If you're not from Texas, you may not have the luxury of pulling up to a BBQ joint and ordering freshly sliced, juicy brisket. The best brisket requires no knife, as the meat falls apart with almost no effort. Texas BBQ pitmasters smoke their briskets for upwards of 12 hours to achieve a smoked flavor and crisp bark. Most home cooks don't have the time or equipment to smoke an entire brisket, but you can easily make a Texas-style brisket at home by roasting it in the oven. With just a few ingredients and an oven, you can cook a delicious and moist brisket in the oven.
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What Is Brisket?
Sarah Abrams
Beef brisket is a single cut of beef that comes from the lower breast of a cow. Each cow has two, one on each side of its body. When you go to the grocery store, you'll typically find two styles of brisket. The first is called the flat brisket or first cut and is leaner. This brisket is what is used to make corned beef and in more traditional Jewish holiday recipes.
The second type is called the pointcut, which is more marbled with more fat. This is what is used in traditional barbecue cooking. Brisket is a tough cut of meat that needs to be cooked low and slow to be fork-tender and juicy.
How To Cook Texas-Style Brisket in the Oven
Even oven-baked brisket can be flavorful, tender, and moist. For this beef brisket recipe, you'll need an oven, a large roasting pan, some seasonings, brisket, and a few hours of uninterrupted time.
The prep time for cooking a brisket is fairly short, while the cook time takes several hours. The total time, including inactive marinating, is about 24 hours got this oven-roasted brisket. Brisket has a lot of connective tissue that needs time to break down to become tender. A good rule of thumb for brisket is that it takes about 30-60 minutes per pound to cook. If using a 4-pound brisket, give yourself about 4 hours to ensure a tender brisket. The trick to keeping the brisket moist is to marinate the meat for 24 hours before cooking. This locks in the flavors and the juices.
How to Make Oven Roasted Brisket
Sarah Abrams
After you purchase your brisket, you'll need to trim the fat cap. This ensures the meat cooks without getting tough.
Next, prepare your marinade or dry rub. Evenly coat both sides of the brisket with the dry rub and wrap the whole brisket in tin foil. Let it sit in the refrigerator overnight to really absorb the flavors.
The next day, unwrap the brisket and let it come to room temperature. While the brisket is coming to temperature, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put the brisket fat side up, uncovered, in the oven for one hour. This is important!
After an hour, add 1 1/2 cups of beef stock to your roasting pan. The extra moisture from the stock will help keep the brisket moist while it cooks. Lower the oven temperature to 300 and cover the pan completely with aluminum foil. Put it back in the oven for 3 hours, or until fork-tender. You can use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature reads at least 180 degrees F. Once it is done, remove the brisket to a cutting board and let rest. Make sure to cut brisket against the grain for the most tender piece of meat.
How To Serve Brisket the Texas-Way
If you'd like a true BBQ experience with smoked brisket, feel free to add some liquid smoke. The liquid smoke would be added to the broth for the second part of the cooking process. Traditional Texas BBQ brisket only uses BBQ sauce as a dip, and not to cook the meat. If you want, serve the brisket with your favorite BBQ sauce on the side.
You can store leftover brisket in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, add some more beef stock to the brisket, re-wrap it in foil, and place in the oven for 20 minutes at 325 degrees.
If you don't feel like making brisket in the oven, you can use a slow cooker. Slow cooking the brisket is basically the same process, just more time. You use the same dry rub and place the brisket in the slow cooker on low for 11-13 hours.
READ: How to Make Braised Brisket Even Your Grandma Would Approve
Oven-Roasted Brisket To Rival Its Smoked Counterparts
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb brisket
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock
- 1/8 cup liquid smoke optional
- BBQ sauce of choice optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all the seasonings together and mix. Sprinkle the mixture evenly all over the brisket so it is well coated. Wrap the brisket in foil and let refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, unwrap the brisket to allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f. Place the brisket fat side up in the roasting pan for one hour.
- After an hour, add the broth to the bottom of the pan, as well as the liquid smoke, if you are using. Cover the pan with foil and lower the temperature to 300. Cook for an additional 3 hours.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 20 minutes. Once rested, slice against the grain and serve with bbq sauce on the side.
