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.
1cupBBQ Sauce of your choice – A well-cooked brisket does not need saucebut 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.
Instructions
Our technique for preparing a brisket for the smoker is the same for an offset smoker as it would be for a grill or pellet smoker. 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 fat will prevent the rub and smoke from seasoning the meat.)
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. Unless the rub does not want to stick, you can skip this step. This does not affect the flavor at all.
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
Preheat the smoker to between 250 and 300 degrees F.
Open up all vents wide open.
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.
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 smoker grate. Pour in the warm water and close the smoker to allow it to come up to temperature.
Not only does the wood provide 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. When there is thin blue smoke exiting the exhaust stack, the smoker is ready for the brisket.
Smoke the Brisket
Open the lid to the smoker 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 smoker’s firebox. The thicker point will need more heat for a more extended period of time.
Bring the temperature up to as close to 250 -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.
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 temperature to plateau. Pit Masters call this “the stall.” Don’t panic; this is normal. You can make up for any lost time after the brisket is wrapped (see next section).
Wrap the 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 smoker.
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.
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 10 degrees even after removing it from the grill. The ideal temperature of a properly smoked brisket is 195-200 degrees F when taking it off the smoker because it should more than likely rise to an optimal 200-205 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.
Serve and Slice
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 the brisket as you slice it.
Notes
Wood Selection for an Offset Smoker: 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 to about 3 to 4 inches thick if large and too round.
Aged dry wood without a lot of moisture
Types of Wood for Smoking 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 good choices for smoking brisket also. At the end of the day, it depends on the availability of the wood and personal preference.Offset Smoker Fire Management Tips: Maintain the fire to ensure that the smoker stays as close to 225 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 make sure they are hot and ashed over before adding them to the firebox.If at any point your fire starts burning too hot, resist the temptation to cool it off by shutting the firebox door. Suddenly choking off oxygen will kill the fire, and you’ll end up having 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.
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