Backyard Brisket
Backyard brisket is a roughly 10 pound brisket injected for moisture and cooked hot and fast on a drum smoker at 300 to 350°F, wrapped in foil with beef broth at 160°F and pulled around 210°F.
| Smoker temp | 300 to 350°F |
| Wrap at | 160°F internal |
| Pull temp | About 210°F, probe tender |
| Wood | Pecan |
| Total time | 5 to 6 hours, plus a 3 hour rest |
| Yield | Feeds about 10 |
YouTube loves a brisket, so here is the one I cook in the backyard. A 10 pound brisket, most of the trim done for you, run hot and fast on the drum smoker. Inject it, rub it, wrap it in foil with a little broth, and it comes out juicy every time.
Watch the full cook on YouTube.
Backyard Brisket
Equipment
- Gateway drum smoker
- Water pan
- Meat injector
- Instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
Brisket
- 1 brisket, about 10 lb mostly trimmed
- 1/3 cup B Vine injection marinade or any injection you like
- 1 bottle water for the injection
Rubs
- Rio Valley Meat Blanco salt and pepper rub
- Smoke and Guns hot BBQ rub
- Big Papa’s Double Secret rub top only
Wrap
- 16-20 oz beef broth
Instructions
Trim
- Clean the loose fat off the top and trim the hard fat between the point and the flat.
- Take the bottom fat down to about 1/8 inch, even across. Cut a small window in the side to check the fat thickness.
Inject and Season
- Mix 1/3 cup injection marinade with 1 bottle of water and shake. Inject one pull about every inch across the brisket.
- Season with the Blanco salt and pepper rub and the Smoke and Guns hot rub, then the Double Secret on top only.
- Refrigerate overnight.
Smoke
- Fire the drum smoker to 300 to 350°F with a water pan and 3 chunks of pecan.
- Cook over the hot spot, rotating between direct and indirect, until the bark sets and the internal hits about 160°F, around 3 hours.
Wrap and Finish
- Lay out foil, set the brisket in, and pour 16 to 20 oz of beef broth around the sides, not over the top. Wrap tight.
- Back on the smoker until about 210°F and probe tender. Total cook is 5 to 6 hours.
Rest and Slice
- Rest in a cooler for 3 hours.
- Slice against the grain.
Video
Notes
Pitmaster Notes
The injection is the move on a hot and fast cook. At 300°F and up you lose a little moisture, and the injection puts it back and adds flavor. When you wrap, pour the broth around the sides, never over the top, or you wash off the bark you worked for.
Frequently Asked Questions
What temperature do you cook a hot and fast brisket?
300 to 350°F on a drum smoker. Wrap in foil with beef broth at about 160°F internal, then pull around 210°F when it probes tender. The whole cook is 5 to 6 hours.
Why inject a brisket?
Cooking hot and fast costs you a little moisture, so the injection puts it back and adds flavor. One pull about every inch across the brisket is plenty.
How long should brisket rest?
Three hours in a cooler. A long rest lets the juices settle back in, so you get a juicy slice instead of one that bleeds out on the board.
Machete Boys BBQ is run by the 2023 American Royal World Series of Barbecue Reserve Grand Champion, based in Minneapolis. Methods honed in competition, built for your backyard. Read the full story →
This is the backyard version of the brisket we run on the competition trail. See more in our recipes and read how we compete and win.
