Smoked Midnight Brisket Recipe

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Want to wake up to a perfectly juicy and tender brisket? Then you have to try the smoked brisket midnight technique.

This is a technique where you put your brisket on before you go to bed. This means when you wake your brisket is almost ready to go, rather than spending the whole day watching it cook.

So get that hopper full and the grill up to temperature… Oh, and don’t fall asleep before you get that brisket cooking!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Smoking a brisket can be a whole day event. Imagine if you could get it going before bed and wake up to a perfectly smoked brisket? That is why I love this recipe so much, it turns daunting task into an easy one!

– Easy for beginners wanting to take on this tough cook!

– You can be creative with ingredients, especially the spice rub, for your desired tastes!

– Perfect for large family gatherings.

– Who doesn’t love the taste of tender smoked brisket meat? 

What Do We Mean by ‘Midnight’ Brisket?

A midnight brisket is a term used for overnight cooking for those valuable hours of cooking time… So don’t worry, it wasn’t some fancy new seasoning!

It involves slowly smoking the brisket overnight by starting 24 hours before you plan to eat. This enables you to relax while all that good smoke flavor infuses and slowly cooks the brisket. This is important as the cut has lots of connective tissue and fat to break down. It is a similar to my Pitboss brisket recipe but we start at a lower temperature and slowly increase it.

What You Need for Our Smoked Midnight Brisket Recipe

• Beef Brisket
• Kosher Salt
• Ground Black Pepper
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Water

Note: Don’t like my choices? Get creative or choose a pre-made and popular brisket rub!

How to Make Midnight Smoked Brisket 

Step 1: Brine Your Brisket

– Make the salt solution and brine your brisket as per the instructions above, allow for 5 hours. (Start at around 6 pm if planning on smoking at midnight)

Step 2: Dry Roast the Spices, Grind & Apply the Dry Rub

You can either use a storebought rub or make your own. I have included my brisket rub recipe below. If you make it yourself, just combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix. Apply the spice rub liberally all over the brisket using mustard or oil as a binder.

Step 3: Smoking the Brisket at Midnight

– Load the pellets, prime, set the grill temperature to 200°F, and wait until up to temp.

– When you are up to temperature, put on the brisket with the fat cap facing the heat source.

– Insert the temperature probe into the thickest part.

– Ensure your pellet hopper is full and set an alarm for when it will need topping up.

Step 4: When to Wrap the Brisket?

When it gets to 160°F which will take around 8 hours… So get up sleepy head!

– Remove from the grill and wrap in butcher paper.

Return to your pellet smoker and increase the temperature to 250°F until the internal temperature reaches 203°F.

Step 5: Rest the Brisket in a Cooler

When it reaches 203°F remove the brisket from the smoker, wrap it in a towel and place it in a cooler for around 4 hours, we are looking to bring the brisket down to 140°F from 203°F

How to Prepare Your Brisket for the Midnight Method

Now just because we are off to dreamland while the brisket is smoking, it doesn’t mean there isn’t some preparation beforehand.

This is best done in the daylight to avoid fatigue and adequate organization.

Buy Good Quality Meat & Get It Trimmed

Get yourself down to the butcher and tell them what you plan to do! It is important to buy good quality meat, preferably local prime graded and grass-fed.

You can dream of the best-tasting brisket all you want! Good quality meat will have a higher marbling of fat, which adds to the taste and texture of those delicious slices of brisket.

Next you will need to ensure you trim your brisket. This helps to will remove excess and unwanted fat from the cap. Not to mention any silver skin or connective tissue.

Buying good quality trimmed meat is an absolute must for an amazing-tasting and juicy brisket. Avoid lower-grade beef at all costs!

How to Brine Your Brisket

Brining is a subjective matter when on the topic of brining. I have tried both dry brining brisket and wet brining. I got to say, my wet-brined brisket was better.

Especially incoporating moisture and flavor during the unmanned cooking during the night!

– Make a brine solution with kosher salt, black peppercorns, and hot water.

– Dissolve and wait until the water has cooled, then add to a large pot.

– Submerge the whole brisket and leave this in your refrigerator before cooking for at least 3-5 hours.

– Wipe down with a paper towel and leave to air dry for 30 mins and then you can add it to your smoker after you’ve done the seasoning.

Tip: Brine your brisket for at least 5 hours and time it when you want to start night cooking!

Why Do You Need a Pellet Grill For This Recipe?

You should know by now that an electric pellet grill gives you total control over the cooking process.

Like Wi-Fi components that send updates to your phone as you lie in bed!

Informing you of stuff like drastic changes in grill temperature or if your pellet level is running low. Speaking of pellets, make sure you know how to know roughly how long a hopper lasts.

The average is 5-7 hours which may mean an early rise when you begin smoking at midnight.

A few reasons why a pellet grill is great for smoking brisket because…

– More control when cooking from things like temperature monitoring and varying smoke settings.

– Reliable and built-in temperature probes.

– Control the feeding of slow-burning pellets for longer cooking times, without the hassle of reloading.

– Safer to use while unattended and sleeping.

What Temperature to Smoke the Midnight Brisket

For midnight brisket you want to set your smoker to 225°F for a low and slow smoke!

How Long to Smoke the Midnight Brisket

At 200°F, the brisket will take around 10-12 hours. So if you start at midnight, it will be done mid-morning!

What Internal Temperature Does Smoked Brisket Need to Be?

The internal temperature for your brisket should be 203°F before it done and ready to pull from the smoker. 

How to Accurately Monitor the Internal Temp

Use a calibrated meat probe, leave-in meat thermometer, or whatever the kids are calling them this day… No, but seriously, this is very important!

Choosing the Right Wood Pellets for a Midnight Brisket Recipe

We recommend using milder wood for the midnight brisket. Some types of mild wood you could try are pecan, oak, and peach!

If you prefer a deeper and stronger smoke taste try hickory, just like a Texas-style smoked brisket!

What if I Don’t Have a  Pellet Smoker?

Don’t have a fancy pellet smoker? Thats okay! Use a crock pot or oven dish and braise the brisket in some beef broth.

If you want to get that smoky flavor, use some liquid smoke, I promise not to tell on you!

An offset smoker that uses charcoal can be tricky, as there is a risk of leaving hot coals when you go to sleep at midnight.

I don’t advise it.

What to Serve With Our Delicious Midnight Brisket Recipe

The beautiful thing about brisket cooking at midnight is that you have more time in the day to prepare your side dishes

Here are some ideas…

Smoked fondant potatoes with garlic butter.

– What vegetables are in season? Go to your local grocer and get the goods! Smoking root vegetables like squash until tender will have caramelized the natural sugars.

– Fondant Potatoes

– Roasted Broccoli

– Smoked Cauliflower

Smoke On!

Charlie

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