Smoked brisket is the holy grail of BBQ. Brisket is a tough, muscular cut of beef from the lower chest, so it needs low heat and a long cook. A wood pellet grill can turn it into tender, juicy slices with a dark, peppery bark. This guide covers everything you need to smoke a brisket like a pitmaster: choosing, trimming, seasoning, smoking, wrapping, resting, and slicing.

Brisket at a Glance

• Smoker Temperature: 225°F (Super Smoke if available)
• Best Pellets: Hickory, Signature Blend, Oak & Whiskey Blend
• Cook Time: About 30-60 minutes per pound; 8-9 hours for a 12-14 lb full packer
• Wrap: At 160 - 170°F internal, in butcher paper or foil
• Done: 200 - 205°F internal and probe-tender
• Rest: At least 1 hour, ideally 2-3 hours in a cooler
• Slice: Against the grain, about pencil-width (1/4 inch)

What Is Brisket?

Brisket is a cut of beef from the lower chest of the cow, between the chuck and the shank. It is one of the nine beef primal cuts. The brisket muscles support about 60% of the cow's body weight, so they're full of tough connective tissue. Slow smoking melts that connective tissue into gelatin, which is what makes brisket tender enough to melt in your mouth.

Point vs. Flat

A whole brisket is two muscles. The flat is the leaner, larger, uniform muscle that gives you neat slices. The point (also called the deckle) is the thicker, fattier muscle that sits on top of the flat. It is prized for juicy slices and burnt ends.

What Is a Full Packer Brisket?

A full packer brisket is the whole brisket, with both the point and the flat still attached. It usually weighs 10–20 lbs. It costs more and takes longer to cook than a grocery-store flat, but it gives you more flavor, more moisture, and both lean and fatty slices from one cook.

How to Choose a Brisket

• Buy a full packer with both the point and the flat. Ask your butcher if you aren't sure what you're getting.
• Avoid meat that has excessive liquid within the packaging.
• The meat should all be the same color, a dark reddish pink. The fat should be a nice, clean white.
• Look for marbling and a thick, even fat cap. Choice or Prime grades give the best results

Tools & Ingredients for Smoking Brisket

Tools

•       A Traeger wood pellet grill (every Traeger holds a steady low-and-slow temperature, so you can set it and let it run all day)

•       A leave-in wireless meat thermometer, such as MEATER

•       A trimming and/or slicing knife

•       A large cutting board

•       Pink butcher paper or heavy-duty aluminum foil

•       A spray bottle for spritzing (optional)

•       A cooler and old towels for resting

Traeger Rubs for Brisket

Beef Rub, Traeger Rub, Coffee Rub, or Anything Rub. See "How to Season a Brisket" below for seasoning styles.

Best Wood Pellets for Brisket

Brisket goes well with many woods, so choose by the flavor you want. Hickory is the classic choice for bold, Texas-style smoke.

HICKORY: Bold, classic BBQ
SIGNATURE BLEND: Versatile and robust
OAK & WHISKEY BLEND: Sweet and smoky
MESQUITE: Hearty, western BBQ
APLLE OR CHERRY: Slightly fruity and sweet

How to Smoke a Brisket: Step by Step

1.     Trim the hard fat and silver skin, leaving a ¼-inch fat cap.

2.     Season generously, ideally the night before, then refrigerate, covered.

3.     Preheat your Traeger to 225°F with the lid closed for 15 minutes. Use Super Smoke if available.

4.     Smoke the brisket fat side down until the internal temperature reaches 160–170°F and the bark is set, about 4–6 hours.

5.     Spritz (optional) every 45–60 minutes, starting around hour 2–3.

6.     Wrap in butcher paper or foil and cook until it reaches 200–205°F and is probe-tender.

7.     Rest at least 1 hour, ideally 2–3 hours, wrapped in towels in a cooler.

8.     Slice against the grain and serve.

How to Trim a Brisket

Trim a brisket by cutting the fat cap to an even ¼ inch and removing hard fat and silver skin. Trimming helps the seasoning stick, helps the bark form evenly, and removes hard fat that won't render.

1.     Start with a cold brisket straight from the fridge; cold fat is easier to cut. Pat it dry.

2.     With the fat cap facing up, trim the fat to an even ¼-inch layer.

3.     Flip it over and remove all fat and silver skin (the thin membrane) from the meat side.

4.     Remove the large chunk of hard fat where the point and flat meet.

5.     Round off thin edges so they don't dry out .

How to Season a Brisket

The classic brisket seasoning is a 50/50 mix of kosher salt and coarse black pepper, the Texas gold standard. Season liberally on all sides at least 12–24 hours ahead and refrigerate overnight. This gives you the most flavor and bark.

•       Traeger Beef Rub, Coffee Rub or the classic Traeger Rub enhance the flavor and add depth to the meat.

•       Competition style: Salt and pepper first, then a sweeter layer (brown sugar, paprika). Many competitors inject with beef broth or stock to keep the meat juicy.

•       Binder or no binder: Yellow mustard or olive oil helps rub stick. Purists season straight onto the meat. Both work.

What Temperature Should You Smoke a Brisket?

Smoke brisket at 225°F. The low, steady heat renders the fat and breaks down the connective tissue. For even more smoke flavor, start at 180°F for the first 3–4 hours, then raise the grill to 225°F. If you're short on time, 275°F works without giving up much flavor.

How Long Does It Take to Smoke a Brisket?

Plan on 30–60 minutes per pound at 225°F, but cook to temperature and feel rather than time. The brisket is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 200–205°F and is probe tender: a thermometer inserted into the thickest part should slide in like it's going into room-temperature butter. Give yourself a generous time buffer. If the brisket finishes early, it can rest for up to 3 hours after it comes off the grill.

Should You Smoke Brisket Fat Side Up or Fat Side Down?

On a Traeger, we recommend smoking brisket fat side down. The heat comes from below, so the fat cap shields the meat from direct heat and keeps it moist. Fat side down also keeps the seasoning in place, helps build an even bark and smoke ring, and shows the grain for easier slicing. That's why most competition pitmasters cook this way.

Fat side up has advantages too. It's believed that the rendering fat bastes the meat as it cooks and leaves a softer, richer fat layer. Either way you'll make great brisket. It really comes down to preference.

Should You Spritz Brisket?

Spritzing is optional. It adds moisture to the surface and helps smoke stick. Start around hour 2, once the bark begins to form, and spritz every 45–60 minutes until you wrap. Beef broth, apple cider vinegar, apple juice, or a mix all work.

When Should You Wrap a Brisket?

Wrap your brisket when the internal temperature reaches 160–170°F and the bark is firm and dark. Wrapping gets the brisket through "the stall," locks in moisture, and gives you control over the bark.

What Is the Brisket Stall?

The stall is when a brisket's internal temperature stops rising for hours, usually around 150–170°F. Moisture evaporating from the surface cools the meat, much like sweat. Wrapping traps that moisture and pushes the brisket through.

Butcher Paper vs. Foil

It depends on whether you care more about bark or moisture. Butcher paper breathes, so some steam escapes and you get a firmer, crustier bark. But it cooks slightly slower. Aluminum foil seals tight, so the brisket braises in its own juices. That gives you the most moisture and tenderness. It finishes faster, but the bark comes out softer.

Pro tip: If you wrapped in foil and want a darker bark, unwrap the brisket once it hits 200–205°F and return it to the hot grill until the bark is where you want it.

How to Know When Your Brisket Is Done

Brisket is done when it reaches 200–205°F internal and a probe slides into the meat with almost no resistance. Temperature tells you when to start checking. The feel of the probe tells you it's ready.

Check the Internal Temperature

Keep a leave-in thermometer, like MEATER, in the thickest part of the flat for the whole cook. Once it reads about 195°F, start checking tenderness. Most briskets are ready between 200°F and 205°F. Some are tender a little earlier, and some need a few degrees more. The temperature will also climb a few degrees after you pull it off the grill, while it rests.

Do the Probe Test

Push a thermometer probe or a skewer into the flat in several spots. A finished brisket feels like pushing into room-temperature butter: the probe glides in and slides back out with almost no resistance. If you feel any tightness or push-back in one spot, the connective tissue hasn't fully broken down yet. Keep cooking and check again every 30 minutes.

•       Test the flat, not just the point. The fattier point usually gets tender first. The leaner flat is the real test.

•       Check through the wrap. You can probe right through butcher paper or foil, so there's no need to unwrap.

•       Give it a jiggle. A finished brisket bends and jiggles slightly when you lift it in its wrap.

How Long Should Brisket Rest?

Rest brisket for at least 1 hour, and ideally 2–3 hours. While it rests, the juices move back through the meat and the texture improves. Keep it wrapped, cover it in towels, and put it in a dry cooler; it will stay hot for 4 or more hours. That also lets you choose when to slice and serve. Don't cut into it too soon, or the juice will run out onto the cutting board.

How to Slice a Brisket

Always slice brisket against the grain into pencil-width (about ¼-inch) slices. Cutting with the grain makes brisket chewy. The point and flat run in different directions, so on a full packer you need to separate them first.

1.     Find the soft seam of fat between the point and the flat. Run a sharp knife along it and the two muscles will separate easily.

2.     Slice the flat against the grain into ¼-inch slices.

3.     Turn the point 90° and slice it against its own grain. You can also cube it for burnt ends.

4.     Serve with your favorite Traeger BBQ sauce.