How do you make brisket on a pellet smoker?


First you need to prepare your pellet smoker by adding pellets and setting the temperature to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.  It is common to use oak, mesquite, hickory and pecan pellets.  Next you will need to trim and season your brisket.  It is common to use mustard as a binder for your seasoning but is not required.  Common seasonings for brisket are salt, pepper and garlic.  It is recommend to season the brisket for at least 30 minutes before cooking but for best results allow the seasoned brisket to rest overnight in your refrigerator.  Once the brisket is properly seasoned, place the brisket on your pellet grill.  It is common in Texas to place the brisket fat side up.  In other areas of the country, it is more common to place the brisket fat side down.  Allow your brisket to smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 175 degrees.  Depending on the size of the brisket this could take in excess of 12 hours.  Once the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 175 degrees, wrap the brisket with butcher paper to build better bark.  Alternatively you can wrap the brisket in foil which will finish the cooking faster but build less bark.  Place the wrapped brisket back in your pellet smoker and increase the temperature to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.  Once the brisket reaches a temperature of 205 degrees Fahrenheit remove the brisket from our pellet smoker and allow it to rest in a cooler or oven until the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees.  Depending on the size of the brisket this could take between 2 and 3 hours.  Slice your brisket and serve.