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–+ servings
slices of smoked beef brisket on a cutting board

Pit Boss Smoked Beef Brisket

Mads Martigan
Learn exactly how to smoke beef brisket on a Pit Boss pellet grill following our detailed instructions and recipe below!
This is a great BBQ dish to feed a crowd, and especially easy to do on a Pit Boss!
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 16 hours
Rest Time 1 hour
Total Time 20 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Australian, barbecue, BBQ, Holiday, Smoked
Servings 10 people
Calories 861 kcal

Equipment

  • Pit Boss Pellet Grill
  • Wood Pellets preferably hickory, apple, and/or cherry
  • Aluminum Foil Trays
  • Plastic Wrap
  • Internal Meat Thermometer
  • Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
  • Large Cutting Board
  • Meat Slicing Knife
  • Large Cutting Board

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Whole Packer Beef Brisket 12-18 lbs
  • Worcestershire Sauce

Rub

  • ½ cup Kosher Salt use more or less if needed depending on brisket size
  • 2 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
  • 1 tablespoon Black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 tablespoon Onion powder

Instructions
 

Prepare the Brisket

  • Trim any excess hard pieces of fat from the meat side of the brisket, as well as any fat along the edges.
    trimming a beef brisket with a knife
  • Trim off any thin areas of the flat, rouning it out into a U-Shape and making sure the edges are all thicker than the width of a finger.
  • Trim the fat cap to allow more fat to render out to about ¼ inch of thickness.

Apply the Rub

  • Apply a thin layer of Worcestershire Sauce to the entire exterior of the brisket.
    a raw seasoned beef brisket in an aluminum foil pan
  • Mix the rub ingredients well and apply generously to the entire exterior.
  • Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 hours while you prepare the smoker to allow the rub to penetrate the meat.

Start the Pit Boss Pellet Grill

  • Add your chosen pellets to the hopper, start the Pit Boss pellet grill, and let it run through the start up cycle.
  • Set the temperature to preheat to 200°F.
  • Fill an aluminum pan with water pan if you want to add extra moisture, and place it on the far left side of the Pit Boss. You can also place it on the bottom grates and cook the brisket on the top rack above it if the brisket will fit. .

Smoke the Brisket

  • Remove the plastic wrap and place the brisket on the Pit Boss, with the fat cap DOWN, and the thicker end pointing to the left.
    a brisket on the grates of the Pit Boss with the larger side to the left and a firebox smoking in the back left of the grill
  • Place an internal temperature probe into the center of the brisket.
  • Close the lid, cook the brisket for about 3-4 hours, and then increase the temperature of the Pit Boss to 220°F.
  • Spray the brisket as needed to keep the edges from drying out with a combination of apple cider vinegar and water.
  • Continue to cook another 3-4 hours, or until the internal temperature has reached 135°F, and turn the temperature up to 240°F.
  • Turn the brisket over now so that the fat side is UP. Place the brisket on a wire rack over a foil lined baking sheet for extra protection of the meat side from below.

Wrapping

  • Once the bark is a dark color and gives to pressing like soft butter, rather than feeling like rubber, it's time to wrap. This will usually happen around the 170°F internal temperature mark.
    an instant read thermometer in the brisket measuring 176.5 degrees F
  • Carefully remove the brisket and place on the end of 2 overlapping strips of wax-free butcher paper.
    a beef brisket on a piece of butcher paper about to be wrapped
  • Wrap the brisket tightly around all sides.
  • Replace the temperature probe and place the brisket back on the Pit Boss, still on the wire rack backing sheet combo.
    a brisket wrapped in butcher paper on a wire rack in a pit boss with a MEATER thermometer probe inserted into the meat through the butcher paper
  • Turn the cooking temperature up to 270°F.

Resting

  • When the internal temperature of the brisket has reached about 205°F, and feels "probe tender", remove the brisket from the Pit Boss and keep wrapped.
  • Let the brisket rest o the counter for about 60 minutes until the internal temperature comes down to 170°F.
  • Then place the wrapped brisket in an oven set to WARM, or about 170°F, for 6-8 hours.
  • Remove the brisket form the oven, and keep wrapped on the counter until it comes down to 135-140°F internally.

Slicing and Serving

  • Unwrap the brisket and place on a large cutting board. Slice against the grain of the flat in about ¼ inch slices. Slice against the grain of the point as well and serve immediately.
    black vinyl gloved hand slicing a brisket with a meat slicing knife on a cutting board
  • Save extra brisket unsliced to retain the most moisture.
  • Slice the burnt ends into chunks if desired.
    burnt ends from beef brisket cut into chunks on a cutting board

Video

Notes

One pound of raw brisket yields about ½ pound of cooked brisket. Plan around ½ pound of cooked brisket per person. 

Nutrition

Calories: 861kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 113gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 337mgSodium: 6936mgPotassium: 1937mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 699IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 11mg
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