How to Smoke a Brisket in an Electric Smoker?

This recipe can help you learn how to smoke a brisket in an electric smoker. You can learn some valuable tips from the right way to prep and slice the meat to what pellet chips to utilize.

Ensure that you keep your brisket out of the fridge for one hour before smoking. That helps get the smoker to room temp, allowing a better cook. Once ready, place your brisket on the grill inside the smoker. Make sure to put it fat side up. That guarantees that once the fat begins melting away, it goes over the meat, permeating it with a juicy, fatty tang.

The way to make delightful smoked brisket is unlike any other piece of meat, which can intimidate many barbecue enthusiasts. The price and sheer proportions of the magnificent meat cut can even put off the most daring of smoking fans. The guide below teaches you to get the tastiest brisket with an electric smoker.

Electric Smoker Brisket Recipe

Trim the Brisket

Here is a critical phase of brisket prep that you should do before starting the seasoning and marinating. The level of fat that stays on the brisket can decide how well your beef can smoke and how good it can taste.

Leaving much fat on the meat makes it harder for the smoke to infuse the meat with taste. Trimming too much reduces the fat content, making the brisket less moist and losing its delicious juicy barbecue flavor.

At the core of good brisket, knife prep is a crucial element. You want to get a knife around seven to eight inches long for that purpose, and I can’t understate how bulky and rigid brisket meat is in its organic form. So, your knife should be both sharp and lengthy for the best trim.

Make the Brisket Rub

Remember to coat your brisket with a nice rub. That complements the smoky taste that doesn’t make it too overpowering. What’s important is that you keep the rub simple. Some BBQ lovers tend to overthink this step, but it’s best to avoid heavy-handed flavoring.

We want the meaty taste to be prominent without a thick seasoning layer. One of the best aspects of brisket is that if you season it with a simple mix of sea salt and black pepper, it still provides a decadent flavor.

Fortunately, you can get plenty of pre-made rubs and seasonings. That said, I suggest making the rub yourself. You can modify it to your palate, and it’s also satisfying to put it all together on your own.

Just remember that you need the rub to augment the flavor of the meat, so coat the brisket with your rub liberally. Thoroughly coat it but massage it in softly. Try adding garlic paste, red chili flakes, and paprika. If you make a marinade, inject it into the brisket as you season the meat. It is an optional step that also helps enhance the moisture and taste of the brisket.

Preheat the Electric Smoker

Pick the wood pellets that can pair well with your brisket. I suggest opting for oak, apple, or hickory. I like pairing my brisket with hickory for a nice smokiness, but go ahead and experiment.

Remember to choose dry hardwood regardless of the type of pellets you get. Dry hardwood makes sure that the smoke burns cleanly. Sooty smoke isn’t just challenging to stand in, but it can also leave a bitter taste in the brisket.

Once you load the smoker with your wooden pellets, preheat it and wait for the heat to set at 225 F or 110 C. It’s critical to pause for the temp to plateau for an extended period since that can help smoke the brisket more consistently without worrying about any hot or cold spots.

How to Make Smoked Brisket in Electric Smokers

Electric smokers provide a more straightforward way to smoke brisket while keeping that great barbecue flavor. They’re user-friendly and can make a great starting point for smoking for novices.

Sometimes, the primary heat source of the smoker rises from a lower position. In that case, position the grill lower in your smoker to ensure that the heat doesn’t only face the bottom of the brisket, which dries it out.

Aim the pointed end of the meat towards the energy source in the smoker. That contains a higher fat content, so it has less chance of drying out. Use a meat thermometer with the probes in the brisket and the smoking compartment. Also, use a drip pan to help catch any drippings while minimizing flare-ups.

Lastly, put a water pan containing water in the smoker chamber. That can aid in retaining moisture in the compartment, minimizing the dry-out that heat can cause. It also helps maintain an ideal amount of smoke in the chamber.

Shut the smoker’s lid or cover firmly. Please do not open it at any point until the next step. Otherwise, you’ll let out the heat and smoke needed to cook the brisket. The thermal probes can help you monitor the meat’s progress without needing to open the smoker repeatedly.

The time you need to cook the brisket can differ according to the size of meat you cut. You don’t need to hover over it for the initial three hours as it cooks in the smoker. Once the time passes, open the lid and use a spray bottle full of water or stock to spray the meat liberally. That helps keep the brisket moist while giving a gorgeous crust over the beef.

Do that at 30-minute intervals until the meat reaches 190 F or 90 C, then remove it from the smoker. After that, make sure you give the brisket time to rest. As enticing as it may be to begin eating it right away, let it rest for about 10 minutes to settle the juices.

How Long to Smoke Beef Brisket in Electric Smokers?

The time it takes to get to 190 F, or 90 C might seem ideal, but a good time estimate is one hour for every pound. That means for a five-pound cut of meat; you’ll require around 5 hours. The time can differ, so keep monitoring the internal temperature while cooking.

Keep reading: When To Wrap Brisket – Here’s How To Do It The Right Way

What is the Ideal Smoked Brisket Internal Temperature?

190 F or 90 C is ideal for the internal temp of smoked brisket, but be aware of the stall. That is a period during which the temperature in the smoker starts to disperse moisture from the meat, which can significantly minimize, or even stop, the upsurge of your meat’s temperature.

To avoid that, I suggest getting aluminum foil to wrap the meat in when it gets to 165 F or 75 C. That helps keep the moisture locked in your beef till it reaches the 190-degree spot. As a precaution, it’s also essential to test the brisket using a fork to check its tenderness. The meat is ready if you can twist it in the brisket.

Can You Leave Rub on Overnight?

For ideal results, try flavoring your meat beforehand and let it sit in the fridge overnight. That can efficiently brine the brisket overnight, improving the taste and providing the moistest and tastiest beef.

How to Cut the Cooked Brisket?

A brisket has two primary parts: its ‘flat’ end and its ‘point.’ These sections are different, so you need to approach them separately.

With a serrated knife, begin cutting counter to the flat’s grain. Try to get the meat to be one-quarter inches thick. At that point, turn the beef around and cut counter to the point’s grain. Make sure not to trim the char of the brisket.

Also read: What Part of a Cow Is Brisket? [BEST BRISKET]

Final Words

Smoking brisket is tricky but not impossible. Just make sure to get the right meat, prep it properly, and monitor the smoker. Voila! That’s how to smoke a brisket in an electric smoker. Good luck!