Good Smoked BBQ made on Backyard Smokers can be achieved in many ways, and for my money one of the best cuts of meat to smoke is the brisket. Here’s how you go about it.

Step One: Go Shopping

Fat tastes good.  We like fat.  So, when you go about selecting your brisket, choose one with some fat on on the top – say, about a1/4 to 1/2 of an inch thick.  You can always trim some of the fat off if you can’t find one with the right size fat cap.

The next thing you want to see is that the fat is woven nicely into the meat itself.  This is called marbling – like the veins of color you see in a marble slab.  More marbling means more fat distribution – more fat distribution means more good taste.

Don’t be concerned about the fat content.  The cap fat and marbling will melt away as the brisket smokes, moistening and flavoring the meat as it cooks.

Get this first step right, and you’ll be well on your way to good brisket.  A good cut of meat makes all the difference in the world.

Step Two: Prepare the Brisket for Smoking

When you get the brisket home, remove it from the wrapping and set it in a clean sink to drain.  Five minutes or so should do it.

As mentioned above, be sure the fat on top of the brisket is about 1/2 inch or just a little less.  Trim it down now if need be.  Then, you want to score the fat at equal intervals, making 1 inch squares.  Don’t go too deep, you want to cut just down to where the meat starts.

Now, you move on to the rub.

Dry Rub The Brisket

Barbecue rub recipes are all over the net.  Just Google “barbecue rub recipe” and you’re sure to find one that works.

Here’s one of my personal favorites:

1/4 cup salt

1/4 cup fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons onion powder

3/4 cup paprika

1/4 cup chili powder, fine ground

1 tablespoon cayenne, ground fine

1/4 cup light brown sugar

This rub will provide a mouth-watering flavor profile with fresh, mild spices balanced by the sweetness of the light brown sugar.

Applying the Brisket Rub

By now you’ve already drained, trimmed (if needed) and scored the brisket’s fat cap.  Now, put the brisket into a good sized pan, and prepare to start the “rub” part of well… the “rub!”

Begin rubbing the spice mix onto the brisket – making sure to get it into those scores you made earlier.  Visually, you can see that the amount of rub that stays on the meat represents the amount of flavor you’ll reap from the rubbing.  It’s good practice to cover each side a couple of times.

Once you’ve finished rubbing on the spice mixture, wrap the brisket in plastic wrap, set it into the clean pan, and refrigerate it for at least a day, I go two.  This lets the rub penetrate deeper into the meat.

Step Three: Smoke the Brisket

Low and slow is the mantra of good smoked barbecue, and cooking good brisket is no different. On average, you want to smoke a brisket for about 1 hour for every lb of meat at around 225 degrees F.

A Water Smoker like the Weber 2820 Smokey Mountain Cooker works very well here.  I’ve used this particular smoker with very good results.  Because it’s a water smoker, the steam from the water pan keeps the brisket from drying out during the smoking process.

You want the brisket to get up to an internal temperature of about 200 degrees.  At this point, the meat should separate easily using a fork. Make sure you let the meat rest for a minimum of 30 minutes after you remove it from the smoker so the juices can redistribute back through the meat.  Cutting into the meat any sooner will cause these good and tasty juices to rush out – leaving your brisket – quite literally – high and dry.

At this point, you are ready to enjoy the fruits of your labor.  Dig into your backyard smoker – prepared brisket and enjoy!