Beer Smoked Brisket
Using beer to make Smoked Brisket is my favorite way to ensure you get great brisket and plenty of flavor even if you’re new to smoking meat!
Get a flavorful and juicy brisket with tender meat that you barely need a knife for by using a beer baste as you smoke. I will give you a delicious rub recipe along with the basting juice recipe, so you get a well-rounded flavor from start to finish and every shred of brisket will be eaten and your fingers will be licked clean.
You’re going to love this smoked brisket and how easy it is to achieve this level of flavor and tender juiciness. All it’s takes is some TLC, patience, and planning.
Other Recipes to Serve with Beer Smoked Brisket
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole – an award-worthy brisket deserves side dishes that knock out it out of the park
- Sweet and Tangy BBQ Sauce – you’re going to want your own BBQ sauce to go with this delicious smoked brisket
Ingredients
Meat: You will need a 6-pound brisket. Get the flat end of the brisket, not the point. The flat part of the brisket is just that, flat. It’s what you typically see being served at BBQ restaurants.
Rub: This rub uses a combination of coarse black pepper, sea salt, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, chili powder, minced onion, maple sugar, and dried basil. You want the salt and pepper granules to be the same size for even distribution.
Basting Juice: This is a great baste for smoked meats. I use a combination of red pepper flakes, minced garlic, steak sauce, bacon grease, wheat ale, and beef stock. I usually get Hoegaarden for the beer, but any wheat beer, even Blue Moon, would work. If you don’t have leftover bacon grease on hand, you can get it in tubs at Walmart and on Amazon.
How to Make Beer Smoked Brisket
STEP ONE: Get your smoker prepped by starting the pellets and getting the temp up to 225 degrees F. While that gets going, trim and the brisket and mix together the spice rub. Then rub the spice mixture all over the brisket.
STEP TWO: Place the brisket on a baking sheet with a wire rack and then put everything into the smoker. Cook the brisket for 1 hour.
STEP THREE: Mix up the basting liquid in a medium saucepan by wicking all the ingredients together and simmering. Use a basting brush to apply the liquid to the brisket every 45 minutes until the brisket has an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
STEP FOUR: Remove the baking sheet and brisket from the smoker. Wrap the brisket in butcher’s paper and pour off any liquid collected in the baking sheet. Put the brisket back on the baking sheet and smoke until the internal temp is 203 degrees F.
STEP FIVE: Remove the brisket from the smoker and let it rest, still wrapped in the butcher’s paper, for 45 minutes. Wrap the brisket, and slice it against the grain. Serve warm with sliced onion and pickles.
Tips for Success
- Get yourself a probe meat thermometer. I like having a remote probe thermometer so I can walk away from the smoker for a minute and still know what’s going on. The timing for this brisket is really based on the internal temperature of the meat.
- Brisket will typically shrink by about 1/3 during the cooking process. So a 6-pound brisket will come out closer to 4-pounds giving you eight 1/2-pound servings.
- Gently brush the basting liquid on and don’t oversoak the crust. You don’t want all that yummy seasoning sliding off the meat.
- I like to use a gourmet blend for the pellets, but you can use whichever smoker pellets or wood you prefer.
How long do you smoke a brisket?
This recipe is for a six-pound flat brisket and it is around 12 hours of smoking. However, the cooking will really depend on the cut of the meat, the smoker, the weather outside the smoker, and a few other variables. It is best to follow a schedule and keep a meat thermometer going at all times to ensure the meat is thoroughly cooked.
Other BBQ Recipes you will enjoy
Beer Smoked Brisket
Ingredients
- 6 lb flat brisket
- Gourmet Blend smoker pellets
Seasoning Rub
- 2 tablespoons maple sugar (or brown sugar)
- 2 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- ½ tablespoon minced onion
- ½ tablespoon dried basil
Basting Liquid
- 1 cup beef stock
- ¼ cup wheat ale (like Blue Moon or Hoegaarden)
- ¼ cup bacon grease
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons steak sauce
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Fill the auger with pellets. Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees F with the lid closed for 15 minutes.
- To prepare the brisket, trim the fat and discard it. Combine all the seasoning rub ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Generously rub both sides of the brisket with the seasoning mix.
- Place brisket with the fat side up onto a wire rack lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the center of the smoker on the grill grates. Smoke for 1 hour.
- After the brisket has been cooking for one hour, prepare the basting juice. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine basting ingredients. Whisk and bring to a simmer.
- Use a basting brush and brush liquid onto the brisket. Repeat every 45 minutes until the internal temp of the brisket has reached 165 degrees F. Keep the basting juice in the saucepan, the bacon grease may solidify in between brushing, if so simply warm on the stove until it liquifies.**For a 6-pound brisket, it took a total of 7 hours to cook on my smoker, but times may vary Wind and outside temperature can affect the cooking time. So be sure to go by the internal temp rather than the clock.
- Once the brisket has reached an internal temp of 165 degrees F remove the baking sheet and the brisket from the smoker. Drain liquid from the baking sheet.
- Wrap the brisket in peach butcher's paper tightly and place back atop the baking sheet and return it to the grill. Smoke until the internal temp has reached 203 degrees F. **This took an additional 5 hours for us, but time may vary so again it is important to go by the internal temp. (If you do not have butcher's paper, heavy-duty aluminum foil will work as well.)
- Remove the brisket from the smoker and keep it wrapped. Allow the brisket to rest for 45 minutes.
