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+ servings
smoked brisket sliced on a wooden cutting board

Traeger Smoked Beef Brisket

Learn exactly how to smoke beef brisket on a Traeger 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 Traeger!
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 16 hours
Resting Time 1 hour
Total Time 20 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Australian, barbecue, BBQ, Holiday, Smoked
Servings 10 people
Calories 740 kcal

Equipment

  • Traeger Pellet Grill
  • Wood pellets for Traeger preferably hickory, apple, and/or cherry
  • Aluminum Foil Trays
  • Meat Injector
  • Plastic Wrap
  • Internal Meat Thermometer
  • Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
  • Large Cutting Board
  • Meat Slicing Knife
  • Large Cutting Board

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Whole Packer Beef Brisket 10-14 lbs
  • Cooking Oil

Rub

  • 1 cup Kosher Salt use more or less if needed depending on brisket size
  • ½ cup smoked paprika
  • ¼ cup Black pepper
  • cup Garlic Powder
  • cup Onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon Cayenne powder

Marinade Injection

  • ½ Can Beef Broth
  • 2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar

Instructions
 

Prepare the Brisket

  • Trim any excess hard pieces of fat from the exterior of the brisket, leaving about ¼ inch thickness on the fat cap.
    a full packer beef brisket fat cap side up on a white cutting board with a knife next to it
  • Score the fat cap to allow more fat to render out and the rub to penetrate.

Inject the Brisket

  • Mix the Marinade Injection ingredients well until the sugar appears mostly dissolved.
  • Place the brisket in an aluminum pan to catch excess liquid from the injections and inject in small amounts every 1 inch or so on both sides against the grain of the meat.

Apply the Rub

  • Apply a thin layer of cooking oil to the entire exterior of the brisket.
  • 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 Traeger to allow the injection and the exterior rub to penetrate the meat.

Start the Traeger Pellet Grill

  • Load the hopper of the Traeger with your chosen wood pellets.
    traeger hopper filled with pellets
  • Turn on the Traeger and move the dial to the "Smoke" setting.
  • Leave the lid open for 5-7 minutes until you start seeing white billowing smoke coming out of the grill. This means the initial pellets are igniting.
    traeger pellet grill making thick white start up smoke
  • Close the lid and turn the temperature dial to 250°F. Allow 10-15 minutes for the grill to come up to temperature.
    traeger pellet grill set to 250 degrees

Smoke the Brisket on the Traeger

  • Remove the plastic wrap and place the brisket on the Traeger with the thicker end pointing to the right.
    a beef brisket on the grates of a Traeger
  • Place an internal temperature probe if you have one into the center of the brisket.
  • Close the lid, cook the brisket until it reaches about 150-160°F internally.

Optional Texas Crutch

  • At this point you can leave the brisket on the Traeger to continue cooking or remove it and wrap it in butcher paper or aluminum foil to speed up the cooking time.
  • Carefully remove the brisket and place on a large sheet of butcher paper or aluminum foil.
  • Wrap the brisket in opposing directions with three layers, tightly.
  • Replace the temperature probe and place back on the Traeger.
    beef brisket wrapped in butcher paper on the grates of a Traeger pellet grill

Remove, Rest, and Slice the Brisket

  • When the internal temperature of the brisket has reached 200°F, remove it from the Traeger and keep it wrapped.
  • Let the brisket rest for at least 60 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to distribute.
  • After resting, place the brisket on a large cutting board. Slice against the grain on a diagonal in ¼ inch slices and serve immediately.
    smoked brisket sliced on a wooden cutting board
  • Save extra brisket unsliced and tightly wrapped to maintain moisture.

Notes

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

Nutrition

Serving: 8ozCalories: 740kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 95gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 281mgSodium: 3239mgPotassium: 1698mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 2662IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 10mg
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