When it comes to barbecue, brisket is often considered as the king. Smoking a brisket on a pellet grill can be an intimidating task, but with the right steps, it can be done easily and successfully. With the help of this guide, you’ll learn how to smoke a brisket on a pellet grill.
From choosing the right type of wood pellets to controlling the temperature and maintaining the smoke ring, you’ll have everything you need to create delicious smoked brisket every time. Get ready for some mouth-watering flavors as you become an expert in smoking briskets on your pellet grill!
Smoking a brisket is no less than an art that requires a lot of time, skills, and patience. It takes anywhere from 8 to 14 hours to get the perfectly smoked brisket you’re looking for but the result will be worth it. The key is to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the cooking process while adding your unique flavorings.
How to Choose A Brisket?
If you are looking to smoke a brisket, the first thing you need to consider is the brisket itself. When it comes to brisket, there are mainly three cuts to choose from that are the flat cut, the point cut, and the whole packer cut brisket. While buying a brisket, always look for a thick and well-marbled piece of meat that has a reddish-purple color.
For a perfectly smoked, juice, and tender brisket, you need an untrimmed or packer cut that has both the lean flat cut and the fat point cut. If you are still confused then you can take the bent test to select the right brisket for your dinner. For the test, pick a brisket, grab its one end, and then wiggle it up and down. If a brisket is too tough it means there is not enough fat and your brisket is going to be less juicy and tender.
How To Prepare A Brisket For Smoking?
Before getting into the details on how to smoke a brisket on a pellet grill, make sure you choose the best quality brisket to get a perfectly flavored and smoky brisket. When it comes to buying a brisket, always consider the grade of beef you are using.
The most common grades that are used for smoking in the order of highest to lowest are prime, choice, and select. Keeping these grades in mind will help you in choosing a good quality brisket for your dinner.
How to Trim A Brisket?
The first step of smoking a brisket on a pellet grill is to trim it. Trimming is an integral part of any brisket before smoking and it affects the entire smoking process. The main goal is to cut away any hard fat that renders down during smoking and prevent your brisket from smoking on a low and slow flame.
Moreover, this fat cap will act as a barrier between your seasoning and the meat and won’t allow the flavors to penetrate deeply into the meat. If you don’t trim the fat layer, you will be left behind with big mouthfuls of rubbery fat.
Make sure not to remove all the fat because this is what makes your brisket juicy and flavorful. If there is not enough fat on your brisket, it’ll tend to get dry during the smoking process.
How to Prepare the Dry Rub?
If you are planning to prepare a smoked brisket then you need to prepare a dry rub for the seasoning. To prepare the seasoning, you need some basic ingredients such as brown sugar, ground salt, onion powder, garlic powder, ground black paper, and paprika chili powder.
After this, apply this seasoning thoroughly on your brisket to make sure it covers every part of your brisket. Also, pay special attention to the fat side because you are going to place the side on the pellet grill first.
What Temperature is Needed To Smoke a Brisket on a Pellet Grill?
To smoke a brisket on a pellet grill, we suggest you preheat the grill at 225°F before you start. You can use a thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of your brisket throughout the smoking process. Insert the thermometer probe into the thickest layer of your brisket while preparing.
Smoke your brisket until the internal temperature reaches anywhere between 190 -200°F. Then wrap it up and turn on the flame to slow smoke the brisket at 250°F. It takes around 12 to 14 hours to fully cook a brisket but it varies greatly depending on the size of your brisket and the temperature of your grill.
How To Smoke a Brisket On A Pellet Grill
- Preheat the Pellet Grill at 225°F
You can start the smoking process by preheating the pellet grill to 225°F with the wood pellets of your choice. You can use any smoke wood you want to smoke your brisket. But if you are looking for a rich flavor then we highly recommend you use hickory as it is known for its strong flavor.
- Place Brisket On The Grill With The Fat Side Down
The next thing you need to consider while smoking a brisket is to place the brisket on the grill with the fat side down. The fat acts as a protective layer for meat and prevents it from getting dry. Moreover, fat makes your meat more tender and juicy and locks the moisture inside.
On the contrary, if you place the brisket with fat side up, it will cause the fat to drip down on your brisket, washing away all the delicious seasoning. When you place the brisket on the pellet grill, allow it to cook for 7-8 hours.
After that, monitor the internal temperature of your brisket using a meat thermometer. If you are satisfied with the bark and the internal temperature of your brisket reaches 165°F.
- Remove Brisket From The Grill And Place In A Deep Pan
When the internal temperature of your brisket reaches 160°F, remove it from the grill and wrap it in butcher paper. Now turn on the temperature of your smoker to 250°F. Once the brisket is wrapped in butcher paper, you can’t do anything but wait until the internal temperature reaches around 200°F.
To check the temperature you can leave a thermometer probe and set an alarm depending on your preferred time. Besides this, you can insert an instant-read thermometer from time to time to check the internal temperature. When the temperature of your brisket reaches 200°F, remove it from the smoker and allow it to rest.
- Allow The Brisket To Rest And Absorb Juices
When your brisket is fully cooked, let it cover in butcher paper then place it in an old towel. After wrapping, allow the brisket to rest for at least one hour as it allows the meat to slowly penetrate the juices. If you are looking for a juicy and tender brisket, don’t overlook this step.
- Slice and Serve it
When your brisket is done resting, you can slice it. For better results, slice your brisket in long ways going against the grain of your meat. In this way, you will observe a smoke ring at the edges of your brisket which means the smoke has deeply immersed into the meat giving you a perfectly smoked brisket.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are a beginner to smoking or an expert pit master, you can follow this guide to smoke a perfectly flavored and juicy beef brisket. Brisket is a tough and muscular cut of meat so smoking it on a low and slow flame is the way to go. Through this guide, you will learn how to smoke a brisket on a pellet grill and create something truly delicious.