A perfectly cooked brisket is a staple for barbeque connoisseurs. While brisket is normally tough, it turns into a juicy, soft and flavorful piece of beef with the right cooking process. Every expert agrees that if you want the perfect brisket, you need to cook it low and slow. Here’s how you would cook a brisket on a grill.
Getting the Brisket Ready
First, you want to get the brisket ready. You want to trim the fat until it has about a quarter-inch of thickness. You want to trim off the fat so that it cooks evenly on the grill. Make sure you pay attention to trimming off the excess fat on the sides as well. It is also best if you have a reliable pocket knife with you just in case emergencies arise. Then you want to pat down on the brisket to remove all the excess moisture.
Now you want to season the brisket. There are many different kinds of seasonings that you can use. The basic seasoning will be a 50/50 blend of salt and pepper. You want to cover both sides of the brisket with this seasoning. Make sure you pat down on the seasoning so that it really gets sealed into the meat.
Other seasonings that you can use include garlic cloves, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and various rubs. Depending on the type of seasoning you use, you may have to marinate the brisket for a robust flavor. Look at different seasoning recipes to get an idea of what you want the brisket to taste like. There are many BBQ competitors that share their recipes.
Getting the Grill Ready
Now it’s time to get the grill ready. What you want to do is to give the brisket a sear on both sides. A sear time of 20 minutes on each should do the trick. What you want to see is to give both sides a nice browning similar to what you’d see on a ribeye steak.
Once you get the sear, get the temperature down to 250 degrees F. If your BBQ grill doesn’t have a built-in thermometer, you want to use your own to measure the heat. Place the brisket indirectly to the heat because the whole point is to cook everything low and slow. Putting it directly on the heat can cause it to dry out and make the meat tough. You also should start with the fat side up to let the fat melt on the meat.
How to Cook the Brisket
Now that the brisket is on the grill, you want it to let the grill do the work. Close off the grill to retain the temperature and give the brisket a smoky flavor. For every hour of cooking time, you should open the grill to turn over the brisket. You don’t want it to burn or overcook on one side.
When turning over the meat, you should do so with a thick mitten or barbeque gloves. Do not try to use typical forks or tongs to turn over the meat. You don’t want it to break and have all the juices run out of the brisket.
So how long should you cook the brisket? On average you should cook it for an hour per pound if it’s around five pounds. If the temperature is hard to maintain and tends to be on the higher side you should cook it for a shorter amount of time. For a four to five-pound brisket, a good cook time is four hours. For a seven to eight-pound brisket, a cook time of five to six hours works.
This is what you need to do to cook a great brisket on a grill. It’s all about making the right preparations and being patient about cooking the brisket. By following these instructions, you’ll be able to create a brisket that’s juicy, flavorful, and tender.