Pit-Smoked Beef Brisket with Coffee Rub
Slow-smoked beef brisket infused with a rich coffee spice rub, delivering a tender, flavorful BBQ centerpiece. This American-inspired barbecue recipe, ready in about 640 minutes, pairs beef brisket, ground coffee, brown sugar for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 550 calories and feeds 8, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds beef brisket
- 2 tablespoons ground coffee
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 cups apple wood chips
- 1 cup water
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Equipment for this recipe
Tools this recipe's steps call for, with a link to each on Amazon.
Instructions
- Step 1: In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons ground coffee, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon paprika, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika to form the rub.
- Step 2: Pat dry 5 pounds beef brisket with paper towels and apply the rub evenly over all sides, pressing gently to adhere. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Step 3: Preheat your smoker to 225°F using 2 cups soaked apple wood chips for smoke. Place a water pan with 1 cup water inside the smoker to maintain moisture.
- Step 4: Place the brisket fat side up on the smoker grate and smoke at 225°F for 8-10 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 195°F, spritzing with apple cider vinegar every hour after the first 3 hours to keep moist.
- Step 5: Remove brisket from smoker and wrap tightly in butcher paper. Rest for 1 hour before slicing against the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices and serving.








