Traeger Beef Brisket
A new cooking toy arrived recently at my house, not sure how that happens. 🤔 It was just magic that a Traeger now resides next to the BBQ on the porch, ohhhh, this is going to be fun!
Beef brisket is one of my favorites, and something I had never attempted. I’d looked at recipe ideas for cooking it in the oven or BBQ, these included suggestions such as adding a little liquid smoke to mimic the real thing, but I never had the courage to try it. Now, with the Traeger, I could try my hand the real thing, I believed I could, and so I did!!! 😁 It is a little intimidating since I have friends that say they have been working to perfect brisket for years and haven’t quite gotten it right yet. 😳 My research paid off and with just a little luck, I feel like I nailed it on the first try! So, I’m sharing this in hopes you will find yourself more confident about trying to cook brisket! Let me know how these instructions work for you!
Some advice I was given -
Be patient
Inserting the probe to check temperature should feel like it’s sliding into a stick of butter.
Be patient
With those words of advice and a little time spent researching recipes ideas, off I go on a cooking adventure. One of the most diverse things I found in recipes was the recommended internal temperature for when the brisket is done. I saw instructions indicating anywhere from 165-204! Hmmm, I guess I will aim for the middle.
Most recipes include using a pre-made rub, I find these tend to include a high percentage of sugar so I usually make my own. But if you have a favorite rub recipe or store bought rub, go for it!
INGREDIENTS FOR DRY RUB -
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp sea salt
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 Tbsp garlic granules
2 Tbsp onion powder
This rub was a good amount to coat a 10 pound brisket 😳, oh ya, I started strong.
The process starts the day before cooking. The first instruction I found is to trim some of the fat off of the fatty side, trimming it down to 1/4”. Even with a very sharp knife, I found this to be kinda hard. It was tough to cut and didn’t come out very even, many photos I saw were perfectly trimmed, not sure how they accomplished that but just do the best you can. After trimming the fat, coat the brisket thoroughly with the rub, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and set it in the refrigerator overnight.
6AM - yep - you have to get up early for this one! Preheat the Traeger per instructions, mine is 5 minutes on smoke setting with the lid open, then close the lid and preheat for 15 minutes at 225 degrees. Place the brisket, fat side down, on the grill and close the lid. Smoke for 6 hours or until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Patience.
12:30PM (ish) - Remove the brisket and wrap it in foil. Leaving the fat side down, place it back on the grill. This next step is about 4-5 hours, or until you reach an internal temperature of 195 degrees. Patience.
This was the hard part since I had seen so many variations on temperature! I weighed heavily on remembering to be patient (even though worried about overcooking it), and waiting for the probe to feel like it was sliding into a stick of butter. After the patience was applied, the brisket came off the grill at 5:30pm at an internal temperature of 195 degrees, and yes, the end result was perfect. Set the brisket aside and let it rest for at least 30 minutes or more.
This just melted in your mouth, the flavor was terrific, and I can’t wait to do it again! Enjoy!!