Homemade Brisket Rub Recipe - Smoked BBQ Source (2024)

FAQs

How long should dry rub be on brisket before smoking? ›

You can immediately start to smoke the brisket as soon as you apply the rub. If you want to use the dry rub as a marinade, wrap the brisket up tight and place it in the refrigerator for several hours. It's your preference. Smoke the brisket fat side down for about 3 to 4 hours at about 250 degrees.

Often used for other meats that require long, slow cooking on the barbecue, such as ribs, the 3-2-1 method essentially involves firstly smoking the meat as it is for three hours, wrapping it for the second two hours, and finally finishing the cooking unwrapped for the last hour.

Once your trimming is done, cover the Brisket in Course Kosher Salt (I use Morton's) using an equation of ½ teaspoon per pound of meat, OR you can just do what I do and salt it like you normally would any piece of meat without overdoing it. This has always worked for me.

All that rub breaks down and becomes a juice and it's being absorbed by the fat. That's a really important part of the process. You know, you can let them sit out for about an hour seasoned and you kind of get the same deal, but it's not really the same. To us, letting it sit overnight is always going to be better.

Keeping a water pan in the smoker is the best way to retain moisture. After the first 2-3 hours start spritzing your brisket with water, apple juice, hot sauce or apple cider vinegar every 30 minutes to an hour. This helps keep it moist and stops it from burning.

Smoking a brisket the right way is a daylong endeavor. We recommend smoking a 12 to 14-pound brisket (otherwise known as a full packer) for 8 to 9 hours at 225℉, Super Smoke mode, or until the internal temperature reaches 204℉. We then recommend letting it sit for an hour before slicing it.

Experts suggest that the ideal internal cooking temperature of the brisket should be between 195 and 202 degrees F.

There is no magic number for when briskets are done. I've had briskets be done anywhere from 200° – 208°. What are you looking for is for it to feel done.

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.

Should brisket be smoked flat up or down? ›

The main reason to cook brisket fat side down is for delicious consistent results, especially when it comes to competitive barbecue.

Given that no areas of our smokers get to high heat levels, I can safely say that sugar is not aiding in the "acquisition of the bark"... rather, it exists as one of the flavors that we layer into our bark. Plus, the sugar accounts for less than 10% of our rub's makeup so it's not like we are trying to candy it.

You're going to have to be cooking low and slow to build an awesome bark on your brisket, ribs or pork shoulder. Cooking at high temperatures is going to really make it hard, if not impossible to build a good layer of bark. Keep your grill around 225-degrees or lower for best results.

You can even leave the dry rub on overnight, but keep in mind that the salt content will begin to dry out the meat if left on for too long. If you're in a hurry, you can hit the grill immediately after applying the rub.

You can apply a rub right before you cook or a few hours ahead of time for basic grilling or up to 24 hours ahead if you're hot-smoking. Dry-rubs will stay fresh for about six months if kept in an air-tight jar in a cool, dark place.

Once it has been trimmed up, it is recommended to dry brine your brisket because it is such a large cut of meat. To do this, apply kosher salt to the outside of the brisket and place it back into the fridge overnight or even up to 48 hours in advance to cooking.

Before smoking, the brisket should be trimmed of excess fat and seasoned generously with a dry rub. The dry rub should sit on the meat for at least an hour before smoking. Additionally, beginners should let the brisket sit at room temperature for about an hour before smoking to ensure even cooking.