Texas-Style BBQ Brisket

Ingredients

• 1 whole packer brisket, 12 to 14 pounds, fat cap trimmed to 1/4 inch
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 chunks of oak or hickory smoking wood, each about the size of a fist

Instructions

1. Remove the brisket from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking and allow it to come slightly toward room temperature. Trim the hard, waxy fat from the underside of the brisket, leaving only a thin layer of fat cap no more than 1/4 inch thick on top. Remove any large pockets of hard fat from the flat.
2. In a small bowl, combine the kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Mix well. Generously coat every surface of the brisket with the rub, pressing it firmly into the meat. Do not be shy — the rub should form a visible, even crust on all sides.
3. Prepare your smoker or offset charcoal smoker and bring it to a stable temperature of 225°F to 250°F. Add 2 to 3 chunks of oak or hickory wood to produce a steady, thin blue smoke. Avoid heavy white billowing smoke, which will make the meat bitter.
4. Place the brisket in the smoker fat-cap side up. Position it away from the direct heat source if using an offset smoker. Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the flat. Close the lid and do not open for at least 3 hours.
5. Mix the apple cider vinegar and water together in a spray bottle. After the first 3 hours, spritz the brisket every 45 to 60 minutes to keep the surface moist and help build the bark. Add additional wood chunks as needed to maintain consistent smoke throughout the cook.
6. Continue smoking until the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 165°F to 170°F, approximately 6 to 8 hours into the cook. At this point, the bark should be dark mahogany and set firmly. Remove the brisket from the smoker and wrap it tightly in two layers of unwaxed butcher paper.
7. Return the wrapped brisket to the smoker and continue cooking until a probe thermometer slides into the thickest part of the flat with no resistance, like pushing into warm butter. The internal temperature will typically be between 200°F and 210°F. This phase takes approximately 2 to 4 more hours.
8. Remove the brisket from the smoker and place it, still wrapped in butcher paper, into an empty cooler. Pack towels around it and close the lid. Allow the brisket to rest for a minimum of 1 hour, and up to 3 hours. This rest is not optional — it allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.
9. Unwrap the brisket over a cutting board to catch the accumulated juices. Separate the point from the flat by slicing along the fat seam that divides them. Slice the flat against the grain into pencil-thick slices, approximately 1/4 inch. The point can be sliced against its own grain or chopped into burnt ends. Drizzle any collected juices from the butcher paper over the sliced meat before serving.