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You don’t have to spend all day, or wait for a special occasion to enjoy a delicious smoked beef brisket, with my easy hot and fast brisket method.
My husband’s famous easy hot and fast brisket method takes less than half the time and packs all of the smokey, beefy flavor of the traditional “low and slow” method. It’s the prefect method if you’re craving smokey, beef brisket but don’t have all day to cook it.
Don’t want all the extras in a recipe post? We provide a skip to recipe button in the top left corner, as well as a clickable table of contents, just below, to help make this page easier to navigate.
At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of contents
Check out my web story about this brisket method!
How to Make a Hot and Fast Brisket
Hot and fast brisket still takes a few hours, but it is much faster than conventional slow and low smoking.
Ingredients For the Best Fast Smoked Brisket Recipe
To make this recipe, you’ll need:
- Whole beef brisket – Your whole, “packer” brisket had two parts, the point and the flat. The “point” is the rounder, fattier end, and the “flat” is the thin, flat end that traditionally makes up the slices of brisket that go on sandwiches. The point is often cut up into pieces and made into burnt ends. The point is my favorite part of the brisket, since it brings the flavor and the fat. My father and my son prefer the less fatty flat of the brisket, so cooking a whole packer brisket severs the whole family.
- Salt, pepper, and garlic powder – Making your own rub at home ensures you have total control of the ingredients, and you’re not sneaking stabilizers or sugars (malto-dextrine) into your meals that are often in pre-packaged spice rub blends. I love the simplicity of salt, pepper, and garlic powder, as they accent the flavor of the beef well, and help build a good bark.
- Pink butcher paper or aluminum foil – You can use either the traditional pink butcher paper or regular heavy duty aluminum foil for wrapping your brisket. Each has its own advantages, so use what’s available near you.
- Oak wood – Oak chunks provide a wonderful medium flavored smoke for your brisket. Oak is a great all round workhorse wood for a host of different types of meat, so I always have it on hand. Hickory is another great wood for smoking beef, but it can have a stronger, sometimes more acrid flavor than oak.
- Hardwood charcoal – Use high quality, large lump charcoal, not the pressed briquettes. The pressed briquettes are bound together with petroleum products that can give your meat and off flavor. My husband swears by Jealous Devil’s Premium XL hardwood charcoal, as a clean, hot burning charcoal that is easy to use.
Hot and Fast Brisket Smoking Method
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use the following method:
Prep
A packer brisket is a huge piece of meat, with so much fat there’s not way you’ll ever render all of it. Use a sharp knife on the cold brisket to remove as much of the soft, white fat as you can.
Light your fire and allow the charcoal to burn for 15-20 minutes until the grey/black smoked is replaced with thin, wispy blue smoke. Bring the temperature to 300 degrees for this hot and fast cooking session.
Season Brisket
Season your brisket aggressively with your rub of choice. Remember, it’s a large, thick piece of meat, so use more seasoning on the outside than you think you should. I prefer Texas-style for beef, so I used course salt and pepper and garlic powder. You can season up to 36 hours in advance.
Smoke
Place your brisket on the smoker with the fat side down. I highly recommend using a disposable foil pan with water in to catch fat drippings and prevent flare ups in your smoker, also helps keep the brisket moist. This should take roughly 2-3 ours depending on the thickness of your particular piece of meat, your cooker, and ambient temperatures.
Wrap Brisket
At 160-170o internal temperature, I wrap my brisket in either pink butcher paper or aluminum foil (the “infamous” Texas Crutch). Wrapping the meat protects the bark you’ve worked so hard to build, keeps it from taking on acrid burnt flavors from excessive smoke, and helps tenderize and soften the meat.
Smoke to 210
Wrapping the brisket will help you push through the “stall” as you work toward the internal temperature of 205-210o. This should take approximately 2-2.5 hours, but you should probe test the meat. The rule of thumb is that your meat is done when the sharp probe slides through the meat like hot butter.
Wrap and Rest
Once your brisket hits the temperature, remove it from the smoker, keep it in foil or butcher paper wrap. Wrap it in a towel and then put it in a clean, dry cooler to rest for at least an hour. This rest keeps the meat juicy and helps to keep it tender.
Slice
As with all beef, it is best to cut against the grain of the meat. Cutting the fibers this way, keeps the meat tender. I recommend separating the flat from the point, slicing the flat into pencil thick slices. If you’re ambitious, you can turn your point into burnt ends.
Enjoy!
Serve with sauce and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks to Perfect Hot and Fast Brisket:
Hot and Fast smoked beef brisket is a pretty straightforward recipe but these tips will help make it even easier.
Don’t rely on the clock. Your brisket is done when it has reached 205-210 degrees internal temperature, and is probe tender, NOT after a certain amount of time has past. Every piece of meat is different, every cooking sessions has different atmospheric conditions. Times listed in the recipe are general suggestions of how long it should take. Always rely on your trusty meat thermometer to determine doneness.
Wrap your brisket using aluminum foil or butcher paper. Both work well for wrapping your brisket. Foil, known as the “Texas Crutch”, tends to speed up the cooking session, as you can create a proper seal on the wrap. Pink butcher paper helps maintain the bark or “BBQ crust” better, but doesn’t seal as well as foil, so can take longer to finish. If you’re in a hurry, use foil.
Don’t rush your brisket rest. Letting your brisket rest allows the meat to reabsorb it’s juices, so your brisket won’t be dry and tough; it also tenderizes your meat, so it is easier to slice; and letting brisket rest allows your rub’s flavor to better sink in so you’re getting a ton of flavor in every single bite!
Choose the Right Brisket: Use a full packer brisket (includes both point and flat) with good marbling. USDA Prime or Choice grade brisket is ideal—lean Select cuts are less forgiving with this method.
Trim Aggressively: Trim down the fat cap to about ¼ inch and remove any hard fat or silver skin that won’t render. Square the edges for more even cooking and better bark.
Season Boldly: Use a coarse rub—typically equal parts kosher salt and black pepper, with optional garlic powder, paprika, or chili powder. Let it sit 30 minutes to an hour before cooking so the rub can set.
Set Your Smoker Temperature to 300–325°F: This is the typical “hot and fast” range. Use oak, hickory, pecan, or a fruitwood blend for steady heat and flavor.
Use a Water Pan: Helps maintain a moist environment, reducing drying during high heat and supporting smoke adherence.
Spritz During the Cook: Spritz with apple cider vinegar, beef broth, or water every hour once the bark begins forming. Keeps the surface moist and helps develop a deep, rich bark without burning.
Wrap at the Right Time: Wrap brisket in butcher paper or foil when internal temp hits around 165–175°F and the bark is set. Wrapping accelerates the cook and prevents overdarkening while tenderizing the meat.
Target Temperature and Texture: Cook until the internal temp reaches 200–205°F, but more importantly, test for probe tenderness—a thermometer should slide in with little resistance, especially in the flat.
Rest Before Slicing: Rest the wrapped brisket in a cooler or warm oven for at least 1–2 hours to allow juices to redistribute. Do not skip this step—it’s crucial for moisture and tenderness.
Slice Correctly: Always slice against the grain of the brisket—typically flat and point require separate slicing directions. Use a long, sharp slicing knife for clean, even cuts.
FAQs:
Wrap your brisket when it reaches 160-170 degree F internal temperature. Wrapping the brisket does two good things. It protects the bark on the outside of the meat from getting too dark or burnt, and the wrapping helps create steam from the meats own juices that keeps it flavorful and softens the tougher fibers of the meat.
Pellet smokers are great bbq tools. Clean your pellet smoker and make sure the pellet hopper is full. We recommend Jealous Devil Legendary Blend pellets.
Depending on your cooker, our cooking goal is to hold the smoker between 295-325F for this hot and fast brisket cooking session. With pellet smokers, it’s easy to hold the temperature right at 300F, but with charcoal or wood burners it takes more skill to hold it at a precise temperature.
For the hot and fast method, particularly if you’re using a kettle or Kamado style smoker, start your cook with the fat-side down. Keep the layer of fat between the heat source and the meat will help it render more fully and protect the meat from the fire.
We find it best to plan for about 1/2 pound of brisket per person.
Based off a 1/2 pound serving size per person, plan on buying a packer brisket that weighs as much as the amount of people you’d like to feed – ie: for 18 people, buy an 18 pound packer brisket. For 12 people, buy a 12 pound packer brisket. This will account for weight loss due to liquid and fat cook-off, and trimming.
What to Serve With This Smoked Beef Brisket Recipe
With a traditional BBQ meat like smoked beef brisket, the traditional side are often the best.
I love my Best Ever Bean Bake and the Best easy four ingredient coleslaw with smoked brisket. We love serving brisket with fresh, delicious baked Yeast Rolls, and Easy Potato Salad!
If you want to work outside the box, you can add the brisket meat to chili or tacos for a deep, rich beefy take on those classics.
Want to punch up your macaroni and cheese? Replace the lobster in my Best easy mac and cheese with brisket for a beefy cheesy delight!
You can find more of our favorite BBQ Sides Recipes below:
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Brisket Hot and Fast
Equipment
Ingredients
- 14 lb brisket
- Brisket Rub:
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Prepare your smoker. Light your fire and allow the charcoal to burn for 15-20 minutes until the grey/black smoke is replaced with thin, wispy blue smoke. Bring the temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Trim brisket, removing any excess fat.
- Season your brisket aggressively with your rub of choice. Remember, it’s a large, thick piece of meat, so use more seasoning on the outside than you think you should. You can season up to 36 hours in advance, which helps build and establish a good bark on your brisket.
- Place on smoker grill, fat side down, and smoke your brisket until it hits an internal temperature of 160-170. I highly recommend using a disposable foil pan with water in to catch fat drippings and prevent flare-ups in your smoker. The water also helps keep the brisket moist. This should take roughly 2-3 hours depending on the thickness of your particular piece of meat, your cooker, and ambient temperatures.
- Depending on your cooker you will want to keep your smoker between 295-325F for this hot and fast brisket cooking session. With pellet smokers, it's easy to hold the temperature right at 300F, but with charcoal or wood burners it takes more skill to hold it at a precise temperature.
- Wrap brisket in kraft paper or aluminum foil when it has reached 160-170 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cook your wrapped brisket until in reaches 205-210 degrees internal temperature. This should take approximately 2-2.5 hours, but check the temperature to be sure. The rule of thumb is that your meat is done when the sharp probe slides through the meat like hot butter.
- Once your brisket hits the temperature, remove it from the smoker, keep it in foil or butcher paper wrap. Wrap it in a towel and then put it in a clean, dry cooler to rest for at least an hour. This rest keeps the meat juicy and helps to keep it tender.
- After resting at least one hour, slice against the grain, and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m so excited to try this recipe for Easter dinner tomorrow! Do you know if I just cut the time in half if my brisket is only 7.5 lbs? I definitely don’t want to over cook this peice of meat. Theyre pricey and sooooo good when cooked well.
It wont be exactly cut in half but it wont cook for as long yes. When cooking an expensive piece of meat I always like to use an internal probe thermometer to make sure it cooks perfectly!
I don’t have a smoker so can I use my gas grill?
Thank you in advance
The flavor will be different without smoke, but you can cook this on a different grill!
Thank you for your response! I’ve got it in the smoker as I type ?. Happy Easter
Happy Easter to you too!
Do you keep the smoker temperature at 300 degrees?
Depending on your cooker, our cooking goal is to hold the smoker between 295-325F for this hot and fast brisket cooking session. With pellet smokers, it’s easy to hold the temperature right at 300F, but with charcoal or wood burners it takes more skill to hold it at a precise temperature.