Texas-Style Smoked Brisket with Black Pepper Rub
Tender, smoky brisket coated with a simple black pepper and salt rub, slowly smoked to perfection for a classic Texas barbecue experience. This American-inspired barbecue recipe, ready in about 630 minutes, pairs beef brisket, kosher salt, coarse black pepper for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 480 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 kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons coarse black pepper
- 2 cups hickory 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: Trim any excessive fat from the 5 pounds beef brisket, leaving about 1/4 inch fat cap for moisture. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Step 2: Combine 2 tablespoons kosher salt and 2 tablespoons coarse black pepper in a small bowl, then generously rub this mixture all over the brisket, pressing it into the meat.
- Step 3: Preheat your smoker to 225°F and add 2 cups soaked hickory wood chips to generate smoke. Place the brisket fat side up on the smoker grate.
- Step 4: Smoke the brisket at 225°F for about 8-10 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 200°F, maintaining a consistent smoke and temperature.
- Step 5: Remove the brisket from the smoker and wrap it tightly in butcher paper or foil. Let it rest for 1 hour before slicing thinly against the grain to serve.








