Craving smoky Texas-style brisket but don’t have a smoker? This oven baked brisket delivers big barbecue flavor right from your kitchen, thanks to a clever shortcut: mesquite powder. Cooked low and slow, it turns out incredibly tender, juicy, and perfect for everything from holiday dinners to piled-high brisket sandwiches.
I grew up in Texas so I grew up with some very tasty and unforgettable barbecue. Smoked meats are a real treat, but I don’t have the patience for manning the grill or smoker for 12 hours.
My laziness was my motivation to find new ways to recreate great barbecue without the grill. So far I have share my barbecue country style ribs in the oven and my favorite way to make crispy pulled pork in the oven.
It only seemed natural to tackle another family favorite, smoked brisket. Getting tender brisket in the oven is the easy part, but how do you make it smokey without taking it outdoors?
I turned to my secret ingredient for help and found success!
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Laura says :
Why this recipe works
- Easy (No Smoker Needed): Love Texas brisket but not the equipment required? This oven brisket recipe gives you that slow-cooked barbecue feel with the ease and convenience of your home oven.
- Smoky Flavor: The secret to smoky oven baked brisket? Mesquite powder. It adds authentic barbecue flavor without firing up a smoker, and it’s a pantry staple I use in lots of recipes, including my pulled pork chili!.
- Fall-Apart Tender: Cooking the brisket low and slow in the oven gently breaks down the fat, resulting in meat that’s juicy, tender, and full of flavor.
- Serve It Your Way: Perfect for Hanukkah, family dinners, or casual gatherings, this brisket can be served sliced with classic sides or piled onto sandwiches for an easy crowd-pleaser.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Oven brisket tastes just as good the next day, making it a great make-ahead option for holidays and entertaining.
Ingredients needed
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- Beef brisket: There are three cuts of beef brisket. A full-packer brisket is a whole brisket that includes both the point and flat sections. The point cut is the fatty part of the brisket, while the flat cut is the leaner cut of the brisket and is most widely available. If you have a full packer, I suggest cutting it into the two parts. This recipe works for either cuts of brisket.
- Brown sugar: A little sugar gives you some caramelization to the brisket. You can omit it if you prefer to be sugar-free.
- Ground mesquite powder: This is my favorite way to add smokiness to my brisket. I’m not a fan of liquid smoke, especially since I am using a dry rub on my meat. A little goes a long way, so feel free to use as little or as much as you like.
- Seasonings: Kosher salt, coarse ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chile powder, paprika, mustard powder, dried thyme and dried parsley.
Step by step directions
- Make the dry rub. Combine the spices in a small bowl and set aside.
- Prep the brisket. Trim away any silver skin and big chunks of excess fat from brisket. Some fat is needed for moisture and flavor so don’t remove all of it. If you have a full-packer brisket, cut it into two halves.
Because the flat cut is leaner, be sure to leave a thin layer of fat on the top of the brisket. If you remove too much, your final brisket will be dry. And yes, I’m speaking from experience!
- Cover the brisket. Coat the entire brisket, including the sides, with the dry rub and massage it into the meat.
- Chill the brisket. Wrap the brisket tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate a minimum of 3 hours and up to 24 hours.
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- Bring to room temperature. Take the brisket out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking it.
- Bake the brisket. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the thickest part of the brisket and cover the brisket in foil. Place on a baking pan and bake in the center of the oven at 275°F until the internal temperature reaches 175ºF.
- Open the foil. Cut open the foil open to expose the brisket and continue baking until the internal temperature reaches 195-205ºF.
- Rest the brisket. Remove the brisket from the oven and let it rest for one hour so the juices redistribute evenly throughout the roast.
- Slice the brisket. Be sure to cut the brisket against the grain.
Do not raise the temperature to cook the brisket faster! You will end up with a very tough brisket. Slow roasting breaks down the fat gradually which tenderizes the beef.
Expert tips and recipe FAQs
Enjoy your Texas brisket with all the sides like mac and cheese, barbecue beans, mashed potatoes, mango coleslaw and cornbread pancakes, or make a fabulous bbq brisket sandwich. I like to serve this Texas barbecue brisket with my honey barbecue sauce.
If you have a lot of leftover brisket and want to use it in new ways, be sure to check out my leftover pulled pork recipes and just swap out the pork with leftover brisket. Some of my family favorites are my pulled pork mac and cheese and pulled pork tacos.
Be sure to check out these matzo nachos that uses leftover brisket!
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in hot pan with a little butter.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftover brisket. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.
When I have a big 15-pound brisket, I like to cut it in half, wrap them in foil separately and then bake them. This cuts down the cooking time considerably. Then I usually cut and serve one and save the second for later.
Whether you are reheating sliced or a whole brisket, there are several ways to reheat it. Wrap your brisket tightly in foil with its juices and/or barbecue sauce and place on a baking pan. Reheat in a 275ºF-300ºF oven until the internal temperature reaches 195-200ºF.
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Oven Baked Brisket
Ingredients
- 5 lb beef brisket
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon chile powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground mesquite powder
Instructions
- Combine the spices in a small bowl to make the dry rub and set aside.
- Trim away any silver skin and excess fat from brisket. If you have a big brisket, cut it into two even halves. I like to keep my briskets around the 5-6lb sizes after they have been trimmed. Because the flat cut is leaner, be sure to leave a thin layer of fat on the top of the brisket. If you remove too much, your final brisket will be dry.
- Coat the entire brisket, including the sides, with the dry rub and massage it into the meat.
- Wrap the brisket tightly with aluminum foil, wrapping it in both directions to keep it sealed up. Refrigerate it for a minimum of 3 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Bring the brisket to room temperature by taking it out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking it.
- Preheat the oven to 275°F.
- Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the thickest part of the brisket. Place the foil-wrapped brisket on a baking pan and place in the center of the oven. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F.
- Carefully open or cut the foil to expose the brisket and continue baking until the internal temperature reaches 195-205 degrees F. This whole cooking time can take 6-7 hours so be patient!
- Cover the brisket and let it rest on the counter for one hour. This allows the juices to redistribute evenly throughout the brisket.
- Remember to cut the brisket against the grain. Serve with the pan juices and/or barbecue sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
