BBQ Brisket Recipe

Thin sliced BBQ'd beef brisket on a cutting board

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5 from 1 vote

Juicy, tender, flavorful beef brisket, enough to feed a small crowd.

Prep Time10

Cook Time3

Total Time3 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: BBQ, beef, grilled, grilling

Servings: servings

Calories: 216kcal

Author: Tricia

Ingredients

1 whole beef brisket about 4 pounds
1 cup BBQ sauce plus more for serving

For the spice rub:

2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 ½ tablespoons ancho chile powder or any kind of chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Mix together the brown sugar, chile powder, cumin, salt, garlic, pepper and cayenne.
If desired, trim the fat cap on the beef brisket to about ½-inch thick. Dry the brisket with paper towels then rub the spice mixture all over the beef, on both sides. Set aside while heating the grill.
Preheat gas grill on high for 10-minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-high. Place the brisket on the grill and cook until it is charred and crusted, but not burnt. Turn and continue grilling on the other side until well marked. The fatty side of the brisket will cause flare-ups as the fat renders and drips. Watch the beef carefully so it does not burn.
Once browned on both sides, place the brisket, fat side up, in an oven-proof 13x9-inch baking pan. Pour 1-cup of BBQ sauce over the top and spread to cover. Seal the pan with two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. Bake at 325°F for 3 hours. Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and place the brisket on a cutting board. Discard the juices or see notes below. Slice thin and serve with additional sauce if desired.
Serves 8-10 depending on how hungry you are!

Notes

Substitute your favorite smoked chili powder for the ancho.
If you don’t have a grill, you can cut the brisket in half and brown in a very large skillet on the stove-top for similar results. Grilling adds a lot of flavor so it will not be exactly the same.
I recommend using an electric knife for easy slicing.
If you prefer to save the drippings after baking, first skim off all the fat. Add a cup of BBQ sauce to the drippings and heat the mixture in a saucepan until simmering. Serve with the beef if desired, or dip each slice in the mixture before serving. We prefer to serve with thick sauce on the side as shown in the photos and discard the drippings.
We use our Easy Honey BBQ Sauce Recipe for basting and serving.

Spice rub adapted from Southern Livin

Nutritional information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered as an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition