Pit notes
Boat, don't wrap. With a good brisket, boat it at around 74°C to keep the bark on top.
Probe, don't time. It's ready when a probe goes in and out with almost no resistance, usually from 7 hours.
Slice against the grain. The Que Club tip: rest it in an esky for at least an hour, then slice across the grain.
Que Club Recipe · Beef · Low & Slow
Signature Smoked Brisket
Brisket, often referred to as the holy grail of BBQ, is a testament to the art of patience and precision. Here, we've distilled the essence of low and slow cooking into a symphony of flavours. Our method is simple: we let the brisket speak for itself. Slow-smoked to perfection, it emerges from the smoker when every tender, juicy bite probes like butter. This isn't just brisket; it's a journey through smoke and time, a culinary masterpiece that embodies the heart and soul of barbecue.
Ingredients
How to cook it
Set smoker to 135°C (275°F).
Trim brisket by first removing any thin bits or strands of meat from the sides, you are aiming for a uniform shape. Trim most of the hard fats from the brisket, as this will not render down during the cooking process (whereas soft fats will melt into the meat).
Sprinkle a liberal amount of rub over the entire brisket, starting on the bottom, the sides and finally the top (we cook fat side up).
After 4 hours your brisket should be sitting at around 74°C (165°F), and bark should be starting to form, it is at this point we recommend you wrap or boat. The better the quality of brisket, the less need to wrap entirely and we recommend boating to preserve the bark on top.
Around 7 hours into total cook time you will start to probe to check for doneness, a rough internal temperature guide is approx. 96–98°C (205–210°F), but the brisket is ready when the entire cut is “probing like butter”, in other words, when a skewer or probe enters and exits the entire brisket with little to no resistance.
Once the brisket is “probing like butter”, wrap in foil, then a tea towel and rest in an esky (or anything insulated) for a minimum of 1 hour, a cooked brisket will hold temperature for at least 4 hours in these conditions.
Slice and serve immediately.
