How to Make Texas Style Brisket: Recipe & Beginner’s Guide

The Texas style is a method used for making a brisket by tenderizing it and cooking it simultaneously. Texas is very famous for its way of smoking brisket. It allows the meat to absorb abundant smoky flavor from wood to enhance its taste. Here is how to make Texas style brisket.

A Texas style brisket is made by smoking a whole brisket, including the flat and point. While smoking your brisket this way, you will need to apply the slow and low cooking method. It takes eight to twelve hours to make your brisket the Texas style. Therefore, you must be careful so you do not make even the slightest mistakes because they will ruin your entire brisket.

This guide provides you with all the information you need to understand how to make Texas style brisket. Keep reading to learn more:

Texas style smoked brisket.

A Texas style smoked brisket is a brisket prepared by tenderizing it and cooking it through smoking. This is where it earned its name. The brisket has a greater taste than baked and boiled briskets because it takes enough time to absorb a smoky flavor from the wood it is smoked in. The spices and herbs penetrate through the meat pieces as the smoke burns the excess fats melting away. This leaves behind a brisket with a dark exterior and a tender, juicy, and flavorful interior. The dark exterior of the brisket is known as bark. It is dark but very delicious.

Also See: How Long To Smoke A Brisket At 250? [STEP-BY-STEP]

Here is the process of making the Texas style brisket.

Smoking a brisket Texas style

Here is a step-by-step guide for beginners that can help them make the best Texas style smoked brisket. No one would want to spend over 8 hours in the kitchen to come out with ruined brisket. To ensure this does not happen, here is what you should do.

Get the tools ready

Like all the other meals’ recipes, the tools necessary for making the brisket should be ready. The best thing about making this brisket is that you do not need a lot of tools. Get a knife, a chopping board, and a smoker then you are good to go. Ensure that your smoker is clean and in good working condition.

Prepare your ingredients

Beginners only need to use very few ingredients to avoid ruining their brisket. Only get the five essential ingredients which are:

• Brisket
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Wood
• Garlic powder

If you are confident in your smoking skills, you can go forward and add more extra spices such as paprika, cayenne, and so on. But if you are trying this for the first time, don’t add these additional spices.

Light up the smoker

After collecting your tools and ingredients, now get the smoker ready. Light the wood or coals and close the lid. Ensure that the coal or wood burns well before you put your brisket in because smoke is the only thing importing more flavor to the brisket.

Trim the brisket

Trimming is very important because it affects the final product you get after 8 or 12 hours of smoking. Take 20 minutes to trim off the brisket and remove any outer membranes and the extra fats on the surface.

Season the brisket

The Texas style smoked brisket is seasoned with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Rub the three on your brisket on every side generously. Ensure that your brisket is fully covered in the mixture of salt, black pepper, and garlic powder at the end of your seasoning process. Remember, the brisket is thick and can withstand normal seasoning, but do not overdo it. This adds a layer of greatness to your brisket.

Smoke the brisket

Now you have everything ready. Confirm the temperature of your smoker. Put your brisket in the smoker when the temperature hits 225 degrees F. When smoking brisket, you should know that every pound should be smoked for one hour. Therefore the more pounds you smoke, the more time you will spend on a smoker.

Also Read: What is the best wood to smoke a Brisket? (Find Out Here)

Put the brisket in the smoker. The fat cap facing up. This is the side of the brisket with a lot of fat. After putting the brisket in the smoker, let it smoke for three hours on each side without bothering it. This gives the brisket enough time to absorb smoke and the seasoning ingredients creating a bark.

Wrap the brisket

This step is crucial as it enables your brisket to have a juicy and tender interior with a delicious dark exterior. Measure the brisket’s internal temperature using a meat thermometer. When it reaches 160 degrees, remove it from the smoker. Wrap it using aluminum foil or butcher paper. Wrap it strongly, just like how you would wrap a present.

Put the wrapped brisket back in the smoker and raise the smoker’s temperature to 275 degrees F. Let it continue smoking until the internal temperature reaches 202 degrees F at the thicker part of the brisket. When measuring the internal temperature, ensure that the temperature is in meat but not fat.

Rest the smoked brisket

Be sure to complete this step. This essential step ensures you end with a juicy and tender smoked brisket. Remove it from the smoker and give it thirty minutes rest or even an hour to allow the juices to settle and the absorbed heat to tenderize the meat more.

Also See: How Long Should You Rest Brisket? [FIND OUT HERE]

Slice the brisket

There is always one rule when it comes to slicing a brisket, always slice against the grain and serve to enjoy.

Texas-style smoked brisket recipe.

What you need

• Smoker
• Knife
• Chopping board
• Meat thermometer

Ingredients

• 10 pounds brisket
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Garlic powder

Prep time – 2 hours 40 mins

Cook time – 10 hours

Total time – 12 hours 40 minutes

Instructions

1. Collect your tools and ingredients
2. Trim off the excess from the brisket while it is still cold. Leave behind about a quarter-inch layer of fat. Make sure you remove the hard fat on the underside, sides, and between the flat and point.
3. Generously season the brisket with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Ensure every side of the brisket is fully covered with the mixture.
4. Set up the smoker at 225 degrees F. Use the wood or coal of your choice, but in most cases, it is better to use apple wood and hickory.
5. Put the seasoned brisket in the smoker and cook for six hours until the internal temperature reaches 165 to 170 degrees. Use a meat thermometer to determine the temperature.
6. Remove the brisket from heat, then wrap it in aluminum foil or butcher paper.
7. Put it back in the smoker, increase the temperature to 275 degrees F, and let it continue cooking until it attains an internal temperature of 195 to 205 degrees F.
8. Remove the wrapped brisket from your smoker and carefully unwrap it so the steam does not burn you.
9. Let the brisket rest on the chopping board for 30 minutes to an hour to settle the juices, giving you a final juicy and tender meat.
10. Separate the point and the flat muscle before you serve. Then slice your brisket against the grain and enjoy.

Also Read: How to Cut a Brisket: The Best Techniques [Step By Step]

Wrapping it UP

The Texas style brisket is juicy, tender, and delicious. It can serve many people, thus an ideal option to make when you have friends coming over or small celebrations. Smoking the Texas style brisket is simple. You only need salt and pepper for seasoning with your favorite wood for a smoky flavor. Making this brisket takes up to 12 hours, but the results are worth everything.