Did you know that different types of wood pellets produce different flavors of smoked brisket? If you have just started your culinary experience as a pitmaster, then it is very crucial to learn about the best pellets for smoking brisket that can complement your recipe. The best pellet is the one that produces tender, juicy, and richly flavored briskets, minus any overpowering aroma or burnt taste.
The secret behind the rich smoky flavors of brisket is greatly determined by the type of wood pellet fuel used. While hardwoods like oak, mesquite, and hickory give strong flavors, you can also use branded wood pellet mix to introduce unique flavor to your briskets. Fruitwoods like Apple Wood, Maple, and Pecan introduce a sweet and subtle flavor to briskets.
With the right kind of wood and low and slow smoking technique, rich and flavorful briskets can be easily produced. For a beginner, here is a complete buyer’s guide for choosing the best pellet for smoking brisket:
What Is a Brisket?
A brisket is a portion of meat from the chest area that connects with the shoulder, ribs, etc. It is a large piece of meat and usually weighs about 3 to 8 pounds, with a distinct marbling at each layer. Brisket is one of the best cuts of meat for smoking.
What Are Wood Pellets For Smoking Briskets?
Wood pellets are made from compressed sawdust as a by-product of a lumber mill. The natural substances within sawdust stick together to form pellets. The size of compressed sawdust pellet wood resembles that of chicken feed in terms of size and shape. They are convenient and very quick to produce smoke. Pellet wood should be directly used and not soaked, or otherwise, they will easily disintegrate.
Using Different Types of Wood To Smoke Brisket
Generally, two types of pellet woods are used to smoke brisket: Hardwoods and Fruitwoods. Pellet woods made from pure hardwood are known to produce nice and clean smoke without any toxic chemicals. Hardwoods impart a subtle wood flavor to the meat.
Smoking brisket can be a complicated process, but it is popular for its distinct aroma and the low amount of calories and carbs. Here is a list of the brisket flavor profile produced by smoking different types of wood pellets:
| Type of Wood to Smoke Brisket | Type of Smoke. | Flavor Profile |
| Hardwoods: | ||
| Oak | Has medium strength and burns for long hours. A great choice for beginners. | Strong, Traditional Smoke. |
| Mesquite | Has the strongest smoke profile and burns very quickly. | Strong and Earthy flavor. |
| Hickory | Strong | Milder flavor than Mesquite, but stronger than fruitwoods. Produces a Nutty or Bacon-like flavor. |
| Fruitwoods: | ||
| Apple Wood | Medium | Sweet and Fruity flavor. Bolder notes. Not as strong as Pecan. |
| Pecan | Strong | Subtle-sweet, Vanilla, and Nutty flavor. |
| Maple | Mild | Subtle-sweet flavor. |
In general, it is always recommended to go strong with big meaty beef briskets. Therefore, oak, mesquite, and hickory woods are the most popular choices of wood to smoke a brisket.
However, beginners may prefer milder undertones with apple, pecan, and maple wood. Though applewood is usually preferred for chicken and turkey, it can be used to retain the brisket’s natural meaty flavor. Fruitwoods bring about complex flavor variations and are great for experimental cooking.
Oakwood produces the highest amount of smoke and is a crowd-pleaser. For a fuller flavor along with controlled smoking, you can use hickory + oakwood to balance out the flavors. Oakwood pellets can easily blend with other woods. When using maple wood, it is best to blend it with some oakwood for a distinct taste.
How Much Wood Pellet Does A Pellet Grill Use?
On average, a standard-sized pellet grill would use ½ a pound of wood pellets per hour. The quantity will also depend upon the smoke setting; that is, the higher the setting, the more the amount of pellets would be consumed.
Similar post: How Do Pellet Grills Work? Tips for First Time
The Best Pellets For Smoking Brisket
This cooking pellet claims to have 100% pure hickory wood and no fillers like Alder, or other cheaper pellet woods. It can be used with any type of grill to leave an intense flavor through the inner layers of the brisket. If you are trying out a sweet and saucy recipe, then you should definitely smoke with hickory wood pellets.
For introducing robust and bold flavor to briskets, this is the perfect pellet of choice. The pure Mesquite wood pairs well with beef, pork, poultry, and fish. The pellets produce very little ash and are burnt cleanly. It is one of the best choices for Texas-style briskets and adds a spicy flavor.
The brand also offers other types of pellets made out of Hickory, Apple, Cherry and Traeger’s Signature Blend.
If you are not a true fan of strong smoky flavors, then we would recommend you ASMOKE Apple Wood Pellet. It adds a natural fruity flavor and blends very well with brisket. Applewood pellet is the best choice if you want to retain the natural flavor of the meat. It is suitable for all kinds of meat and contains no oakwood or other types of fillers.
When you are not sure about the best wood for your brisket, this signature blend will introduce a unique and flavorful flavor of three types of wood – oak, hickory, and cherry. The wood pellet mix burns evenly over the meat and leaves a nice and balanced flavor.
These Pecan pellets produce a sweet, nutty flavor and work well with all kinds of meat. To enhance the flavor of brisket smoked with Pecan wood, a hint of cayenne or red pepper seasoning is recommended.
These Maple pellets are suitable for fine-grade barbeque smoking that also works well with both indoor and outdoor barbeque smokers. The pellets ignite quickly and produce clean smoke. It is free from unnatural fillers and harmful preservatives.
All the above-mentioned brands have a variety of single flavors and blends. You can try these variants for different types of meat and cuts.
Also read: How To Smoke A Turkey On A Pellet Grill [STEPS]
Some Tips For Smoking Brisket
Producing perfectly smoked brisket includes seven steps: selection of meat, trimming, seasoning, smoking, wrapping, resting, and slicing. Among these, smoking is probably the most complicated step. Smoking briskets for long hours breaks down all the muscles and fat for a tender and juicy bite.
The use of pellet woods will also depend upon the type of smoker you are using. Pellet woods are compatible with pellet smokers, under-grate smoking boxes on your gas grills, and smoke generators. However, some methods can burn pellets very quickly. Therefore, to avoid bitter-tasting briskets, try not to over smoke. 225 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5-6 hours with charcoal and wood pellets is the ideal cooking condition for smoking briskets. If you are not sure about the strength and flavors of the smoke, you can always cover up the meat with a foil.
Never use softwoods or greenwoods for smoking meat or leave unused pellets in your hopper, as it will cause them to rot. A good wood pellet would not produce a large amount of ash and have no sawdust at the bottom of the bag.
If you are not using the best pellets for smoking brisket, you will never get the desired flavor you are looking for, even when you are using the most advanced smoker! It is also important to use the right kind of seasoning that will pair up well with the recipe. Once you have acquired mastery of smoking briskets, you would love to try it again and again, despite all the hard work and patience that goes into it!
More like this:
Scot has loved smoking food in his free time for the last few years. Each major holiday or off-weekend, Scot spends days testing and prepping new recipes for perfection.