15 Hour Slow Smoked Alberta Beef Brisket

This 15 Hour Slow Smoked Alberta Beef Brisket showcases some of the best beef in North America slow smoked to perfection.

The love affair with the smoker continues!

I use a Grill Pro propane smoker. The interior has 3 shelves so you can smoke a fair amount of meat or fish at one shot.

The next step in my smoked meat journey is the Beef Brisket.

Like the slow smoked pork, this is something I again have only seen on television, never having tried the authentic thing.

With a quick call in to the butcher shop and a stop at the bulk spice section we were ready to go.

Keeping It Simple

Wanting to keep things very simple the first time out I decided that the beef would be rubbed with spices and head straight into the smoker. In doing my research I discovered many different techniques that are used for the brisket. Some brine the beef, some rub and then wrap the brisket to sit in the spices overnight.

I know whenever I am first trying out a recipe or technique, I keep it simple and straight forward. Once you learn the basics you can then have fun experimenting.

15 Slow Smoked Beef Brisket

15 hour Slow Smoked Alberta Beef Brisket

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Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: Smoked Meat

Ingredients

dry mustard
garlic powder
onion soup powder
pepper
seasoning salt
paprika
cayenne pepper
brown sugar
chili powder

Instructions

Depending on the size of your brisket start with 1 cup of each ingredient of the blend, though only use a ½ cup of salt.
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.

Create A Brisket Rub

Combine the spices and sugar and rub well onto the entire surface of the brisket.

I used a cup each of the rub ingredients except for the salt, a 1/2 cup is sufficient.

It was a fantastic rub, the only changes I would make in the future would be slightly less mustard and a touch more brown sugar.

Look For a Good Fat Cap on the Brisket

When picking your brisket make sure it has a nice layer of fat across the top, also known as the fat cap. You can trim it if you find it too thick. Also look for nice marbling throughout the meat. This all contributes to the tenderness of the finished brisket.

15 hour Slow Smoked Alberta Beef Brisket

It was on the smoker for a total of 15 hours. A combination of apple and cherry wood chips were used. Liquid was used in the liquid tray of the smoker. I started off with red wine and finished with water. Any liquid will work including fruit juices.

My magic number for the brisket was 185F when it was pulled and wrapped after it came out of the smoker. I then place it in a cooler that has been lined with a towel. It can rest for up to 2 hours. This continues the cooking process and also allows the meat to absorb all of the juices making the brisket even more tender.

It was smoky and delicious. Very different from the slow smoked pork. It was tender and addictive. There was a tang from the peppers and mustard.

For the first time out, I was very pleased. I cannot wait to get another to experiment with.

I have also been on a journey of sorts with my smoker, all the details can be found here, in this post where we built a smoker and where I share my crushing story of the demise of my entire BBQ lineup.

Finally, if you are looking for more beef recipes and techniques be sure to check out the beef and bbq sections of the site!