This recipe will take time and patience but the finished Mediterranean Herb Smoked Barbecue Brisket is worth the wait. The slow cooking time allows for a tender texture and rich flavor.
Herb Smoked Barbecue Brisket
This recipe will take time and patience but the finished Mediterranean Herb Smoked Barbecue Brisket is worth the wait. The slow cooking time allows for a tender texture and rich flavor.
Ingredients
- 10-13 lb brisket
Dry Rub
- 2 tbsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp granulated garlic
- 2 tbsp thyme
- 1½ tbsp salt
Herbs for Smoking
- rosemary
- bay leaf
- thyme
- oregano
Instructions
- Trim the fat to ¼" thick. Mix the dry rub ingredients together and coat the brisket evenly on all sides. Let sit from 4 to 24 hours.
- Place briquettes on the sides of the barbecue. In the center of the barbecue, below the rack, place a large aluminum pan filled with water. The fresh smoking herbs will be placed directly on top of the briquettes. The barbecue should be between 225-250°F. Keep an eye on the water pan, herbs and briquettes, replenishing when needed. If you have a barbecue thermometer available, stick one probe into the meat and one probe in the barbecue to monitor the temperatures.
- When the internal temperature of the brisket reaches 165°F wrap it in aluminum foil with fresh herbs and continue cooking until it reaches 205°F. This will take between 4.5-6 hours. Once it reaches temperature place the brisket in a empty cooler, to keep it warm, and let rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 6 hours. I usually set up planning to rest my brisket for two hours.
- After it has rested slice thinly, top with glaze and serve!
Video
Notes
Notes:
Usually after five or six hours of smoking, you're not going to get more smoke flavor by letting it be in contact with the smoke longer.
I found out wrap the brisket in foil between 165 and 175 Fahrenheit. After you wrap the brisket, if needed, you could transfer the wrapped brisket into an oven and continue cooking between 225 and 275°F (depending on your timeline) until the internal temperature reaches about 205°F.
Once the brisket reaches 205°F you could rest it wrapped in foil for between one and six hours.
tip: I found the temperature probe is also a good tool to check the tenderness of the brisket. When you first check the brisket temperature after about four hours of cooking, you'll notice when you insert the probe, there is a lot of resistance, but towards the end when the brisket is reaching 205°, you should notice that. There is very little resistance. The temperature probe enters the brisket without much force.
Another variation I use when I don't want to smoke it with herbs is to use a combination of charcoal, briquettes and hardwood smoking pellets.
The weight of the brisket makes a difference in cooking time. A 15 pound brisket could take two or three hours longer than a 12 pound brisket.
tip: after about three or four hours of smoking, I will lightly wrap the thinner, part of the brisket with loose foil in an attempt to keep it from over cooking or drying out.
Tip: if you're novice at smoking briskets, I recommend giving yourself at least two hours longer than you think you need. There's no harm in letting the brisket rest longer if it finishes cooking sooner than you planned. Also, if you're a novice at smoking brisket, I recommend starting closer to 275°F, (temperature inside the Smokin chamber) Place the brisket inside the smoker, then allow the smoker to drop in temperature, so it cooks between 225 and 250°F. It's much easier to back off the temperature if the cooking process is going a little faster than planned. Try to maintain the temperature between 225 and 250°F the entire cooking process. I would not trust the temperature gauge that came with your barbecue/smoker.
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