Smoked Texas-Style Beef Brisket with Dry Rub
Slow-smoked beef brisket seasoned with a robust dry rub, yielding tender, flavorful meat with a smoky bark. This American-inspired barbecue recipe, ready in about 640 minutes, pairs beef brisket, kosher salt, black pepper for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 450 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 lbs, trimmed beef brisket
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp, coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 cups, hickory or oak wood chips
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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 small bowl, combine 2 tbsp kosher salt, 2 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp brown sugar, and 1 tbsp smoked paprika to create a dry rub.
- Step 2: Pat dry 5 lbs beef brisket with paper towels. Generously rub the dry rub mixture all over the brisket, pressing it into the meat evenly. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Step 3: Preheat smoker to 225°F and add 2 cups of hickory or oak wood chips to generate smoke.
- Step 4: Place brisket fat side up on the smoker grate. Smoke for approximately 8-10 hours, maintaining 225°F, until the internal temperature reaches 195°F and the meat is tender to a fork.
- Step 5: Remove brisket from smoker and wrap tightly in butcher paper or foil. Let rest for at least 1 hour before slicing against the grain and serving.








