How to Cook Beef Brisket in the Oven

4.97 from 128 votes

How to Cook Beef Brisket in the Oven

I have a BIG secret for you: amazing, flavorful, smoky, tender brisket can be made in your oven – no smoker required! This recipe includes a lip-smacking dry rub, mouthwatering smoking liquid (that’s also the perfect dipping sauce), and easy steps to make a crazy good piece of meat right in your oven.

Prep Time25

Cook Time5

Resting Time30

Total Time5 55

Course: Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings (4 pound brisket)

Author: Grace Vallo

Equipment

Roasting pan with wire rack
Leave-in probe meat thermometer (highly recommended)

Ingredients

3-5 pound boneless beef brisket see notes below on what brisket cut to buy

Dry Rub

1 tablespoon black pepper or ½ tablespoon if you prefer less heat*
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon dried mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Smoking Liquid

2 cups low-sodium beef broth (roughly) depending on size of pan
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a roasting pan with a wire rack, add Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, tomato paste, and enough beef broth to fill the bottom of the pan without submerging the brisket, which will sit on the wire rack. Add enough broth so that it almost touches the bottom of the brisket (typically 2 cups or more). Stir.
Trim fat layer (the fat cap), so that there is about ¼ inch thick fat layer still left on the brisket. Don’t trim too much fat, or you’ll have a tough, bland brisket! Fat is flavor and moisture.
In a bowl, mix together all ingredients in the dry rub: black pepper, brown sugar, chili powder, dried mustard, garlic and onion powder, salt, and smoked paprika.
On a large plate, rub brisket with dry rub, sticking as much dry rub as possible to all surfaces of your brisket. You should use all or almost all of the dry rub. Transfer brisket to the wire rack in your roasting pan, fat-side down. It’s okay if some of the rub falls into the smoking liquid.
Insert a leave-in probe thermometer (highly recommended) into the center of the thickest part of your brisket. Make sure the thermometer’s tip isn’t in the center of a fat layer, as the temperature will be inaccurate. Tightly cover your pan in foil (you can poke a hole through the foil for the leave-in thermometer if needed).
Cook brisket in the oven until a thermometer reads about 190 degrees in the thickest part. Cooking time varies based on many factors. Great brisket is all about temperature, not time!
Uncover brisket and let cook until a thermometer reads 200-205 degrees, and the thermometer can easily slide in and out of the brisket (this signals a tender brisket!). Cooking time varies. Great brisket is all about temperature, not time!
What happens if there’s “stall time?” Stall time is when the internal temperature of your brisket stops rising and may even fall a few degrees. A stall time might occur when you uncover your brisket and steam cools your brisket down. If a stall time lasts for more than 30 minutes, I recommend re-covering your brisket with foil until your brisket’s temperature starts to rise steadily again. Stalls sometimes never happen, happen once, or happen more than once – don’t get discouraged!
Let brisket rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing against the grain.

Video

Notes

You can use a pre-blended dry rub if preferred. I recommend using 1/3 to 1/2 cup of pre-blended dry rub.
You may want to use 1/2 tablespoon of black pepper if your chili powder blend is spicy. Mine is quite mild so I use the full tablespoon of black pepper.
This recipe works for any size brisket, however the amount of dry rub in this recipe is for a 3-5 pound brisket.
You can purchase a brisket “flat” or brisket with a point. A brisket with a point is an extra layer of brisket on top of a portion of the flat, giving it a thicker appearance. The “point,” when cooked, are prized pieces called burnt ends! A brisket “flat” is easier to manage and cook, but you can use whatever cut you prefer. If you purchase a brisket with a “point,” be careful that you don’t insert your meat thermometer into the fat layer between the flat and point, which will lead to inaccurate readings.
This recipe is NOT for a corned beef brisket. Be careful not to purchase this cut in the store.
You can absolutely dry rub brisket ahead of time, leaving in the fridge for 24 hours. I find that dry rubbing brisket right before yields a delicious result, without the extra time of marinating in the fridge!
Cooking time varies. Great brisket is all about internal temperature, not time! The entire cooking process could take anywhere between 3 and 7 hours. Without lengthy stall times, typically brisket takes about 1 to 1.5 hours per pound of meat, but this is just a guideline!

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