inch thick
• Yellow Mustard (optional)
• Beef Dry Rub – Use your favorite beef dry rub to season the brisket or our recipe below.

Smoked Brisket Dry Rub:

• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• BBQ Sauce of your choice – A well-cooked brisket does not need sauce; if you prefer, use it for dipping only. We use a secret bbq sauce recipe blended with butter, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, sugar, and salt pepper.

Trim and Rub The Brisket

Our technique for preparing a brisket is the same for our stick burner as it would be for a grill or pellet grill. Start with a whole brisket in the 10-12 pound range. 

• Dry the Meat: Use paper towels to wipe off any excess moisture from the brisket when it comes out of the package. The last thing you want to do is cut yourself because the meat is too slippery. 
• Trim: Trim the brisket to leave a ¼-inch cap of fat. (Any less, and the brisket will dry out; any more, the excess fat will prevent the rub and smoke from seasoning the meat.) Plenty of internal marbling within a brisket will keep it from drying out.
• Apply Binder (optional): Apply a thin layer of yellow mustard to the brisket to achieve a better bond between the meat and the rub. We have done this a handful of times. You can skip this step unless the rub does not want to stick.
• Rub the Brisket: Combine all the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl and stir to mix. Rub onto the brisket on all sides. If you have time, let the rub cure the brisket in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or as long as overnight. Smoking the brisket right away is ok, but sitting in the fridge for several hours allows the rub to penetrate the meat.

Preheat the Offset Smoker For Smoking

Preheating an offset stick burner can take 30 minutes to an hour to preheat, depending on the weather. David and I bought a Luling 24 Loaded Texas Original Pit we call “Charlie.” Handcrafted by Texas artisans, this heavy-duty bbq pit is a hell of a beast. It’s made entirely of ¼ inch hand-forged steel, and it takes a little bit of time to warm up, especially on cold days. 

Ensure you get an early start and have enough time to get your smoker preheated and ready for smoking. Use the following steps to preheat your pit.

Preheat the smoker to between 250 and 300 degrees F. 

Vents: Open up all vents wide open.

Charcoal: Light a full chimney of charcoal to get the coal bed hot. A coal bed of charcoal is the foundation and base of any offset smoker and gets the wood going.

Water Pan (optional): A water pan full of warm water will keep the brisket from drying out during the long slow cook. We always use a water pan, but ultimately it is up to you.
While the smoker is getting hot, heat some water for the water pan; when the water is hot, place the aluminum pan underneath where you will put the brisket on the grate. Pour in the warm water and close the lid to allow it to reach temperature.

Wood: Not only does the wood provide a smoke flavor for the brisket, but the wood is the primary source of heat for the fire. Once a charcoal base is hot, add a couple of mini logs on top. The smoker is ready for the brisket when thin blue smoke exits the exhaust stack.

Smoke the Brisket

• Open the lid and place the brisket on the hot grate over the drip pan, fat side up (debated topic), with the point of the brisket (thickest side) facing the direction of the firebox. The thicker point will need more heat for a more extended period of time.
• Bring the temperature up to as close to 250 to 275 degrees F as possible. 
• You will need to add wood splits every 45 minutes to 1 hour for at least the first 4 hours.
• Resist the temptation to open the chamber and look at the brisket during this time unless you have to. Opening the cooking chamber will cause a significant drop in heat, and it will take time to build it back up again.

How Long Does it Take to Smoke Whole Brisket on an Offset Smoker?

It’s important to smoke the meat according to temperature and not worry about the amount of time. Many variables influence how long it will take to smoke a brisket. Knowing the temp in your grill is crucial. 

Honestly, you cannot trust the built-in temperature gauges on your pit. They read the temperature only in one location, usually away from where the meat sits on the grate.

We recommend purchasing a digital BBQ meat thermometer such as Smoke™ from Thermoworks.

You can read more about it in David’s List of BBQ Grill & Smoker Accessories post.

Offset Smoker Fire Management Tips

• Maintain the fire to ensure that the smoker stays between 250-275 degrees F as possible. Resist the temptation to open the lid unless you need to add more logs to maintain temperature and smoke. You may need to add more charcoal to help keep the fire bed going. If you do, light and ensure they are hot and ashed over before adding them to the firebox.
• If your fire starts burning too hot at any point, resist the temptation to cool it off by shutting the firebox door. Suddenly choking off oxygen will kill the fire, and you’ll have to build it back up, creating more extreme temperature variations and dirty smoke. Instead, try removing a log with a shovel and letting the fire cool naturally for a minute.
• Rest the next splits of wood you plan to burn next, either on top of the firewood chamber or inside the firebox next to the fire. Heating the wood will help them ignite faster.

Never Mind The Stall

When the brisket’s internal temperature reaches about 165 degrees F, the surface evaporation of the brisket causes the meat’s internal temp to plateau. Pit Masters call this “the stall.” Don’t panic; this is normal. You can compensate for any lost time after the brisket is wrapped (see next section).

Wrap the Smoked Brisket

Smoke the brisket until a nice dark mahogany “bark” (outside crust) forms and the brisket. Remove the brisket and wrap it tightly in heavy-duty aluminum foil or pink butcher paper. Then return the wrapped brisket to the pit. 

Wrapping the meat will stop the brisket from taking on any more smoke flavor, and wrapping also allows you to stoke up the heat to finish the cook. It also helps with tenderness.

When is a Smoked Brisket Done?

• Smoke the brisket until the internal temperature of the meat is about 195-200 degrees F, about 6 to 8 hours; monitor the probe thermometer and use an instant-read thermometer, such as a Thermapen® ONE, to help double-check for doneness.
• It is important to remember that the brisket’s internal temperature can increase by 5-10 degrees even after removing it from the grill. When taking it off the smoker, the ideal temperature of a properly smoked brisket is 195 degrees F when it should be more than likely rise to an optimal 205 degrees F.

Holding and Resting

Remove the brisket from the offset smoker. Leave the brisket wrapped tightly in the foil or butcher paper, wrap it in a clean towel, and place it inside a cooler to rest for at least 1 hour.

Holding helps tenderize by allowing some carryover cooking which helps melt tough connective tissue. The foil captures the natural au jus for use in a sauce, and holding allows the surface parts that have dried out during cooking to absorb some of the juice.

Slice and Serve

Slicing a brisket is challenging because there are two muscles, and the grain flows in different directions. Brisket is easier to chew if you cut it across to the grain. Cut with the grain, and it can be stringy and chewy.

Don’t slice the brisket until the last possible minute. Once the brisket is cut, it dries out pretty quickly. When you are ready, Slice the brisket fat side up so the juices will run onto it as you slice it.

Start slicing the flat, cutting across the grain so the meat will fall apart in your mouth about ¼-inch thick, about the thickness of a pencil. Cut off the flat where the point meats it, then rotate it so the cut is on the side, and they slice through the point and flat from the side.

We hope this guide helps you make some of the best Texas BBQ you’ve ever made!

Don’t forget to check out the recipes we make using the leftovers HERE!

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