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Everything You Need to Smoke the Best Brisket 🔥🍖
20
items From the home-made rub to the exact cut of meat and the grill it'll cook in, this list contains absolutely everything you need to make better-than-restaurant-quality brisket.
Sections
6
Fuel
Gadgets
Tools
Grill
Ingredients
Recipes
Fuel
This is how you start a fire, a delicious, smoky fire.
The best lump charcoal for the money. 10x better than the cheap stuff, and 95% as good as stuff that costs twice as much.
20 lbs. Chunx XL Lump Grill Charcoal All Natural Hardwood
These things are FIRE! (literally). I've compared three different brands of fire starter (including the well-reviewed Weber ones), and these are just so much better. You get a hot, high flame that lights even the biggest lumps of charcoal. They're so...
Jealous Devil Boom! Firestarters 8 Pack, Natural Coconut Fiber
These are big and chunky with a rich flavor for not a whole lot of money. Compared to the Jealous Devil brand (which I love), these are much cheaper and yield similar results. Toss them into your smoker or grill about an hour before your brisket and ...
Weber Hickory Wood Chunks for Grilling 4 lb
These are big and chunky with a rich flavor for not a whole lot of money. Compared to the Jealous Devil brand (which I love), these are much cheaper and yield similar results. Toss them into your smoker or grill about an hour before your brisket and ...
Pecan Wood Chunks 4lb
Gadgets
The only way to get juicy, perfectly-smoked brisket every time.
I've only ever owned one wireless probe system. Because this one does everything I want, and it does those things well. This makes your smoke session truly set-and-forget. You can even set alarms for when your temperatures are out of range or when th...
Smoke® Remote BBQ Alarm Thermometer
Need to get out of your grill's range? This is the perfect buddy for your ThermoWorks Smoke. It lets me monitor my smoke even when I leave the house to grab last-minute groceries.
Smoke® Gateway (Wi-Fi bridge for Smoke only)
Tools
For your hands and for your meat.
You can't pick up a 16lb packer with dinky tongs. You need literal manpower. These heat resistant gloves let you pick your brisket up right off the grates without feeling the heat.
RAPICCA 700°F Heat Resistant BBQ Grill Gloves
This is the best way to keep your brisket moist without ruining the delicious, crispy bark. I wrap my brisket after the stall (and once the bark is set) for the last 2 hours+ of cooking.
Bryco Pink Butcher Paper Roll 18x175' USA
If you're trimming a packer brisket, you need this knife. Don't buy any of the expensive alternatives, either. This little $30 knife outperforms almost all of the others that are up to 10X the cost.
Victorinox Fibrox Pro 6" Flexible Boning Knife
Unless you want to eat ground beef, you need a slicer. This is the knife you need if you want those pretty slices you get at BBQ joints. Any other knife will give you jagged, torn pieces, and will make slicing difficult.
Mercer Culinary M13914 Millennia 14-Inch Slicer
Grill
The Kamado is my smoker of choice. You just can't beat the heat and moisture retention of ceramic.
Makes unreal brisket, ribs, pulled pork, skirt steak, you name it. You can use it as a high-heat grill up to 900 degrees, or smoke low and slow. It's the most versatile grill I've ever owned and it makes all my pellet-smoking friends jealous.
Kamado Joe Big Joe 24" Ceramic Grill & Smoker
Ingredients
Everything you need for a delicious brisket rub (recipe included below).
Whole peppercorns only. None of that pre-ground crap. Your rub will be significantly better if the pepper is fresh-ground.
Tellicherry Whole Black Peppercorn 16 Oz
It's white sugar. You don't need anything fancy here.
Domino, Granulated White Sugar, 4 lb
You don't need anything fancy here, either.
365 by Whole Foods Market Onion Powder 2.43oz
Buy your granulated garlic in bulk. You'll need it if you plan to make your own rubs often.
Kirkland Signature Granulated Garlic
Onions. But in powder form.
McCormick Onion Powder Non GMO 2.62 oz
Ancho chili powder is the secret to a smoky, rich bark on your brisket.
Ancho Chile Pepper Powder Ground 8oz - Mild & Smoky
Chipotle peppers are king. They're like cayenne peppers if they actually had flavor. They have a complex, smoky, subtle tomato-y flavor that elevates every meat you smoke.
Amazon Grocery Chipotle Chili Pepper Ground 2.75oz
Wild Fork has the best meat for your money. They sell USDA Prime for the same price that others sell USDA Choice. And for brisket, you WANT USDA Prime for its superior marbling. USDA Choice brisket is trash. Just make sure to watch a couple YT videos...
USDA Prime Beef Brisket | Wild Fork Foods
Recipes
The only beef rub recipe you'll ever need.
This is my go-to brisket rub. Great flavor with a just the right amount of sweetness. If you're feeling adventurous and want to level it up, add a tablespoon of fresh ground coffee beans to the mix.
Beef Dry Rub Recipe