Pit Boss Brisket Recipe: How To Smoke a Brisket Flat on a Pellet Grill
It is not an easy task to cook a brisket. It can take hours to prepare a beef brisket. Here’s a quick overview of how to grill a beef brisket using a pellet grill.
- Get the best brisket on the market.
- Reduce excess fat
- Opt for hardy hardwood pellets (mesquite)
- Salty overnight
- The girll must be seasoned for 30 minutes before putting it on the Pit Boss.
- Heat at 225°F – 265°F (don’t overcook it)
- Cover and heat to 165°F (use the thermometer to check).
- To spritz? (I chose to not too)
- Take at 165°F and wrap with pink butcher paper.
- Place the grill on and heat to 200°F – 203°F
- Wrap in a towel and let it rest for at least 1 to 2 hours
- Slice and serve it.
These were the exact steps that I used to cook my first beef brisket. This guide was written for the Pit Boss smoker. However, it will also work for any pellet grill.
From start to finish, the entire process took me about eleven hours. The pit boss brisket was placed on the grill at 7:30 AM. It rested until 6:30 PM that day.
See Also: Louisiana Grills Vertical Pellet Smoker Review
What is a Brisket?
Brisket is a cut from the cow’s pectoral muscles. This article will go into more detail about brisket and the various cuts.
This article will only cover the steps that I took to prepare my first one and my mistakes.
See Also:
Select a Brisket for smoked brisket pit boss
Brisket is divided into two parts: the flat and the point. The deckle is also called the point. It has more marbling, which makes it tender and delicious when cooked.
The pit boss brisket flat, also known as “first cut”, is the largest and most lean muscle. Because it can become difficult to cook, it is also the most difficult to prepare.
When I bought my brisket, I didn’t know what I was getting. I just knew that I wanted one. It was $7 per pound, so I bought it from Costco.
The 7-pound brisket I bought cost $46. That is not cheap. To avoid any mishaps, I wanted the smallest possible brisket.
It wasn’t until I bought the brisket that I realized that I should have purchased a whole package of brisket. A whole packet of brisket can weigh anywhere from 8-16 pounds. That’s a lot!
You can also vacuum seal a whole package and use the leftovers to make other things. [1]
See Also: Pit Boss Pro Series 1600
Pit Boss Brisket: How to prepare the Brisket?
Preparing a dish is the same whether you cook a whole brisket, a flat, or a point.
Reduce excess fat
You will first need to remove excess fat. Trim the fat to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Seasonings won’t penetrate meat if it is thicker than this.
The smoke penetrates the meat and creates dark bark by trimming the Brisket. You’ll find the most fat in the fat cap.
You may also need: Best Knife For Trimming Brisket
Salty Coat
After trimming the Brisket, you can coat it with kosher salt. Salt helps to tenderize the meat.
The Brisket, a tough cut of meat, should be prepared in advance. After the meat has been coated in salt, please place it in a large bag and allow it to rest in the fridge overnight. The next day it will be ready for cooking.
See Also: How To Use Pit Boss Electric Smoker or Pellet Grill?
What spices go well with a brisket?
You can season beef with many different seasonings.
You can season it with anything you want. You can find many brisket rubs online. You may prefer to make it easy if you are first trying to cook a brisket.
You can also skip the experimentation and buy ready-made rubs. BBQ Bros Rub Southern Style Seasoning Pack includes New Orlean, Memphis, and Carolina style rubs all in one pack.
Beef Brisket Recipe | Pit Boss Smoker Brisket Recipe
We tried to make a simple rub for this first beef brisket. Most likely, you already have the ingredients in your pantry.
Ingredients for Pit Boss Smoked Brisket:
- 1/2 Teaspoon Chipotle Powder
- 2 Tablespoons garlic powder
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Paprika
- 1/4 cup black pepper
This is a Texas rub. We made ours slightly different because it called for Cayenne pepper, which we didn’t have.
You are free to try with the rub. Your brisket may be a bit spicier than the one we used.
Pit Boss Brisket: How do you smoke a beef brisket on a pit boss?
Before I begin smoking on my pellet grill, I make sure that I have everything I need.
- A Pellet Grill Pink Butcher Paper (or aluminum foil).
- Meat Thermometer
- Hardwood pellets (preferably Mesquite).
- Large cutting board
- Grilling gloves
You can also use a charcoal grill if you don’t own a pellet smoker.
How do you cook a brisket on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill?
See Also: At What Temperature is Pork Done?
Fat Side Up or Down
This is a big topic, and I have covered it more in detail here. However, I did cook the brisket fat-side up. I may try the fat side down for the next one to see if it makes a difference.
How Do You Cook a Brisket on a Pit Boss?
A pit boss brisket can be cooked at 225°F to 250°F (I used 250°F).
Cooking brisket at the right temperature is key to achieving the perfect result.
The weather was cloudy when I cooked the brisket, so it didn’t get too hot. The Smoke IT WiFi controller made it easy for me to monitor the barbecue’s temperature without needing to go outside.
This is the most difficult part of smoking a brisket. The temperature of the grill must be monitored. You can adjust the temperature setting if it gets too hot.
However, the temperature mustn’t drop too much. You can allow your grill to fluctuate a little.
My temperature fluctuated between 236degF and 255degF. It reached 265°F at one point. This is normal for a pellet barbecue.
What is the best P-Setting for cooking brisket?
If you are not cooking a brisket cold, I recommend that the P-Setting be set to the default P4 factory settings.
What are the Best Pellets to Smoke a Beef Brisket?
For a brisket, choose a strong flavor pellet such as Mesquite or Hickory. You will get a more flavorful brisket if you use stronger pellets.
Mesquite was my choice. The brisket had a wonderful smoky flavor.
What is the time it takes to smoke a beef brisket on a pit boss?
Seasoning, trimming, and cooking can take anywhere from 10 to 20 hours. My first brisket took me 11 hours to prepare. The brisket was smoked for nearly 9 hours.
The size and temperature of the brisket will affect the cooking time.
No matter how long it takes to cook, you will want a reliable handheld meat thermometer. This will make it much easier to determine the internal temperature and ensure you don’t miss any steps.
Brisket is not like other meats. You’ll get tough, unpalatable meat if you cook it too quickly.
Give yourself enough time to complete the task without rushing.
Can You Flip a Beef Brisket?
You don’t need to flip the brisket. Place it on the grill and cook it with indirect heat. The pellet grill will cook your beef perfectly without any need to turn, rotate, or flip it.
Spritzing
Is it better to smoke a brisket than not? This topic is a hot topic in online smoking forums. Some say that it is necessary to keep the meat moist throughout cooking. Others disagree.
If you do decide to spray yours, wait at least two hours before you start smoking it. Too soon spritzing can wash off the seasoning and make the bark less developed.
What should you spray it with? Fill your spray bottle up with water, beef broth, or meat. Some people even mix apple cider vinegar and apple juice.
If you are new to cooking briskets, I do not recommend spraying them. Focus on keeping the temperature at the right temperature. That’s what I did with my first brisket.
The Stall
The stall is when the Brisket has reached an internal temperature of 160°F. This is when the water in the Brisket evaporates, and the meat begins cooling.
Now, take the Pit Boss’ Brisket out and cover it with pink butcher papers (sometimes called peach). Secure it!
Aluminum foil can be used if desired. The Texas Crutch is a method of wrapping meat in aluminum foil.
Aluminum foil is not as breathable as bark and won’t give you the same results.
I didn’t know about butcher paper before making my first Brisket. Aluminum foil has been my preferred method of cooking briskets, but I decided to use butcher paper.
Here are some reasons to use pink butcher paper.
It’s very affordable and the same one that I used to make mine.
After wrapping the brisket with foil or butcher’s paper, place it back on the barbecue. Cover the grill and cook it until it reaches a temperature of 200°F to 203°F.
It’s not over; it’s just the beginning.
Rest Period
Allow the brisket to rest for at least two hours. It is a good rule of thumb to let the meat rest for at least an hour per pound.
People will let their brisket rest for up to 4 hours, especially if they plan to eat later in the day.
Brisket resting is a completely different process than resting chicken, steak, or hamburgers.
Wrap the brisket with a towel, and then place it in a cooler. It sounded strange to me too. But after reading all about it, I decided that it was the best way to go with my brisket.
The meat will get tough if it isn’t allowed to rest for enough time. You must be patient to allow the brisket to get the beautiful rest it deserves.
Slice the Brisket
You can use a sharp knife to cut against the grain. Slicing a Brisket is a complicated process.
The brisket meat can become tough and chewy if it is not cut correctly. The fibers will be cut against the grain, which will make it more tender and easier to chew.
What to serve with Brisket?
Smoked brisket tastes great and can be served with your favorite side dishes. It doesn’t matter if you prefer to make it more traditional or go simple with sandwiches.
Beef brisket can be served with onions and carrots. It can be paired with smoked broccoli, green beans, and potatoes.
Our freshly prepared brisket was served with roasted potatoes, smoked broccoli, and rice.
You can make a sandwich with leftovers by adding some BBQ sauce to it.
If you have made a large amount of brisket, don’t forget about vacuum packing and freezing any leftovers.
Verdict
This guide will show you how to smoke a brisket using the Pit Boss. You’ll be glad you did.
If you have an extra 11 hours, put a brisket in the smoker and relax.
A pellet grill makes smoking a brisket a must-smoke food!