Learn how easy it is to cook a brisket on your backyard gas grill with these easy to follow step by step photo instructions. You can enjoy one of the Kings of BBQ at home.
I love brisket. It is almost my favorite meat. I have always oven cooked my BBQ brisket and it is a family favorite. So I’m treading on dangerous ground here but time for something with a great bark that you don’t get from the oven method.
First, you need to set up your grill for indirect cooking and smoking. See my previous post How Set To Up Your Gas Grill for Smoking and Low and Slow Cooking . This is the key to any cooking of this type.
I started with a basic rub, some sugar, paprika, salt, and pepper. You can complicate this as much as you want but these are the basics. Now cooking it low and slow, add some smoke and you’re there.
My Rating
A very nice 5. Very good.
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Notes: A larger whole brisket will take longer… It could be a lot longer. I removed most of the fat cap. I’m very fat adverse but some (but not all) leave it and some will remove most but not all of it. Like almost all cooking, you are cooking to a final temperature. The temp needs to get in the 195 plus range. Many of the “pros” go for 203.
I started with a brisket flat that was about 5 pounds.
Trim brisket of any large chunks of fat and the fat cap. Don’t try to be perfect.
Mix rub of 1/4 cup each brown sugar and paprika. Add two tablespoons each of kosher salt and black pepper and mix well.
Give all sides of the brisket a heavy rub of the spices. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Remove from refrigeration about 1 hour before cooking and allow to rest at room temperature. While the brisket is resting, set up the grill. You want a steady temperature of about 250 with indirect heat with a drip pan on indirect side and a way to create smoke. See How to Set Up a Gas Grill for Smoking.
Cook on the indirect side over a drip pan.
Add some smoke. Cook until internal temp of 195 plus. I flipped once about 3 hours into cooking. About 5 hours total cooking time for me.
Remove from grill and wrap in foil and couple of towels.
Allow to rest for 1-2 hours before cutting thin across the grain to serve.
- 5 pound Brisket flat
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup paprika
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons black pepper
- Trim brisket of any large chunks of fat and the fat cap. Don't try to be perfect.
- Mix rub of 1/4 cup each of brown sugar and paprika. Add two tablespoons each of kosher salt and black pepper and mix well.
- Give all sides of the brisket a heavy rub of the spices. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Remove from refrigeration about 1 hour before cooking and allow to rest at room temperature.
- While the brisket is resting, set up the grill. You want a steady temperature of about 250 with indirect heat with a drip pan on indirect side and a way to create smoke. See https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/set-gas-grill-smoking-low-slow-cooking/
- Cook on the indirect side over a drip pan.
- Add some smoke.
- Cook until internal temp of 195 plus. I flipped once about 3 hours into cooking. About 5 hours total cooking time for me.
- Remove from grill and wrap in foil and couple of towels. Allow to rest for 1-2 hours before cutting thin across the grain to serve.
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All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated. Rating is done by clicking on the stars above.
Updated
September 15, 2016
Hi All, I'm DrDan and welcome to 101 Cooking for Two. We present some of the best recipes with easy to follow step by step photo instructions to make your everyday cooking needs easier. 
Brigitte Nelson
It sounds wonderful, I would make this recipe for my Memorial Day Party. However, I do not have a temperature gauge on my grill. How do I know what the grill’s temp. is? I do not want to find out, after 5 hours of grilling, that the grill was not hot enough and we would need more hours to get the meat done.
DrDan
The temperature gauges in the grill are almost worthless anyways. For 8-10 dollars you should be able to pick up a grill surface thermometer at a Home Depot or a hardware store. It will serve you well. Get the grill setup a day early and try to get the temp correct.
DrDan
Franklin Thompson
How large a brisket for various cooking times?
DrDan
Excellent question… No specific answer. Mostly 1-2 hrs per pound is a good guess but it varies by thickness, wt (of course), exact grill temp and closeness to the flame for radiant effect. Mine always run 1 to 1.5 hrs per pound but some thinner ones have been a little less and thicker ones longer. Also it can be a little hard to keep the temp exactly where you want it.
DrDan
samantha eaton
I love your recipes, your oven pulled pork is my absolute favorite and now looking to give this a whirl – any suggestions if i want to do this in the oven instead?
DrDan
I have a great easy oven based recipe I have used for 40 years at https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/oven-baked-kansas-city-bbq-beef-brisket/ .
There is no “crust of spices” but it’s really a great easy recipe.
DrDan
samantha eaton
I should add, I’d like it to have some bark!
DrDan
Well I can take an educated guess… I’m very good at educated guessing.
Prep the brisket per this recipe BUT rub with some liquid smoke before the spice rub. Very much like the pulled pork.
Cook at 250 on a rack like the pork to the final temp of 195 to 200. Uncovered of course. The size of the brisket will somewhat dictate the time but I’m guessing 4-6 hours. It could be a little longer if a whole brisket. Then follow the after cooking instructions above.
How is that….
Dan
PS there is no bark on my other oven recipe.
samantha eaton
thanks for the recipe, ill give it a look, im hoping it creates yummy bark!
samantha eaton
Thanks sounds great will give it a shot!
DrDan
Let me know if you do it… sounds like a good post.
Dan
Samantha
Prepped and in the fridge for tomorrow so will absolutely let you know- super excited!
Samantha
Came out absolutely gorgeous!
DrDan
Excellent, I will pickup a brisket and try it next week. Thanks for doing the first cooking for me…
Dan
Gwen
I know this sounds funny but How long do you produce the smoke. Is it during the entire cooking time?
DrDan
You just need some smoke for flavor. 20-30 minutes will do nicely.
Dan
Paul
You rock! Thank you,
DrDan
Thanks Paul,
I do love my 70’s classic rock
Dan
Jay
I used smoked paprika in place of regular and also add 2 tablespoons of garlic powder with the salt & pepper in the rub. I love how it turns out!
Chris Welch
I got a 13.90 brisket what’s the best way to cook it and how long??
DrDan
Hi Chris,
This technique will work but cooking time goes up. So no specific answer. Mostly 1-2 hrs per pound is a good guess (from the internet) but it varies by thickness, weight (of course), exact grill temp and closeness to the flame for radiant effect. Mine always run 1 to 1.5 hrs per pound but some thinner ones have been a little less and thicker ones longer. Remember you are cooking to a temperature and not by time. Just my guess since I have never done a 13 pound brisket.
My favorite for very large whole brisket like you have is probably my oven technique. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/oven-baked-kansas-city-bbq-beef-brisket/. Again the time would increase due to the size. If you opt for the oven method you need a large pan with at least 2 inch sides. A sheet pan will not work.
You might want to do some more Googling about large briskets on a gas grill.
Dan
Jeannette Paladino
Hey Dan,
It looks like a recipe of delicious Brisket, I must try it out.
Although I do not cook these days, but my daughter will surely cook this for me and I am sure I am going to love it.
Bruce
Dr. Dan,
We are going to try and cook a 3 lb brisket today, how should we do it? We have a two burning grill and I am going to wrap the brisket in foil with seasoning on it, so what temp. and how long should I cook it?
DrDan
Hi Bruce,
I never cook wrapped in foil so really, I don’t have an answer for you. The following is without foil.
If you know your grill and have a grill surface thermometer, then indirect heat at 250 would be good. See https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/set-gas-grill-smoking-low-slow-cooking/ for more details.
Cook until internal temperature of about 195 or 200. With a 3 pounder, it will probably take about 3-4 hours. Variability due to grill, meat thickness etc.
Cooking at the wrong temp or to the wrong end-point with brisket will not give good results. You might want to look at the oven recipe https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/oven-baked-kansas-city-bbq-beef-brisket/ if you don’t haven’t had time to get the grill right or don’t have surface and instant read thermometers.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Wynne
Looks delicious! I’m curious, though… Why the long rest (1-2 hours) after cooking? Thanks!
DrDan
Hi Wynne,
The rest is to allow the moisture and fat to reabsorb back into the meat fibers and it will “firm up” a bit. If you try to cut the meat right off the grill, it will just rip apart. But after a rest (1 hour is fine) and cut across the grain, it will be great.
Thanks for the note
Dan