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Brisket Recipe on the Pellet Grill

January 09, 2023

I decided I wanted to make some tender, delicious brisket, so I called up my buddy Kevin from the Butcher Shoppe in Pensacola FL and had him ship me one. It’s a big, trim Wagyu brisket. I can’t wait to season it up, grill it, and serve it!

Wagyu Brisket on the Pellet Grill

I splurged on this cut of meat, but it was going to be worth it. From Australia, this Wagyu brisket was top-notch meat and perfect for making a flavorful, tender, juicy meal. With this premium cut, I’m going to keep the seasonings simple and not use a bunch of ingredients. I’m just going to add to the natural flavor already there.

The Ingredients

I hand-picked some simple ingredients for this brisket dish that will compliment the meat without overpowering it with spices or heat. The smoke from the Pellet Grill will add a delicious taste to it, too.

Australian Wagyu brisket. My buddy Kevin from the Butcher Shoppe in Pensacola FL really hooked me up with a killer brisket.

Heath Riles BBQ Everyday Rub. Our old favorites salt and pepper teamed up with a few friends to create this outstanding rub that’s good on literally everything.

Heath Riles BBQ Beef Rub. Packed with high-quality spices and a few hints of heat, this rub breathes life into all your meat dishes (and even some veggie ones).

Heath Riles BBQ Pecan Rub. Savory and sweet, this nutty rub is the icing on the cake, especially when used with the previous two rubs. Yum.

Brisket spritz. Made with beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and Killer Hogs Hot Sauce, a few spritzes of this keeps the brisket moist and adds flavor as it cooks.

The Equipment Setup

Traeger Timberline 1300 Grill. I fired my Traeger up to 275 degrees F. I removed the top rack and added a large aluminum pan on the bottom grate to catch the drippings. Once the brisket was wrapped, I bumped the temp to 325 degrees F.

Pecan Pellets. Wanting a nice nutty note in my smoke, I fueled the grill with Pecan Pellets.

The Process for Making Wagyu Brisket

I’ve included a detailed account of making this dish in the video and recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here are the highlights of how I did it.

Unpackage the brisket. Making sure my brisket was fresh out of the fridge and still cold, I cut the brisket out of its packaging and wiped it off. This brisket already had most of the fat trimmed off it.

Trim up the meat. We all like burnt ends, so I always expose some bark on the point of my brisket by taking a knife, feeling for big pockets of fat, and slicing them off. By carefully trimming a bit at a time, I eventually got it down so that I could see the red bark of the meat. Then I turned it over and trimmed the other side, being gentle and letting the knife do the work. I worked the brisket over, trimming fat as I went, until I was satisfied I had most of it off the brisket. I cleaned my knife, wiped down the brisket, and moved to the next step.

Season it up. Starting with my Everyday Rub, I laid down a nice layer all over the brisket, patting it in with my gloved hand as I went. I moved on to my Beef Rub and sprinkled a generous amount over the meat. Finally, I went over it with my Pecan Rub, sprinkling a little bit of it on the top. It’s all about layering the flavors on the meat for the best, most full-flavored tastes.

Rinse and repeat. I turned the brisket over and repeated the seasoning process on the other side.

Let it set. I left my brisket on the cutting board to rest about 30 minutes so it could come up to room temperature before I started grilling it. A warmer temp helps it cook more evenly.

Put it on the fire. I laid the brisket directly on the top rack of the grill, positioning the pan under it. I shut the lid and let it cook. I wanted it to hit 170 degrees F.

Spritz it. I never want my brisket to dry out as it cooks, so I like spritzing it during the process. After the brisket grilled for about 3 hours, I opened the lid and spritzed it using my special mixture of beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and Killer Hogs Hot Sauce in a spray bottle. Opening the grill lid, I sprayed the brisket real good, until it was moist all the way around. While I was in there, I looked at the probe in my brisket to check the temp. It was reading 144 degrees F, so I knew it needed some more time on the grill. I closed it up and let the Traeger do its thing.

Check it again. Once the brisket had been on the grill a total of 7 hours, it hit 165 degrees F. I could tell it was perfectly cooked. It had the color I wanted and looked exactly like I wanted my brisket to look.

Remove, add spritz, and wrap. Taking the meat off the grill, I laid it on two layers of aluminum foil. I pulled one side of the foil all the way over the brisket, tucking it under the meat. Then I brought the other side over the top and rolled one side of the foil toward the brisket. Taking the rest of the spritz mixture, I poured it into the open side of the foil, on the brisket. Being careful not to make a mess, I rolled that side of the foil up, effectively closing the brisket in the foil.

Back on the grill. I turned up the Traeger to 325 degrees F, set the ChefAlarm for an internal temp of 202 degrees F, and put the wrapped brisket back on the grill. I’m cooking it ‘til it feels like butter!

Pull it off. The brisket didn’t seem quite ready at 202 degrees, so I let it go until it hit 206-207 degrees F. Turning off the grill, I let the brisket rest on the rack for about 30 minutes.

Slice it up. Using a large knife, I cut the point off first and cubed it up to make burnt ends. When I finished, I sliced up the rest of the brisket. It cut like butter, and I could see the moisture as I sliced through it.

The Results

This was a sure-fire knock out. It was absolutely mouthwatering. Tender and juicy, the brisket had a delicious taste from the meat mixing with the spices and the pecan pellet smoke. Every bit was a tasty flavor bomb.

Serving Suggestions for Brisket

Plan on each guest eating anywhere from 3-8 ounces, depending on what else you’re serving and how hungry they are.

Storing It

Let any leftovers cool and store them in a ziplock back or airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also vacuum-seal brisket and freeze it for up to 3 months.

Equipment and Tools

Filet knife, black nitrile gloves, cutting board, spray bottle, Thermapen Mk4, aluminum foil , Chef’s Alarm