Learn how to smoke a Traeger Brisket like a boss with this detailed and easy-to-follow Smoked Traeger Brisket recipe. Traeger-smoked brisket comes out tender, juicy, and so flavorful. Do you want to know the best part? Your Traeger will do all the work! Serve the brisket with my delicious Chipotle Smoked Mac and Cheese for a winning combo!
Why This Recipe Works
This Traeger Brisket Recipe is the BOMB! Although there are some steps for you to follow, we're going to let the Traeger do most of the work. We got the idea for this recipe from our friend, Dave, who's a self-proclaimed Brisket Master. But you know I had to change things up a bit. That's just what I do!
I love the fact that we can let the Traeger do its thing, while we dream about smoked brisket.😴 Unless you're one of those dedicated people (like Dave) who wants to pull an all-nighter and babysit your brisket. If that's you, RESPECT! While you're up, you can spritz the smoked brisket with apple juice every hour or two.
As for the rest of us, we can wake up in the morning to the heavenly smell of Traeger smoked brisket. Not just that, but we'll know that dinner is taken care of, along with breakfast and lunch the following day. Not to mention, smoked brisket leftovers for days to come!
For example, add a few slices of leftover brisket in your egg sandwiches for breakfast, or shred the brisket to make delicious brisket tacos. Or, make my AMAZING brisket-stuffed Chile Rellenos!
Another idea is to add a few slices of brisket into your grilled cheese sandwiches. But one of my favorite ways to use up leftover brisket is in enchiladas.
If you need more ideas to use up the Traeger Brisket Recipe leftovers, let me know in the comments! I can keep the suggestions coming, all day long! 😬
What Goes Into This Recipe
Ingredient Notes/Substitutions
- Brisket— This recipe calls for a 16-20 pound brisket. If you use a smaller brisket, the cooking times will need to be adjusted.
- Rub — I like to use my favorite pork rub when making this Traeger Brisket recipe. However, my Santa Maria Rub is a close second. Feel free to use your favorite rub instead.
- Apple Juice — Apple juice is used to spritz the brisket while it's being smoked. It can also be brushed on the brisket before seasoning it. Some people like to inject some apple juice into the meat before smoking the brisket. I'll leave that up to you.
- Sauce — I like to make a sauce with an equal amount of red-wine vinegar and olive oil, mixed with a few cloves of crushed garlic. I brush this sauce liberally over the brisket before seasoning it.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1| Trim Fat
Trim excess fat off the brisket. Be sure to leave a good portion of fat on the meat as the fat will render down and enhance the flavor of the brisket. It will also keep the brisket from drying out.
Step 2 | Separate Point From Flat
To make burnt ends, separate the flat from the point (How to Separate Point From Flat). Otherwise, leave the brisket intact. Combine vinegar, olive oil, and crushed garlic. Brush both sides of the meat with it.
Step 3 | Season the Brisket
Season the meat with Santa Maria Dry Rub Seasoning, Pork Rub seasoning (my personal favorite), or use your seasoning of choice. Wrap the meat and let it rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, but preferably longer.
Step 4 | Bring Brisket to Room Temperature
Bring the brisket to room temperature a few hours before you plan on smoking it. Before going to bed, fire up the Traeger to 200° F.
Tip: We usually start marinating the meat in the morning and put it on the grill at midnight.
Step 5 | Smoke Brisket
When the smoker is ready, place the brisket on the grill fat-side down and spray the brisket generously with apple juice. Insert the probe a few inches into the thickest part of the meat and set the probe temperature to 160° F.
Optional: If you want to stay up all night to baby this Traeger Brisket recipe, start spraying the brisket with apple juice every hour until the probe temperature reaches 160° F. If you can't pull an "all-nighter," I totally understand. 😉
Step 6 | Wrap Brisket In Butcher Paper
Once the smoked Traeger briskets' internal temperature reaches 160° F (which should be in the morning) spray that brisket with apple juice one last time, then wrap it in butcher paper. Place the brisket back on the grill, this time fat-side up.
Scott likes to tape up the butcher paper, but some prefer to use twine.
Step 7 | Smoke Brisket While Wrapped
Smoke the brisket in the Traeger until it reaches 200° F. This could take several more hours. The longer the cooking time the better it will be. When it's ready, take the meat off the grill and let it rest for about an hour, while still wrapped.
Note: To keep the smoked brisket warm while you prepare the burnt ends or until you're ready to serve, you can store it in a cooler. To do this, wrap the brisket (while it's still in the butcher paper) in a large beach towel and place it in an empty cooler. Close the lid to maintain the temperature of the brisket until you're ready to serve it.
How to Make Burnt Ends
To make Burnt Ends, chop the point (also called the deckle) into cubes and toss them into a disposable aluminum tray. Pour the juices that have accumulated in the butcher paper over the burnt ends.
Next, toss the burnt ends with your favorite bbq sauce and place them back on the grill for another 15 minutes at 500° F. Some people like to mix brown sugar or honey with burnt ends to enhance caramelization.
Another option is to go long and slow instead of smoking the burnt ends using high heat for a short period of time. If you want to go that route, you can smoke the burnt ends at 225° F for 1-2 hours.
However, you haven't had burnt ends until you've had MY BURNT ENDS. They are mixed with a made-from-scratch pineapple and habanero sauce, do I have your attention? So, if you want to give it a shot, here is my Spicy and Sweet Habanero Pineapple Burnt Ends Recipe.
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
To cook a brisket evenly, you should flip it at some point during the smoking process. In this recipe, for example, the brisket starts on the grill with the fat-side down. However, once it gets wrapped in butcher paper, it's placed on the grill fat-side up for the remainder of the cooking time.
Smoking time depends on many things including the thickness and the overall weight of the meat, and the temperature you set your smoker on. It can take as little as 6 hours and as much as 16 hours.
There are also other factors involved including the outside temperature, wind, and so on. Smoking the brisket at a lower temperature for an extended time (while wrapped) yields a more tender and juicy brisket. Smoking a brisket is not something that you want to rush.
Yes, you can overcook a brisket causing it to dry out. To avoid this, monitor the internal temperature of the meat and keep it within the recipe range.
Wrapping the meat in butcher paper helps to keep the meat moist by locking in the juices. Setting the smoker to a low cooking temperature and using a probe to monitor the temperature of the brisket can help you to avoid overcooking the meat.
- According to the Traeger recipe book, almost any pellet wood flavor can be used with beef. This includes alder, cherry, hickory, maple, mesquite, oak, and pecan. Although we prefer hickory, I recommend trying different flavors and see what you prefer.
- If using my pork rub recipe, make four times as much as the recipe calls for. You'll be using a much larger cut of meat so you'll need enough rub to cover the entire brisket.
- When seasoning the brisket, spoon it over the meat without touching the meat to avoid cross-contamination. You'll want to save the remaining rub for another use.
- Some people like to inject the flat with beef broth or even apple juice prior to putting it on the grill. This helps the brisket to remain moist. The point is fatty enough so it really doesn't need to be injected. This is how you inject the flat.
Related Recipes
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Smoke A Traeger Brisket Like A Boss!
Ingredients
- 1 15-20 lb. brisket
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 cup Pork Rub Pork Rub Seasoning
- 1 cup apple juice (approximate)
Instructions
- Trim excess fat off the brisket. Be sure to leave a good portion of fat on the meat as the fat will render down and enhance the flavor of the brisket. It will also keep it from drying out.
- To make burnt ends, separate the flat from the point (How to Separate Point From Flat). Otherwise, leave the brisket intact. Combine vinegar, olive oil, and crushed garlic. Brush both sides of the meat with it.
- Season the meat with Santa Maria Dry Rub Seasoning, Pork Rub seasoning (my personal favorite), or use your seasoning of choice. Wrap the meat and let it rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, but preferably longer.
- Bring the brisket to room temperature a few hours before you plan on smoking it. Before going to bed, fire up the Traeger to 200° F. (Tip: We usually start marinating the meat in the morning and put it on the grill at midnight).
- When the smoker is ready, place the brisket on the grill fat-side down and spray generously with apple juice. Insert the probe a few inches into the thickest part of the meat and set the probe temperature to 160° F.
- Once the smoked briskets' internal temperature reaches 160° F (which should be in the morning) spray with apple juice one last time, then wrap it in butcher paper. Place the brisket back on the grill, this time fat-side up.
- Smoke the brisket in the Traeger until it reaches 200° F. This could take several more hours. The longer the cooking time the better it will be. When it's ready, take the meat off the grill and let it rest for about an hour, while still wrapped.
Notes
- According to the Traeger recipe book, almost any pellet wood flavor can be used with beef. This includes alder, cherry, hickory, maple, mesquite, oak, and pecan. Although we prefer hickory, I recommend trying different flavors and see what you prefer.
- If using my pork rub recipe, make four times as much as the recipe calls for. You'll be using a much larger cut of meat so you'll need enough rub to cover the entire brisket.
- When seasoning the brisket, spoon it over the meat without touching the meat to avoid cross-contamination. You'll want to save the remaining rub for another use.
- Some people like to inject the flat with beef broth or even apple juice prior to putting it on the grill. This helps the brisket to remain moist. The point is fatty enough so it really doesn't need to be injected. This is how you inject the flat.
- To keep the smoked brisket warm while you prepare the burnt ends or until you're ready to serve it, you can store it in a cooler. To do this, wrap the brisket (while it's still in the butcher paper) in a large beach towel and place it in an empty cooler. Close the lid to maintain the temperature of the brisket until you're ready to serve.
nalissa campbell says
Absolutely amazing!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Nalissa, I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe, and thank you for the review!
Caroline says
AMAZING!! This is the best thing I have ever ate!! My husband followed the recipe step by step. The steps were easy to follow and all the ingredients were available at the grocery store. I say this because we live in a small town and sometimes ingredients are hard to find. OH MY GOSH it was worth the wait! Such full bold and smoked flavor and so tender. This one now one of our favorite recipes!! If you haven't tried Smoked Brisket, you have to try this recipe!!!
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, sweet Caroline! I'm so glad you and Mark enjoyed the brisket. Love you guys!