The Best Brisket Recipes (2024)

Braised Cola and Bourbon Brisket

The Best Brisket Recipes (1)

Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Tami Hardeman

Brisket was meant to be grilled. Whether marinated or dry rubbed, brisket cooked over smoking wood or charcoal develops a gorgeous crust and juicy, tender flesh. If you can't get to a grill, be sure pull out your trusty Instant Pot or slow cookerto achieve similar succulent results.

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Heavenly Smoked Brisket

heavenly smoked brisket image

The Best Brisket Recipes (2)

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Claire Spollen

Heavenly Smoked Brisket Recipe

Brisket is the legendary low-and-slow-cooked cut of the Lone Star State, but its fame extends far beyond Texas borders. This recipe came to us from a reader in Alexandria, Louisiana. Hickory-smoked with a bold brown sugar-Cajun spice rub, it topped our annual list of favorites in 1995. There's no barbecue sauce. None needed. The heavenly flavor of the brisket speaks for itself.

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Pulled Brisket Sandwiches with Sesame Slaw

Pulled Brisket Sandwiches with Sesame Slaw

The Best Brisket Recipes (3)

Credit: Dylan + Jeni

Pulled Brisket Sandwiches with Sesame Slaw Recipe

Slow-cooked brisket is the best when shredded and smothered in barbeque sauce. It's even better when you share it with friends by making party-sized sliders. The cooling sesame slaw brings everything together for a casual finger-food celebration.

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Brisket with Melted and Pickled Onions

brisket-with-melted-and-pickled-onions

The Best Brisket Recipes (4)

Credit: Victor Protasio

Brisket with Melted and Pickled Onions Recipe

Sweet onions and red onions are gently pickled and topped over a slow-cooked brisket that is simply seasoned with Worcestershire sauce. The brisket simmers over a low heat for about 8 hours creating a tender finish.

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Texas-Style Chili with Brisket

Texas-Style Chili with Brisket

The Best Brisket Recipes (5)

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Thom Driver

Texas-Style Chili with Brisket Recipe

Texas chili is purely beef-driven: no beans allowed. This version boasts smoky, complex, deep flavor from a mix of dried chiles and chili powders.

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Slow-Cooker Brisket with Smoked Paprika

Slow Cooker Brisket with Smoked Paprika

The Best Brisket Recipes (6)

Credit: Annabelle Breakey

Slow-Cooker Brisket with Smoked Paprika Recipe

Save time and oven space and use a slow-cooker for brisket that's tender when pierced, with a rich, velvety sauce. Start in the morning and you'll have brisket by dinnertime.

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True Smoked Beef Brisket

True Smoked Beef Brisket

The Best Brisket Recipes (7)

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl

True Smoked Beef Brisket Recipe

This is the real-deal approach to making the ultimate smoked beef brisket and this brisket recipe will have everyone flocking to your backyard barbecue. The brisket smokes for over 5 hours under hot coals and wood chunks creating a complex, yet authentic smoky flavor. It won't get much better than this.

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Buffalo-Brisket Sliders with Special Sauce

Buffalo-Brisket Sliders with Special Sauce image

The Best Brisket Recipes (8)

Credit: Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Thom Driver

Buffalo-Brisket Sliders with Special Sauce Recipe

Buffalo has a sweet, rich taste and is a low-fat, nutrient-dense meat. We mix in flavorful brisket to maximize meaty juiciness. Pressing each patty once it hits the hot pan develops a great savory crust.

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Cowboy Brisket Sandwich

Cowboy Brisket Sandwich

The Best Brisket Recipes (9)

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl

Cowboy Brisket Sandwich Recipe

Layer the brisket on thick and place between two slices of well buttered and toasted thick-sliced bread.

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Slow Cooker Barbacoa Brisket

Slow Cooker Barbacoa Brisket

The Best Brisket Recipes (10)

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower

Slow Cooker Barbacoa Brisket Recipe

Slow cooking tougher cuts of meat, such as beef brisket, gives you a meltingly tender texture. For tacos, serve the saucy barbacoa in tortillas with green and red onion, cilantro leaves, jalapeño slices, and fresh lime wedges.

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Brisket with Mushroom-and-Onion Gravy

Brisket with Mushroom-and-Onion Gravy

The Best Brisket Recipes (11)

Credit: Alison Miksch; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Brisket with Mushroom-and-Onion Gravy Recipe

Flat-cut brisket comes in a range of sizes. If you get a large, oblong piece, trim the thin end off, if necessary, so it will fit in a Dutch oven and cook evenly.

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Coffee-Rubbed Texas-Style Brisket

Coffee-Rubbed Texas-Style Brisket

The Best Brisket Recipes (12)

Credit: Charles Masters; Styling: Alma Melendez

Coffee-Rubbed Texas-Style Brisket Recipe

This delicious Texas-style beef brisket features a coffee-based dry rub that adds deep, smoky flavor to the meat.

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B-Side Brown Sugar Smoked Brisket

B-Side Brown Sugar Smoked Brisket

The Best Brisket Recipes (13)

Credit: Thomas J. Story

B-Side Brown Sugar Smoked Brisket Recipe

A charcoal grill will give you the smokiest flavor for this sugar-and-spice-crusted brisket. Throughout the grilling time, your goal should be to produce lots of smoke, which imparts tremendous depth of flavor.

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Simple, Perfect Fresh-Ground Brisket Burgers

Simple, Perfect Fresh-Ground Brisket Burgers

The Best Brisket Recipes (14)

Credit: Oxmoor House

Simple, Perfect Fresh-Ground Brisket Burgers Recipe

We loved the simple, flavorful patty we got from grinding inexpensive beef brisket. Traditional condiments like ketchup and mustard are an option, but we found this burger so good on its own that all we added was cheese, lettuce, and tomato.

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Grilled Salted Beef Brisket

Grilled Salted Beef Brisket or Flank Steak

The Best Brisket Recipes (15)

Credit: James Carrier

Grilled Salted Beef Brisket Recipe

A gas barbecue works best to maintain low, even heat to slow-cook this simple salted brisket. Serve this dish to company at your next backyard barbecue.

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Texas-Style Smoked Brisket

Texas-Style Smoked Brisket

The Best Brisket Recipes (16)

Credit: Randy Mayor; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross

Texas-Style Smoked Brisket Recipe

Try barbecue Texas style, which most often centers around the beef brisket! If there is any sauce, it is a thin, spicy pan sauce made from the meat drippings. Look for a flat-cut brisket, which will be a fairly even thickness, and leave the fat layer on for the best results.

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Fiesta Brisket

Fiesta Brisket

The Best Brisket Recipes (17)

Credit: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Sissy Lamerton

Fiesta Brisket Recipe

The combination of ingredients like guajillo chiles, dried Mexican oregano leaves, and lime juice give this dish a Mexican flair perfect for any fiesta!

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Smoked Brisket

Smoked Brisket

The Best Brisket Recipes (18)

Smoked Brisket Recipe

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Ultimate Burgers

Ultimate Burgers

The Best Brisket Recipes (19)

Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Ultimate Burgers Recipe

Tyler Florence's burgers are extra juicy and flavorful because they're made with brisket. Pile on a few of his favorite toppings, like sauteed mushrooms and onions, spiced bacon, herbed horseradish mayonnaise and chile ketchup for a burger straight from paradise.

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Brisket-and-Black Bean Chili with Cilantro-Lime Crema

Brisket-and-Black Bean Chili with Cilantro-Lime Crema

The Best Brisket Recipes (20)

Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Brisket-and-Black Bean Chili with Cilantro-Lime Crema Recipe

This hearty, richly spiced chili is made in a slow cooker so it’s easy to prepare and transport if you’re traveling for game day. Instead of bowls, set out mugs and let everyone help themselves to the chili and crema.

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Smoky Brisket With Peppers and Onions

Smoky Brisket with Peppers and Onions

The Best Brisket Recipes (21)

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Smoky Brisket With Peppers and Onions Recipe

Don't want to spend a hot summer day tending to the smoker? Call on your slow cooker to work its magic. Slow-cooking tougher cuts of meat, like a brisket, slowly melts the thin marbles of fat into the meat, creating a meltingly tender result. Canned chipotle peppers—smoked jalapeños in tangy adobo sauce—add heat and smoky flavor with just one ingredient. Look for the small cans near Mexican ingredients in the international aisle at large supermarkets. To keep the sauce pleasantly spicy and not over-the-top hot, be sure to remove the seeds from the peppers before mincing. Serve the shredded meat and vegetables folded into warm tortillas, over rice, or even with mashed potatoes.

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Braised Brisket with Sweet Potatoes

Braised Brisket with Sweet Potatoes

The Best Brisket Recipes (22)

Credit: Charles Schiller; Styling: Lynn Miller

Braised Brisket with Sweet Potatoes Recipe

This comforting bakedbrisket and sweet potatoes make a delicious fall meal when the temperature starts to drop.

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Smoked Brisket

Smoked Brisket

The Best Brisket Recipes (23)

Smoked Brisket Recipe

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Beer-Braised Brisket with Onion Jam

Beer-Braised Brisket with Onion Jam

The Best Brisket Recipes (24)

Credit: Johnny Miller; Styling: Sarah Smart

Beer-Braised Brisket with Onion Jam Recipe

The secret to a succulent grand finale for Beer-Braised Brisket with Onion Jam starts with low, moist heat. After braising, the meat is chilled in the cooking liquid overnight; then the brisket is sliced and reheated in the rich, meaty cooking liquid to guarantee that every savory bite is juicy. Should you be preparing this for Passover and wanting to abide by the Kosher for Passover dietary guidelines, omit the beer by substituting additional stock.

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Braised Cola-and-Bourbon Brisket

Braised Cola and Bourbon Brisket

The Best Brisket Recipes (25)

Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Tami Hardeman

Braised Cola-and-Bourbon Brisket Recipe

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The Best Brisket Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the best method for cooking a brisket? ›

Regardless, brisket is a cut that benefits from a low and slow cooking style. Braising and smoking are the most common. They're both effective ways to add great flavor to the meat as well as make it mouthwateringly tender. You can also steam beef brisket.

What is the secret to the perfect smoked brisket? ›

10 Tips for Smoking The Perfect Brisket: How to Smoke a Brisket Like a Pro
  1. Choose the right cut of meat. ...
  2. Trim the fat. ...
  3. Spice up the brisket, but do not go overboard. ...
  4. Prepare the smoker for a long cook. ...
  5. Now that your smoker is ready, it's time to smoke the brisket. ...
  6. Setup Your MeatStick For Success. ...
  7. Wrap It Up.

Does brisket get more tender the longer you cook it? ›

The temperature of the meat begins to rise again -- which you want because brisket gets more tender the longer you cook it.

At what temperature does brisket fall apart? ›

Mind you, it is a little faster. The meat still needs a couple of hours in a higher temperature range to fully render fat and dissolve collagen. Brisket can be done in a range of 200-210°F (93-99°C), but as a general rule, it's safe to bet on 203°F (95°C). Brisket should be tender but not so tender it's falling apart.

How do you keep brisket moist when cooking? ›

Water: if you want to increase humidity, slow the cooking process to build more smoke flavor, or just want to keep the meat moist, you can just spritz with 100% water.

Do I cook a brisket fat side up or down? ›

To set things straight, we're here to put an end to the confusion, so you can get back to the grill with confidence. For brisket cooked to flavorful perfection, fat-side-down is the way to go. This is the only way to achieve a brisket that is perfectly moist with a perfect bark on both sides.

Should I sear brisket before baking? ›

It's actually possible to perfectly cook a brisket double wrapped in aluminum foil with some veggies and sauce over night in an oven set to 225 degrees F. Sear the brisket first. Sear the brisket all over to caramelize the meat and develop flavor before slow cooking it. Submerge the brisket in liquid and add aromatics.

What is the 4 2 10 brisket rule? ›

That means that they smoke the brisket with a medium temperature, then on a very high temperature for a short period and then steam it for the last 10 degrees over a very long period of time.

Should brisket be wrapped in foil in oven? ›

Smoked brisket cooked using the Texas Crutch method (wrapped in butcher paper or foil) is incredibly juicy and extremely tender. Wrapping your meat in foil ensures it comes out beautifully smoked and full of flavor.

What happens if you wrap a brisket too early? ›

Wrapping the brisket at this stage also helps keep it moist and tender by trapping the juices and preventing it from drying out. If you wrap a brisket too early, you may end up with a softer, less textured bark. If you wrap the brisket late, it may take a lot longer to cook.

Do you flip a brisket on the smoker? ›

When smoking a brisket, there is no need to flip it during the cooking process. In fact, flipping the brisket can disrupt the cooking process and result in uneven cooking or a loss of moisture.

How do you make brisket more flavorful? ›

Common go-to rubs include seasonings like garlic, herbs, and spices. Just be sure to take it easy on the rub so that your brisket doesn't come out too salty. If you plan to mop or baste your brisket while smoking, be sure to coordinate the flavors properly with your rub. Marinating is another option for smoked brisket.

How long to smoke a 5 lb brisket at 225? ›

A: You can usually figure about 1.5 hours per pound at 225 degrees for brisket, pork shoulder and other larger pieces of meat. Several things can affect this time such as actual meat thickness, wind, temperature and how often you open the door of the smoker.

How do you keep brisket moist and tender? ›

Wrapping in foil is known as the “Texas crutch”— an effective way of finishing a long cooking time without drying out the meat and keeping a steady internal temperature. It captures the meat's fat and juices, so they can be reabsorbed once the meat is taken off the smoker to rest.

How do you make brisket tender and moist? ›

Cooking brisket at a relatively low temperature (such as 300F) for a long period of time (6 to 7 hours for a 3 to 4 pound piece of meat) lets the connective tissue break down and the fat melt to keep the meat juicy. This results in very tender brisket.

How do you keep brisket from getting tough? ›

The way to solve this is to cook to internal temperature of about 95C or 203f. But that is just a rough guide to tender brisket. If you cook it very low & slow, say anywhere from 220f to 240f, it will be close to tender at 91C or 196f. If you cook slightly higher & faster, it might not be ready until 207f or 97C.

What causes a brisket to be tough? ›

Brisket contains a lot of connective tissue, which can make it tough. The type of connective tissue in brisket is called collagen. Cook the meat quickly and you get tough, dry meat. Cook a brisket slowly, with some liquid, and the collagen turns into gelatin.

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