Cooking brisket is one thing. But smoking it in a barrel smoker? That’s a whole different story… Smoking a brisket can be an intimidating prospect. But don’t worry! We’re here to break down all the steps you need so that it goes smoothly. Have a read of the guide below to see how to smoke the perfect brisket in a barrel smoker Table of contents Preparing The Brisket For The Smoker Seasoning Your Brisket Preparing the Smoker How To Smoke A Brisket In A Barrel Smoker How Long Do I Need to Smoke My Brisket For? What Temerpature Should I Smoke At? What Else Can I Smoke In My Barrel Smoker? Smoked Brisket on a Barrel Smoker Equipment Ingredients Instructions What to Spritz Brisket With (8 Delicious Ideas) How To Smoke Brisket Using a Barrel Smoker. (8 Simple Steps) Pit Boss Smoked Turkey (Just 6 Simple Steps for Juicy Smoked Turkey) What is Oyster Blade Steak? Where it Comes from And How to Cook it Preparing The Brisket For The Smoker Using a sharp knife, trim the fat from the brisket. Leaving about a quarter of an inch of fat on the brisket. If you prefer your brisket with more bark, trim less fat. Seasoning Your Brisket We recommend using a dry brisket rub to get that crispy delicious bark. For a simpler option season the brisket with olive oil, herbs, salt, and black pepper. Rub the seasoning all over, wrap it in plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge overnight. Preparing the Smoker Load your barrel smoker up with wood chips, charcoal, or wood chunks and get it fired up. Preheating a barrel smoker can take about 1-2 hours to get it to the right temperature. When there is a layer of red hot coals at the bottom of the barrel, it’s time to begin cooking. How To Smoke A Brisket In A Barrel Smoker Step 1: While the barrel smoker is preheating, remove the brisket from the fridge. Let it sit at room temperature for at least an hour. Step 2: Trim your brisket if need by and apply the rub. Step 3: Once your smoker is up to temperature, place the brisket on the grates. Step 4: Check the temperature of the smoker. It should be at about 160°F. Step 5: Check the internal temperature of the brisket periodically. You can also spritz your brisket if you want to, this may help with the formation of bark. if you find your brisket is stalling at around 140°F you can wrap your brisket to combat the stall. Step 6: Once the probe temps read 204°F then you can pull the brisket from the smoker. Then wrap it in plastic wrap and a towel. Step 7: Place brisket in a dry cooler and let it rest. Step 8: Remove the wrapped brisket from the cooler after four hours. Slice it up, then pat yourself on the back and serve your juicy brisket! How Long Do I Need to Smoke My Brisket For? You might have heard you need to smoke your brisket for 8 hours. But really it’s down to internal temperature. Smoking brisket with a barrel smoker is a long process. You want to ensure your brisket has an internal temperature of 204°F. (you can use a temperature probe to check this ) Here is a calculation we use to roughly figure out how long it will take. It will take 1 hour and 30 minutes per pound (lb) of brisket at 225°F (or 107°C) A brisket I smoked last weekend was 9lb. Here is the actual cooking time 9lb brisket x 1.5 hours = 13.5 hours with a cooking temperature of 225 °F What Temerpature Should I Smoke At? You want to smoke your brisket at 160°F. This low temperature will allow all the connective tissue to dissolve into juicy gelatin and make it fall apart even when you look at it! What Else Can I Smoke In My Barrel Smoker? There are plenty of options out there! Barrel Smokers are great for smoking chicken, ribs or pulled pork butt. You can even smoke foods like cheese and tomatoes in your barrel smoker. Print Recipe Smoked Brisket on a Barrel Smoker Ready to smoke a juicy brisket on your barrel smoker? This recipe will ensure you cook it just like a pitmaster Prep Time10 mins Cook Time6 hrs Resting Time30 mins Total Time6 hrs 4 mins Course: main, Main Course Cuisine: American, Barbecue, bbq, dinner, lunch Servings: 10 servings Calories: 453kcal Author: Charlie Cost: 35 Equipment Smoker Ingredients 11-14 lbs beef brisket mustard olive oil brisket rub Instructions While the barrel smoker is preheating, remove the brisket from the fridge. Let it sit at room temperature for at least an hour. Trim your brisket if need by and apply the rub. Once your smoker is up too temperature, place the brisket on the grates. Check the temperature of the smoker. It should be at about 160°F. Check the internal temperature of the brisket periodically. You can also spritz your brisket if you want to, this may help with the formation of bark. if you find your brisket is stalling at around 140°F you can wrap your brisket to combat the stall. Once the probe temps reads 204°F then you can pull the brisket from the smoker. Then wrap it in plastic wrap and a towel. Place brisket in a dry cooler and let it rest. Remove the wrapped brisket from the cooler after four hours. Slice it up, then pat yourself on the back and serve your juicy brisket! Smoking your brisket in a barrel smoker doesn’t have to be complicated. It will take time…but we think that this piece of meat is worth it! Smoked beef brisket is a fantastic way to show off your barbecue skills. It also gives this cut an incredible juicy flavor. What do you usually serve with brisket? Smoke On! Charlie