Kalamazoo K-SMOKE-42-R-PW, Use And Care Manual

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39

Smoked Beef Brisket

21 HOURS SMOKING TIME, 1 HOUR HOLD TIME

Here you have it, the Mac-Daddy of barbecue. You can take immense pride in serving a 
fantastic brisket, and, with your competition-grade smoker, you might find yourself making 
brisket more frequently than you ever imagined. There are many techniques to smoking 
brisket, and many guides on the internet to explain them. Our preferred method is a simple 
one — no Texas crutch, no injections, no elevated temperatures — just a lot of patience, a 
lot of smoke and a whole lot of flavor.

Serves 8 to 10

Whole packer brisket, Choice grade 
or better, about 12 pounds
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon coarsely-ground black 

pepper
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion

About 24 large, dry hickory wood 
chunks
About 10 pounds all-natural 
hardwood lump charcoal

About the stall: 

The “stall” is the 

phenomenon where your brisket 
will stop rising in temperature at 
about 150°F. It is the result of surface 
evaporation on the meat, but it can 
be maddening, and the stall can last 
a long time. Be patient. The stall 
will end, and the temperature of 
the brisket will rise again (although 
it can stall again at around 170°F). 
If you simply can’t wait, and need 
to power through he stall, wrap the 
brisket tightly in foil when the internal 
temperature reaches 150°F, and keep 
it wrapped for the remainder of the 
cook. The benefit of this is reduced 
time in the smoker. The trade-off, is 
you will give up the deep bark that 
develops when you leave the brisket 
unwrapped.

Directions 

Trim the fat cap on the brisket down to about 1/4 inch thick. Take 
note of the various grain directions in the meat so that you can 
appropriately slice across these grain directions when it is time to 
serve.
Combine the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic and onion to make a basic 
rub. Generously sprinkle the rub all over the brisket and then rub it 
into the surface. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour, but longer 
is better — up to 4 hours. 
Fire up the smoker to 225°F with the pit probe attached to the center 
of the bottom pit shelf. Route the food temperature probe to the 
center pit shelf for use in the brisket. Once the smoker has reached 
225°F, slide the blower damper to be about 1/3 closed.
Preheat the smoker for about 1 hour total. 10 minutes before placing 
the brisket in the smoker, add 2 wood chunks to the ash pan so that 
you should have strong smoke when you put the ribs in the smoker.
Transfer the brisket to the middle pit shelf with the fat cap on top. 
Insert the food temperature probe into the center mass of the brisket. 
Set the pit computer food temperature to 203°F.
Smoke for about 21 to 22 hours at 225°F. For the first 6 to 8 hours, 
replace the wood chunks every hour. After that, you can take it a little 
easy, resuming an hourly replenishment for the final 4 hours.
The target internal temperature for your brisket is 203°F, but there are 
other signs to look for. We think the most important sign that a brisket 
is ready is the “jiggle” test. When you poke the brisket, or lift the 
heavy end and drop it back down, the brisket should jiggle. This is a 
good sign that the tough connective tissues inside have been turned 
to gelatin.
Remove the brisket from the smoker, and wrap it tightly in foil. Transfer 
to an oven at 140°F, or seal the foil-wrapped brisket in a plastic bag, 
wrap it in a towel and put it inside a good cooler. Hold the brisket in 
the oven or the cooler for 60 to 120 minutes before serving.
To serve, slice the brisket across the grain. Remember, the grain 
direction is different in the meat of the “point” than the meat of the 
“flat.”