Traeger Brisket Recipe (Simple Smoked Brisket in 6 Steps)

Want to know how to smoke a brisket on your Traeger? It can be tricky to smoke a brisket perfectly.

So if you want juicy, smoky, tender, and oh-so delicious smoked brisket follow the steps below. My recipe for smoked brisket always comes out tender, juicy, and so flavorful! Just make sure you have some delicious sides to serve with it.

What You Need for Smoked Brisket on a Traeger

• Brisket (beef)
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper
• Avocado oil
• English yellow mustard
• Apple cider vinegar or apple juice
• Worchester sauce
• Salt & water brine solution
• Beef rub (or seasoning mix of your choice)

How To Make A Traeger Smoked Brisket

Step 1: Trim & Brine The Brisket

– Trim your brisket using the above tips, and leave a fat cap on.

– Make the salt solution and cover the brisket overnight refrigerated.

Step 2: Add Binder & Spice Rub

– Use your brush to cover it in a mustard or oil.

– Apply the spice rub liberally all over the brisket using the mustard as glue.

– Leave at room temperature for 2-3 hours.

Step 3: Smoking & Spraying the Brisket 

– 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.

– Mix the vinegar and Worchester sauce with water and spray every 20-30 minutes.

– After 4-5 hours, turn your brisket fat cap up and wrap the bottom with the fat still exposed.

Step 4: When to Wrap the Brisket?

If the temperature stops rising between 150°F – 160°F wrap the brisket in butchers paper or aluminum foil.

Return to Traeger and cook until the internal temperature reaches 204°F.

Step 5: Rest the Brisket in a Cooler

When it reaches 204°F remove the brisket from the smoker wrap it in a towel.

Then place the brisket it in a cooler to rest until it reaches 140°F

Step 6: Slice the Brisket

Then unwrap the brisket and move to a cutting board.

Slice brisket against the grain for tender pull-apart slices.

Why Should I Low & Smoke a Brisket on a Pellet Grill?

It’s simple, the indirect heat and slow cooking create the ideal environment for the brisket. The connective tissue breaks down into juicy gelatin. This leaves you with a juicy and tender brisket.

How to Prepare the Meat Before Cooking

To prepare your brisket, either have you butcher trim it. Or trim the fat and leave 1/4 of an inch of fat yourself.This layer of fat helps the brisket stay moist and protects it from the heat.

If you have the butcher prep it, ask them exactly how much the brisket weighs so we know for later! Leave the meat out of the fridge and season with high smoke oil, kosher salt, and a dry rub for 2 hours before cooking it.

This will help it get to room temperature and the rub to infuse. 

Should I Brine Brisket Meat Before Smoking?

Yes you can brine your brisket before it smoking it.

You should make a brine solution with kosher salt, black peppercorns, and cold water. Submerge the whole brisket and leave this in your refrigerator before cooking for at least 2-4 hours.

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

Brining will help tenderize and retain moisture within the proteins and brisket fat.

What Temperature to Smoke a Brisket

To smoke your brisket you should have your grill set to 205°F – 225°F.

How Long Do We Need to Cook the Brisket?

Briskets usually take 60 mins per pound to cook. So the average sized beef brisket will take 10-12 hours to smoke but this can also depend on the size.

What Internal Cooking Temperature Does the Meat Need to Be?

The internal temp of smoked brisket 204°F before you remove it from the smoker Make sure you have an instant-read thermometer to get this accurate and probe it in the thicket part.

How to Get Brisket Bark

Brisket bark is a crust that occurs when chemical reactions happen through the cooking process. It occurs when the seasonings, spice rubs, and sugars react with fat and hot smoke or heat source. 

The formation is hard in texture and usually a dark brown color, much like tree bark. If done correctly, bark can be a bonus that wraps up all the tender meat around the entire brisket.

For further information on brisket bark see here.

Should I Wrap the Brisket?

Yes, you should wrap your brisker if it stalls. The stall usually occurs around 150°F-160°F Use either pink butchers paper or aluminum foil to wrap the brisket and return it to the smoker.

What if You Don’t Have a Pellet Grill?

You don’t have a Traeger pellet grill yet?

Don’t worry, we have smoked brisket on every type of smoker and grill available.

Smoked Brisket on a Pit Boss

Smoked Brisket on a Big Green Egg

How Much Pellets Do You Need to Smoke a Brisket?

If you do plan on cooking on a pellet grill make sure you have enough pellets for the whole cook. When you cook a smoked brisket low and slow, you will burn a pound of pellets per hour. So if you have an 8-pound brisket, you can expect the smoking process to take about 12-16 hours. This means you’ll need about 12-16 pounds of pellets.

Want More Recipes For Your Traeger?

There are so many delicious recipes for the Traeger!

Here are some of our favorites

Traeger Smoked Chicken Wings

Pulled Pork on a Trager

Smoked and Grilled Brussel Sprouts

What to Serve With Brisket?

The sides are just as important as the brisket! There are dozens of delicious sides to serve with brisket on my site! But I have chosen three of my favorites below.

Smoked Mac and Cheese

Smoked Zucchini

Smoked Beans

See the rest of the sides to serve with brisket here.

Smoke On!

Charlie

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