Smoked Corned Beef Brisket

Smoked Corned Beef Brisket

This smoked corned beef brisket is simple to make with minimal ingredients and delivers incredible flavor that traditional cooking methods can't match.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword brisket, corned beef, smoked corned beef, smoked recipes

Prep Time 20

Total Time 9 30

Servings people

Calories 373kcal

Author Erin Dooner

Ingredients

4 to 5 pounds (1815-2270) corned beef brisket

More traditional spice rub:

2 tablespoons black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds optional
1 teaspoon ground mustard seeds optional

Original spice rub:

2 tablespoons black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

For the smoker:

wood chips that have been soaked 1 hour before turning on the smoker

Instructions

If you think corned beef is typically too salty or if this is your first time making smoked corned beef brisket, you should soak the meat to extract some of the salt. To soak, get out a large pot or baking dish big enough for the meat. Rinse the meat under cool running water. Place it in the dish or pot. Cover the meat with water and let it soak for 2-3 hours, exchanging the water hourly. You can let it soak in the fridge for up to 24 hours. One hour before you're done with the soaking, soak the wood chips and drain. When the meat is almost done soaking, prepare the smoker.
Place a drip pan in the smoker if available. Add the soaked hickory chips to the smoker. For charcoal smokers, place the wood chips directly on the hot coals. For electric smokers, place the chips in the designated wood chip tray or box.
While it's preheating, mix together the rub ingredients in a little bowl.
Remove the meat from the water, rinse and pat very dry with paper towels.
Trim any excess fat, if needed, but don't remove it all. Don't trim too much because the fat cap is what keeps it tender.
Rub the seasoning all over the brisket.
Right before you place the brisket on the smoker – add the drained wood chips. Place the meat in the smoker and smoke until the internal temperature reaches 160 °F (71 °C). This will take 2-3 hours and depends on the size of the meat.
Wrap the meat in foil. Double wrap it (2 layers of foil) tightly. This helps prevent the liquid from flowing everywhere in case you poke or tear the foil.
Smoke until you reach an internal temperature of 200-205 °F (93-96 °C). This will take another 2-3 hours and depends on the size of the meat.
Remove from the smoker and let rest for 30 minutes and up to 2 hours before slicing.
First cut the brisket in half, then slice across the flat against the grain. Then turn the point of the brisket 90 degrees and cut in half and slice along the point to ensure slicing against the grain. This ensures a tender and mouth-watering corned beef.
Cool leftovers completely and then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Notes

Hickory, oak, cherry, apple, pecan and maple are good wood choices.
As with all smoked recipes, please cook according to temperature and not by time.
If you made this recipe before February 25, 2025 and want to make it exactly the same, choose the original spice rub. If you'd like a more traditional version, choose the traditional spice rub.

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