Traeger Smoked Beef Brisket – Smoked to Perfection

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This Traeger Smoked Beef Brisket is seasoned simply and cooked low and slow to take a tough piece of meat and transform it into a masterpiece. The secret to making a spectacular pellet grill brisket isn’t fancy spices and expensive equipment.

If you have ever been intimidated by the thought of smoking meat all day long, let me put your mind at ease. This Smoked Beef Brisket recipe is simple and straightforward enough that you’ll be looking forward to honing your meat smoking skills with your next brisket.

Being a relatively inexpensive cut of meat, you’d think everyone would be eating beef brisket. But since it’s a part of the animal that holds more than half its body weight, there’s a lot of connective tissue and muscle that must be cooked correctly for it to be tender and delicious. 

SmokeD beef Brisket ingredients

Jump down to the full recipe for specific amounts of each ingredient. This is just an overview.

• Brisket – This recipe calls for the whole packer brisket, which is the full brisket (the pectoral muscle containing both the point and the flat muscles). 
• Kosher Salt – No meat seasoning would be complete without salt. Kosher salt retains flavors better in your meat and has a slightly different flavor than seasalt, so it’s a much more versatile option for smoking.
• Coarse Ground Black Pepper – Bringing along the robust flavor, coarse ground black pepper will pair well with the kosher salt to enhance the brisket flavors.
• Paprika – You’ll often find paprika in the spices list for smoking meats. With its own smokey flavor enhancing the meat, it is a great spice to use with brisket. 

Other Items You’ll Need or Will Be Handy

• A Filet or Chef’s Knife – Don’t feel like you have to go buy a brand new knife the first time you smoke a brisket. But let’s be honest, a new knife is pretty fun to try out. Either way, just be sure your knife is sharp.
• A Large Cutting Board – This one is very necessary. Your brisket is a very large piece of meat and you will need space to work.
• Pink Butcher Paper – Some people may use foil to wrap the brisket partway through the smoking process, but the peach butcher paper will create a better smokey flavor and an incredible bark.
• A Meat Thermometer – You’ll need a good, reliable meat thermometer to make sure you don’t overcook the brisket.
• A Large Thick Towel – Once your brisket comes out of the smoker, it will need to rest for an hour, wrapped in a large towel. Just be sure you have one on-hand.

How to Make Smoked Beef Brisket

Start with preheating your smoker. It should take around 30 minutes to prep the brisket, so time this accordingly. Before you start the trimming, though, go ahead and combine the kosher salt, coarse ground black pepper, and paprika in a bowl and set it aside.

Now you’ll need to trim your brisket. You’ll have to trim both sides and shape it, too. It’s good to familiarize yourself with the different parts of the brisket so you know what you’re trimming.

After your brisket is trimmed, cover every bit of it with the seasonings. Now it’s ready to go into the smoker, thicker side closest to the hottest part of your smoker. Close the lid and let the smoke work its magic.

Around halfway through the cooking process, you’ll remove the brisket and double wrap it with the peach butcher paper then return it to the smoker until the correct internal temperature is reached.

Now you’ll remove the wrapped brisket from the smoker, wrap it in a thick towel, and place it in a cooler to rest for an hour before slicing and serving. This will help the meat absorb some of the juices back to keep it tender and juicy.

How Long to Smoke a Traeger Brisket

The smoking time will depend a lot on the size of your brisket. The estimated smoking time is around 16 hours for an 11-15 pound whole packer brisket. 

You’ll want to have your meat thermometer handy to check the internal temperature around halfway through (right around eight hours). When the internal temperature is 165 degrees, you’ll wrap the brisket.

Once the internal temperature has reached 203 degrees (usually around 6-8 hours later) in the thickest part of the meat, it will be ready to rest. Checking the internal temperature is the best way to gauge the readiness of your brisket. A leave-in or bluetooth thermometer is the best way to keep an eye on the internal temperature without having to open your smoker constantly, losing heat in the process.

What Sides To Serve With Traeger Brisket?

While we could certainly make a meal out of this mouth-watering brisket, we should have some sides to go with it.

• Corn on the Cob: You really can’t ever go wrong with corn!
• Grilled Asparagus: Add a little green to your meal.
• Potatoes: Whether you serve Potato Wedges or Smoked Potatoes, don’t forget the butter and sour cream!