Smoked Brisket Flat
Smoked Brisket with Mustard Rub turns out fall apart tender and so flavorful. This recipe is extremely simple and cooks in about 5 hours.
Smoked Brisket Flat is a great recipe for weekend cookouts. The leaner part of a whole brisket cooks quicker and is perfect to make ahead for a few easy weeknight dinners.
What is a Brisket Flat?
Brisket flats are the thinner, leaner part of a whole packer brisket. A whole brisket has both the point, which is has more fat marbling, and the leaner end called the flat.
The point is great for making burnt ends, grind it to make Brisket Burgers or Brisket Smoked Sausage or use this Smoked Brisket Point for chili, tacos sandwiches and more.
Brisket flats are great when you aren’t feeding a crowd and will cook in about 5 hours compared to 7 hours for our Hot and Fast Smoked Brisket recipe.
Ingredients for Brisket Flat
- Brisket Flat ~ 5- 6 pounds
- Steak Rub is our pick for an easy brisket rub or if you like a spicier kick our Best Dry Rub is a great option to season brisket.
- Prepared Yellow Mustard ~ Like French’s
How to Smoke the Perfect Brisket FlatHow to Make Smoked Brisket Flat
- Pat the brisket flat on a sheet pan or cutting board and pat dry with paper towels.
- Use a sharp pointed knife and make cuts all over the brisket about 1 inch apart.
- Sprinkle with dry rub.
- Pour mustard over the rub.
- Use your hands to rub the seasonings and mustard down into the brisket and all over the top.
- Prepare your grill or smoker to 230° using hickory or oak. We are cooking on our offset smoker, a pellet grill or charcoal grill will also work with this cooking process.
- Cook brisket, fat side of the brisket down over indirect fire with the grill closed. We grilled 2 racks of baby back ribs at the same time.
- This brisket cooked for 5 hours, with the grill temperature staying between 220° and 230°.
- Use a digital meat thermometer to cook the brisket to between 195° and 205°.
- Remove from grill and allow to rest at least 30 minutes.
- Cut into thin slices for serving
The mustard acts as a binder for the the spices and creates a wonderfully delicious bark on the brisket. Don’t worry that the brisket ends up tasting like vinegary yellow mustard, I promise that it does not.
How Long to Smoke a Brisket Flat
Cooking the best smoked brisket will vary and will not always take a certain amount of time, always go by the internal temperature of the meat. We smoked this brisket flat in 5 hours, cooking to an internal temperature of about 205° using an instant read thermometer. If you think your brisket is drying out, it can be wrapped in pink butcher paper or aluminum foil to finish the cooking process.
How to Store and Reheat Brisket
- Wrap brisket in 2 layers of plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 4 days. Add an additional layer of foil for freezing. Vacuum seal brisket for the best results and freeze up to 6 months.
- Reheat brisket in a covered skillet with a tablespoon of water over medium heat or mix with bbq sauce, cooking until heated through.
We hosted a family cookout over the weekend and made a huge Smoked Charcuterie Board with the smoked brisket flat, Baby Back Ribs, Brisket Smoked Sausage and Garlic Butter Grilled Chicken. It made a beautiful presentation and it was an incredible meal that everyone raved about.
Easy Recipes for Leftover Brisket
- Brisket Po Boy sandwiches are a great option for a bbq sandwich and will be the best sub sandwich when piled high with brisket meat.
- Brisket Queso is a must-have for game day. Delicious queso filled with smoked beef brisket, it’s one of the best ways to enjoy the leftovers.
- Brisket Stuffed Poblano Peppers is an easy dinner made with juicy brisket, cheese and tomatoes for a delicious meal on the grill that everyone loves.
- Brisket Pizza is loaded with flavor. Tender brisket, homemade tomato sauce, tomatoes and plenty of melted mozzarella cheese for the best homemade pizza!
- Brisket Tacos are a classic to make with Texas-style brisket. Add your favorite toppings for an easy weeknight meal.
Brisket Flat VS Brisket Point
- The flat cut of the brisket is the lean meat, thinner side of the brisket, while the point is the thickest part of the brisket and more fatty.
- We often split a full packer brisket and smoke the flat for sandwiches and tacos. The point can be smoked separately or ground up to make amazing brisket burgers.
- If the full brisket has too much fat, we like to trim some of the fat cap and melt it down for beef tallow.
If you are short on time or are just cooking brisket for a small gathering, a smoked brisket flat is perfect. The mustard binder and simple spice rub makes the most delicious bark on the tender and delicious sliced brisket.
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Smoked Brisket Flat
Ingredients
- 5- 6 pound brisket flat
- ½ cup steak rub
- ½ cup prepared yellow mustard like French's
Instructions
- Pat the brisket flat on a sheet pan or cutting board and pat dry with paper towels.
- Use a sharp pointed knife and make cuts all over the brisket about 1 inch apart.
- Sprinkle with dry rub.
- Pour mustard over the rub.
- Use your hands to rub the seasonings and mustard down into the brisket and all over the top.
- Prepare your grill or smoker to 230° using hickory or oak.
- Cook brisket, fat side down over indirect fire with the grill closed.
- We cooked this brisket for 5 hours, keeping the grill temperature between 220° and 230°.
- Use a digital meat thermometer to cook the brisket to between 195° and 205°.
- Remove from grill and allow to rest at least 30 minutes.
- Cut into thin slices for serving.
My husband just made this and it’s amazing! I love grill season, thank you!
This is so good!! It was so hard to resist! Everyone loved it!
This was so yummy! Thank you so much for sharing, can’t wait to make it again!