Slow Roasted Beef Brisket Recipe (Super tender!) - Chef Savvy (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a tender brisket? ›

It's a tough cut of meat, which is why the best way to cook brisket is a low-and-slow method: Long, slow cooking makes it tender.

The temperature of the meat begins to rise again -- which you want because brisket gets more tender the longer you cook it.

Once your smoker is maintaining 200 degrees, you are ready to place the brisket in the smoker. Place the brisket directly on the smoker grate with the fat side down. Maintain 200°F throughout and keep the smoke going for at least 6 hours if you are not using a stick burner.

Brisket is a meat that must be cooked slowly over many hours! The scientific explanation is that it takes a certain number of hours of low heat to gradually begin to dissolve the tough connective tissues found throughout the meat; if it's not cooked long enough, the brisket will be tough and difficult to chew.

If your brisket is coming out tough, there are a few possible reasons: it could be a bad cut, you're cooking the brisket at a too high a temperature for too long, you're not resting the brisket for long enough, and more. Coming from a BBQ-loving family, I learned to make brisket as a kid. I've got brisket in my blood.

Brisket can be done in a range of 200-210°F (93-99°C), but as a general rule, it's safe to bet on 203°F (95°C). Brisket should be tender but not so tender it's falling apart. You should be able to slice it into pieces that can just hold together, requiring a little pull to come apart.

Brisket contains a lot of connective tissue, which can make it tough. The type of connective tissue in brisket is called collagen. Cook the meat quickly and you get tough, dry meat. Cook a brisket slowly, with some liquid, and the collagen turns into gelatin.

You can wrap it in foil or use a roasting pan with a lid to help retain moisture. Slow Cooker Method: Using a slow cooker is a convenient and hands-off method. Place the brisket in the slow cooker with your choice of seasonings and cook on low heat for several hours until the meat is tender and easily pulls apart.

The Texas Crutch doesn't exclusively refer to brisket. You can use the technique with any meat. The popular 3-2-1 method of cooking ribs uses the Texas crutch. The numbers simply refer to 3 hours in the smoker unwrapped, then 2 hours wrapped in foil, with the final hour unwrapped at a slightly higher temperature.

I think the sweet spot for brisket is 225-250°F. This low temperature allows the brisket to render nice and slowly while having enough time to absorb all that smoke flavor.

Should brisket be fat side up or down? ›

To set things straight, we're here to put an end to the confusion, so you can get back to the grill with confidence. For brisket cooked to flavorful perfection, fat-side-down is the way to go. This is the only way to achieve a brisket that is perfectly moist with a perfect bark on both sides.

You want the brisket to get up to 200-205. With a chamber temp of 200 you are going to be cooking it forever, like over 24 hours probably, in order to get it to 200, if it even gets there. And it will probably dry out during that long of a cook. Most like to keep their cook chamber above 220.

Oven Method: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the brisket in a roasting pan or Dutch oven, and add any desired seasonings or vegetables. Cover the pan tightly with foil or a lid, and bake for approximately 2.5 to 3 hours, or until the brisket is tender.

In the oven, that kind of time and temperature would dry the meat out, so use a slightly higher temperature of 300°F and keep the brisket covered in foil for the first six hours or until the brisket is 180°F in the thickest part. Cook uncovered for the best bark.

To braise properly, you don't want the meat to be all the way covered with stock and wine—liquid should come up about halfway on the brisket. For me, that was about 1 ½ quarts of chicken stock, but a bigger pan may need 2 quarts.

Cooking brisket at a relatively low temperature (such as 300F) for a long period of time (6 to 7 hours for a 3 to 4 pound piece of meat) lets the connective tissue break down and the fat melt to keep the meat juicy. This results in very tender brisket.

Once seared, place brisket in foil pan, fat side up, and smoke, uncovered for 2 hours. Flip brisket and smoke for 1 hour. At this point, the juices inside are under a fair amount of pressure. It is important not to pierce the meat from this point until it is done.